Jonathan Foer: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Communication is key, a phrase made evident in the character relationships in Jonathan Foer's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." Throughout the novel, several characters fail to share their secrets, thoughts, or emotions that lead to a breakdown in communication. Foer includes three different narrative perspectives that allow the reader to see the intimate workings of those characters and how they overall effect one another.

Oskar's first lie he ever tells begins when he starts his venture to visit all the people with 'Black' as a last name who reside in New York.  He believes he is protecting his mother by hiding his mysterious adventure as well as the answering machine with messages from his father on 9/11. While he is honest with those he encounters on his journey, he decides to be dishonest with his mother; failing to realize his mother knows more than she lets on.

Likewise, through the letters from Thomas Schell Sr. to his son and those written for Oskar by his grandmother the reader is given insight to an peculiar marriage, one built upon rules. Both fail to ever truly voice their feelings or thoughts, misleading the other often in the sake of "helping." While there is no blatant coming to terms like Oskar and his mother, this breakdown allows the reader to better understand the significance of their silence. An example of this is seen when the grandfather feels guilt over failing to realize how "crummy" the grandmother's eyes really are; being handed a stack of typed pages telling her life story that are merely blank. Meanwhile, the grandmother confesses to telling him her eyes were crummy because she longed for attention. This is the instance the reader begins to understand more deeply the actuality of the characters' situation, even though both individuals are unable to do so. This commenting on a larger theme of the effect of communication and perhaps the inability to effectively do so in such painful circumstances.

Foer weaves the the relationships throughout this novel beautifully, displaying the powerful effect people have on one another.  Oskar made assumptions, just as the grandparents did about one another.  These assumptions helped formulate their judgements, which could have been different if  they had communicated more effectively with each other. This aspect of the novel, proved to help create a realistic and relatable emotional understanding of each character.  Life is never simplistic-- being full of motives, reactions, and emotions.  However, the role of communication proves to be the pivotal foundation for understanding as seen through these characters.