Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Jonathone Safron Foer’s novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close brought me to tears on many occasions. I think Oskar is such a precious character. Being almost the same age as Oskar at the time of the 9/11 events, I really appreciated him. I think I connected so closely with this book because he embodied what we went through on September 11, 2011.

            I think the end of the book leaves us very hopeful because it allows for Oskar to remember his father so positively. When he says, “He would have told me the story of the Sixth Borough, from the voice in the can at the end to the beginning, from ‘I love you’ to ‘Once upon a time…’ (326), I basically cried on the inside. I can imagine him saying it, and it’s just so touching. He will forever have this wonderful memory of his father.

            I was also very interested in the idea of the reversal of the man falling out of the building. It’s such a childlike thought to think that the events of 9/11 can be reversed. Only a child can dream that such a catastrophic national tragedy could “unhappen.” I flipped through the pictures at the end of the novel multiple times imagining the reversal of 9/11. I thought about what would happen if this event never occurred. Like Oskar said, “We would have been safe,” (326). It’s hard to imagine what would have happened if 9/11 never took place.

            In class, we discussed America’s reaction to 9/11. I immediately thought of the instant comraderie that was only on the surface. Americans pretended to band together, but deep down they were just as conflicted as the relationship as Oskar’s grandparents.