Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close Analysis

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PRL Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close United by Grief Grief is an experience we all go through, whether it is over the death of a loved one, war, or lost dreams, the pain is undeniable. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close tells the story of a boy grieving over the death of his father caused by the 9/11 incident. A story about grief, growth, and closure, the story follows Oskar Schell as he travels all of New York in search for an answer that can clarify his father’s death with a key as his only clue. In his quest to find the owner of the key, he interacts with others who experience and cope with grief in different ways. It is through grief and his search for closure that he is able to unite with strangers and along the way, helps them gain…show more content…
Some grieve over words that can never be said or heard, others over someone they won’t see again, and so on. Abby grieves over her marriage as she reveals to Oskar that, “My husband and I had been having a terrible fight” (Foer 290). William Black, her ex-husband is able to attain closure when Oskar gives him the key to a safe that belonged to his deceased father. A.R. Black grieves over his wife’s death by hammering nails into their bed and for his loss of hearing. As Oskar turns the dials of his hearing aid, “He started crying” (Foer 168). Here, A.R. Black cries over memories and sounds that he can no longer share with his wife, he comes to terms with the fact that she is truly gone. Oskar, in this instance, helps Mr. Black face his grief and gain closure, he helps him realize his loss. While Mr. Black isn’t able to give Oskar an answer, he helps him explore New York to find an answer, or cope with his grief. They build a bond of trust and are honest with each other, this bond is most especially helpful for Oskar as he begins to express his grief to others. By meeting so many people, he is able to trust the renter who unbeknownst to him, is his grandfather. “There are so many different ways to die, and I just need to know which was his” (Foer 257). For the first time, he admits why he invents, why he imagines his father’s death, it was all a distraction for gaining closure, from accepting that his father died and won’t come back. Just as Oskar helped the Blacks, the Blacks helped Oskar come to terms with his own feelings, even if he wasn’t able to gain full closure, it is apparent that we need each other to find peace within ourselves and that we need support to move

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