The Agony And Growth Of Oskar Schell

The Agony and Growth of Oskar Schell By: Rachel Famiglietti

In multiple works, the main character learns strength and growth through weakness and heartbreak. In the novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer the nine-year-old protagonist Oskar goes through a lot of emotional suffering and difficult obstacles, this allows him to grow as a person and finally find closure with the pain of losing his father and struggles within himself. In the book, Oskar lost his father, which is one of the few people that made him feel understood and secure. Hemingway’s perspective drastically applies to Oskar because his entire world was broken at such a young age. However, by

Throughout the story, he looks for the reason why his father had to die. He even stated, “There are so many different ways to die, and I just need to know which was his (pg 257).” His desire for wanting an answer was so powerful, it did not allow him to move on, instead, he remained in the same broken place for a long period. Oskar was stuck on the logic behind his father’s death and why it did not make sense to him. He was fixated on needing an answer. He even stated, “I want to stop inventing. If I could know how he died, exactly how he died, I wouldn’t have to invent him dying inside an elevator that was stuck between floors, which happened to some people, and I wouldn’t have to imagine him trying to crawl down the outside of the building…”(pg 257).” Oskar let the reality of his father’s death and the absence of an

This allows him to feel connected and close to his father even after his passing. Oskar states, “Every time I left the apartment to go searching for the lock, I became a little lighter, because I was getting closer to Dad. But I also became a little heavier, because I was getting farther from Mom.” (p 52). Oskar teaches himself to prioritize his father’s death over the other relationships he has with his family. He was extremely hard on himself throughout the story. As the plot develops, Oskar pushes all his emotions deep down, which in turn, puts him through torture. By the end of the work, Oskar realizes the importance of remaining close to the loved ones he has that are still alive. He comes to terms with the fact that just because his father is no longer with him in the flesh does not mean he is no longer with