“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.” Death is the binding element to the human experience; it is inevitable and inescapable. Death serves as a catalyst for trauma for those who lack the ability to grieve and accept reality. Trauma is characterized as an emotional response triggered by a tragic event and its symptoms include unpredictable emotions and difficulty maintaining relationships. In the postmodern novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer demonstrates the effect of trauma through the eyes of multiple narrators, mainly through an 11 year old protagonist, Oskar Schell who suffers from the loss of his father in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The novel …show more content…
For example, he says, "Even though Dad's coffin was empty, his closet was full." (36) In this state, Oskar may be a interpreted as a representation of the post-9/11 attitude where some people were in a state of disillusionment and were temporarily distracted from reality. Oscar also uses his inventions as a mechanism for coping. The inventions serve as a creative outlet for Oscar to project his feelings and desires. Oskar's "inventions" further illustrate this preoccupation--particularly the ones that revolve around burial and commemoration, like the "teakettle that reads in Dad's voice" (1) and the reverse skyscrapers that hold dead bodies." (Mullins) Oskar uses his inventions to try to improve the quality of life in the world and to create a sense of safety, which is something he lost along with his father. The safety that is more emotional and anxiety-based rather than physical safety. Although, Oskar does have a lot of irrational physical fears, such as " suspension bridges, germs, airplanes, fireworks, Arab people..." (36) most of his fears are mental and causes him to inflict self harm. He describes feelings of dread as being "heavy boots" which shows that he believes anxiety possesses a physical form that can be measured; the boots serve as a way for Oskar to visualize his anxiety in an attempt to deal with it. Many critics …show more content…
The key itself does not hold any intrinsic but Oskar believes that it is part of a quest left behind by his father, perhaps as a part of one of their 'Reconnaissance Expeditions.' Oscar creates the quest in an attempt to rationalize the sudden death of his father. "Oskar's quest that takes him around the city looking for the lock that fits the key he found in his father's closet, for example, serves in many ways as a representation of Oskar's melancholia because he finds out in the end that the key was not left for him by his father as he had originally hoped, but was in his father's closet by chance." (Bryan) The journey comes to an anti-climatic end when Abby informs Oscar that the key actually belongs to her ex-husband as a part of his grandmother's will. The true purpose of this journey, as devised by Oskar's mother, is to promote human interaction and move him into a state of healing. The interactions between Oskar and the Blacks shows the widespread effect of trauma. "Trauma problematizes, more than it clarifies, identity, and thus reactions should err on the side of unity, not division. Trauma and identity have a complicated relationship in which both seem to play a fundamental role in creating each other." (Mullins) Trauma defines who we are as people and strengthens our sense of sympathy for others. Oskar’s encounter with the man upstairs, Mr. Black,
Diane Urban, for instance, was one of the many people who were trapped inside this horror. She “was comforting a woman propped against a wall, her legs virtually amputated” (96). Flynn and Dwyer appeal to the reader’s ethical conscience and emotions by providing a story of a victim who went through many tragedies. Causing readers to feel empathy for the victims. In addition, you began to put yourself in their shoes and wonder what you would do.
Due to his brother’s death while fighting alongside him in the war, Michael becomes emotionally devastated, and as a result, experiences survivor’s guilt, leading to his suicide. Although this letter is not from Death’s perspective, it still highlights an example of how physical destruction caused by humans can lead to emotional devastation for other humans. Death himself becomes emotionally devastated when Rudy Steiner, Liesel’s best friend, dies from the bomb on Himmel Street. He confesses, “Oh crucified Christ, Rudy … He lay in bed with one of his sisters. She must have kicked him or muscled her way into the majority of the bed space because he was on the very edge with his arm around her … Where was Rudy’s comfort? Where was someone to alleviate this robbery of his life? … He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It’s his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry.” (531) This quote shows that Death is emotionally affected by the aftermath of the bomb, because he loses someone that he admires. As a result, Death feels like crying, and leads readers to believe that humanity is destructive. As a result, numerous examples from the book, including Death’s own experience, demonstrate that humanity has the capability to harm the physical world, as well as other
Niebuhr, Reinhold (1892-1971), American Protestant theologian, whose social doctrines profoundly influenced American theological and political thought.
Theologian, ethicist, and political analyst, Reinhold Niebuhr was a towering figure of twentiethcentury religious thought. He is well known and is appreciated for many reasons among American theologians. Niebuhr had a very strong opinion and much to say when it came down to man and violence in regards to peace and war. Although he thought of himself as a preacher and social activist, the influence of his theological thought on the field of social ethics and on society made him a significant figure.
