Death in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Dealing with Death in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Everyone experiences the loss of a loved one at some point in their lives or another. In the novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, author Jonathan Safran Foer talks about how the loss of a parent and loved one in the attacks on 9/11 changed a nine year old boy's (Oskar) life. Oskar is very upset by the loss of his dad and he sees the world in a realistic way, often only seeing the bad. This gives him "heavy boots" and causes him to bruise himself but as time goes on, he gets better, learning more about life and growing up at a young age. The author uses the symbol of heavy boots and Oskar bruising himself, along with his view of the world to convey how people try to escape the pain of death but it takes time to get better.

Oskar says often that he has "heavy boots", which symbolize the weight he carries due to the emotions he goes through. Oskar's "boots" represent the emotions that he feels that he cannot let go of. "... because if I could make him crack up, my boots would be a little lighter." (5). Oskar wants to make the limo driver laugh on the way to his father's funeral because it would make him feel better. The funeral is soon after his father's death and Oskar has not had much time to comprehend and recover from the tragedy. Oskar has very "heavy boots" at this time because he has not had time to let go and move on from the emotions of grief brought on by his father's death. Even a small victory, like making someone laugh, would make him feel better. Oskar says, "My boots were so heavy I was glad there was a column underneath us." (163). This is when he meets Stan Black and learns that he used to travel the world and now he just stays inside his apartment since his wife died. Oskar feels bad about Stan and thinks that such a well-traveled man should not be up in his apartment all day, even though it was his choice. Hearing of Stan's life and what he used to do and about his wife gave Oskar a lot to think about and "heavy boots". Stan had so much sadness in his story plus the other recent events in his life, Oskar thought his "boots" would cause him to fall through the floor. He makes it very difficult for his boots to get lighter and it causes him to have a lot on his mind and in his heart. Oskar says, "But still it gave me heavy, heavy boots" (159), Oskar just learned that Stan didn't know his father and he interpreted it to mean that his dad was not "biographically significant". Oskar thought that his dad was one of the greatest people ever and all of the sudden decides that Thomas was not great or important. It gave him "heavy boots" because it was his belief and now that belief has been rejected by someone who Oskar also sees as an inspiration. The weight of that rejection made Oskar feel even more pressure from his emotions and put more weight on his shoulders. Oskar's "heavy boots" are where he hides his pain and emotions but he deals with them by punishing himself.

Oskar bruises himself to help cope with the pain of his dad's death and life's disappointments. Bruising helps him escape difficult situations that he has to handle. He says, "I gave myself a bruise." (69), this phrase is repeated throughout the book and in this case, Oskar

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