Oskar In 'Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close'

“I’ve been searching endlessly and I can’t believe you lied to me for eight months after I visited you,” Oskar would have said. He should have been very angry at Abby Black. Instead, Oskar Schell, a young boy who lost his father during 9/11, went on an extremely long quest to find out what the key opened that he found in his dad’s closet. Oskar was extremely close with his dad and he was the only one that could comfort Oskar and really understand Oskar’s problems. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer, is a very meaningful book in which Oskar goes through many changes. These changes include being more socially engaged with people, conquering his fears along the way, and becoming more mature and stronger as a person.

Socializing with the Blacks helps Oskar express what he was feeling and helps his anxiety level go down. In the beginning when Oskar meets the Blacks, he is doubtful and shy with them. Oskar’s voice sounds very nervous when he comes to the door of Abby Black and says “Hi…Hello”(91). This is new to Oskar because he wasn’t a very social kid to begin with and this was totally new to him. As he meets the Blacks, he becomes less hesitant and less shy when he talks to them. Black by Black, Oskar shares more and more of his story with them and they share more with him about their stories. Oskar finally starts opening himself up when he meets the Blacks. When Oskar meets Mr. Black, Mr. Black shows Oskar his interesting apartment with all type of “cool” things (152). Then, Oskar proceeds to ask Mr.Black, “Where’s your wife now?” (154) Mr. Black said that “she died twenty-four years ago” (154). Another example is when Oskar meets Abe Black and Abe tells him “that I can relate in my own way because I had a dog that ran away once” (149). This shows that many of the Blacks had similar stories that Oskar had. Furthermore, this indicates that these connections that Oskar makes with the Blacks help him realize that he is not the only one going through a loss, and many people go through the same thing that he is going

In the beginning of the book, Oskar comes home from school and his dad leaves a couple of messages telling everyone that “I’m OK, don’t worry” so he doesn’t make Oskar scared of what is going on (15). Oskar knows what is going on and he doesn’t pick up the phone. Oskar feels guilty that his dad wanted to say his last goodbye to him and “he couldn’t pick up” (301). This shows how Oskar didn’t have the courage and bravery to pick up the phone when he needed to the most. In the end of the book, Oskar finally gets the courage to pick up the phone and listen to the messages. Oskar pressed the message play button, which I haven’t done since the worst day (288). This was the first time he listened to the messages. Oskar sits down with Abby Black to tell her something that “he’s never told anyone” (300). Oskar told Abby that he didn’t get her message because he hasn’t checked the messages on the phone since the worst day. Oskar was really upset that “her message had been waiting for him for eight months” (288). Oskar trusted Abby Black the most out of any Black because he told her his entire story that she never knew and Oskar felt comfortable telling her this. If he listened to the message eight months before, he wouldn’t have had to search all around New York for the person who had the object that would be opened by the