In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Oskar Schell can be seen confronting several different types of trials, some of these being man versus man conflicts, and others being man versus self. One of the major man vs. man trials Oskar faces throughout the course of the book is in the form of the noticeable and consistent bullying he takes because of his awkward personality and odd quirks. Kids like Jimmy Snyder can be seen exploiting Oskar’s social shortcomings verbally, and even being ready to turn towards physical bullying (Foer 189-192). As Oscar is not the knight in shining armor, he rarely stands up for himself, instead fantasizing about actions he would like to take and follows that up by saying, “that’s what I wanted to do. Instead I just shrugged my shoulders” (Foer 203). Throughout the course of the story, Oskar also faces many internal conflicts. The death of his father has left Oskar traumatized giving him fears of taking showers and getting into elevators…people with mustaches, smoke, knots, tall buildings, and turbans” (Foer 36). As Oskar continues on his quest, he eventually comes face to face with many of his fears, and is forced to confront and ultimately overcome them. Oskar’s final and arguably most daunting challenge is facing his own inner demons in regards to the death of his father. A year after his father’s passing, he has
“Trauma. It doesn 't eke itself out over time. It doesn 't split itself manageably into bite-sized chunks and distribute it equally throughout your life. Trauma is all or nothing. A tsunami wave of destruction.A tornado of unimaginable awfulness that whooshes into your life - just for one key moment - and wreaks such havoc that, in just an instant, your whole world will never be the same again”(Holly Bourne, The Manifesto on How to be Interesting). In "Moral Injury," Tony Dokoupil explores the guilt, shame, and regret that burdens countless veterans. In "The Man I Killed," when author Tim O 'Brien kills an individual for the first time it traumatized him as a young soldier in Vietnam. This action wreaks havoc within O 'Brien, altering his
After an event of large magnitude, it still began to take its toll on the protagonist as they often “carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die” during the war (O’Brien 1187). The travesties that occurred with the brutality of war did not subside and began to affect those involved in a deeply emotional way. The multitude of disastrous happenings influenced the narrator to develop a psychological handicap to death by being “afraid of dying” although being “even more afraid to show it” (O’Brien 1187). The burden caused by the war creates fear inside the protagonist’s mind, yet if he were to display his sense of distress it would cause a deeper fear for those around him, thus making the thought of exposing the fear even more frightening. The emotional battle taking place in the psyche of the narrator is directly repressed by the war.
First, the speaker is revealed to be “sobbing”, which subsequently causes him to “swing harder and harder” while he murders Danny (54). This lack of emotional control demonstrates the speaker’s complete inability to deal with hardship.
Through the story the protagonist a young teenage boy who loses his mother after her suicide herself is then followed by the death of his father in a car crash. At such a young age this boy describes the pain he goes through by the way he responds with regard to how others treat him. He demonstrates how grief can alter a person
In the beginning of the novel Oskar is an open wound. He feels alienated, he hurts,
... conclusion, Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close doesn’t sugarcoat tragedy. It faces it head on and without a sensor, thus allowing it to maintain historical truth. The use of the scrapbook allows the reader to see into the mind of the narrators and reveals personality traits that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. By writing from the point of view of three different narrators, Foer has allowed the reader to see into the minds of people in three different stages of grief. He also focusing primarily on life after trauma, specifically differentiating between acceptance and attachment, and provides the reader with solid advice on how to deal with the tragic aftermath of trauma. Most importantly, the story of the Schell family shows the reader that they are not alone, and that traumatic experience do not have to define who she becomes as a person.
He was brought out of this conscious state by the black flak and the nightmare fighters with these lines it brings contrasting images of dreaming of life and the reality of the approaching death. The final image brought up in this piece which also creates the most disturbing visual imagery is in the 5th line when he says, “When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.” At this point it is like a morbid rebirth. In harsh contrast to a mother giving life to a child, the turret/womb of the bomber births the gunner to death. The soldiers sacrifice was not viewed as that, but just as a number for body count. It’s through the metaphorical imagery the readers are able to visualize the delicacy of life and the reality of death. Understanding the effects of war and the appalling experiences our soldiers have to endure while fighting for their country facilitates communicating effectively about literature and its function in the context of American and world history and culture
Even when he tried to stay optimistic, fear and anxiety set in often in Schwartz’s mind. He experienced fear and anxiety related to impending death. Worries of missing out on his son growing up and not experiencing romantic moments with his wife ever again filled him with both terror and grief. He expressed this fear to his psychiatrist and his concern that he might be depressed. Dr Cassem assured him that crying was a sign of acknowledgment of his love for his family. He also worried if there was anything he could do t...
Keys, having virtually no reason for emotional attachment, are mentioned in line 5 with a tone of acceptance that, “Yes, it is okay to lose keys.” Although vital to the penetration of a lock, keys are such a generic object that they can be easily replaced and, aside from the inability to open that door, will not be missed for long. Lines 2 and 3 state that “so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster.” These items with “the intent to be lost” are items such as keys and pens that when misplaced, don’t deliver an emotional blow or greatly impact the person who lost them. Bishop uses the repetition of the line “The art of losing isn’t hard to master” to emphasize and even explain away the speaker’s reason...
Recently, art subjects in schools have been drastically decreasing. Massive budget cuts and an emphasis on core classes have been ridding the schools of a very important part of a child’s learning. The arts are a very important part of the educational system, they help at risk youth and they aid in children’s development, the arts have been shown to improve a child’s performance in classes such as english and math, also the arts give a child a means of expression in multiple forms which keeps them engaged.