Another thing I found interesting is the way all the people involved in his life are put into a play script format (bottom of page 146). It just shows how confused he is, saying Dad dosen't make sense, Mom dosen't make sense, etc. He also imagines the audience praising him because he makes so much sense. Oskar just wants so badly for someone to understand him, to tell him what he's doing (the key search) and how he's feeling is perfectly fine. He's questioning so much at this point that even the childish imaginings of a crowd cheering will make up for how lost he feels. It's also so incredibly violent which is a side of Oskar we didn't see much of up until this point. I think maybe this approach with the people in his life as characters show that he wishes everything in his life could run smoothly as a play, and finally "make sense".
Monday, September 8, 2008
Extremely Loud, Question #13
I found Oskar's imagined responses to be absolutely hilarious, especially during the his Hamlet performance. Although when I really thought more into it, it seems more much more sad than funny... Oskar clearly has a lot of pent up agression, which is not only displayed by his bitter inner comments, but more obviously by the bruises he gives himself. Looking more specifically into his inner thoughts, they are so childish in nature compared to his usual "know-it-all" outlook. I feel like after his father died, Oskar experienced urges to imitate him, since he looked up to him so much. I looked it up and saw that this is actually common in children who have lost a parent. Oskar generally acts very mature, very meticulous, much like the descriptions of his father depict. I feel that since he was straining so much to achieve a certain persona, he lost sight of his juvenile 9 year old self, which led to all his imagined outbursts.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
That's a great thought! I believe Foer included these thoughts to help the reader to get inside of Oskar's head. It also shows how we don't always say what we want, and the truth is never clear. Just like Oskar didn't know the whole truth of his father's death, or the answers to his many questions.
Great analysis of the topic, and I also applaud your willingness to go the extra mile and do a little research! This may be a little far out, but in addition to what you have already said, I feel that these imagined responses have a lot to do with Oskar's desire for control. If Oskar was in control (of the world, other people, everything), of course he would have never allowed his father to die. In his mind, if he is able to control what everyone else is saying and doing, Oskar's life would be able to run perfectly once again.
Your reference of the dual nature of Oskar's outer maturity and his inner child has been duly noted. However, contrary to your assertion that Oskar is searching for acceptance, I believe that Oskar is looking for a way to accept the world. He wants everything in his life to follow his reasoning, his desires. He would like villains to be smote (Snyder) and heroes to live on (his father), because he is unable to understand why this has happened. I feel that he still follows his previous assertions that all things in life must have a purpose, and do not happen simply "because." (See page 13)
Pardon my forced stiffness, I'm a bit bored.
Wow, there were certainly some great thoughts in this blog. I could not agree more that Oskar's imagined scenes result from his forced maturing and the subsequent naivety that is certainly still present in his life. As we have spoke about in class, I also feel that these imagined scenes are a passageway into Oskar's unconventional mind.
leelee:
Thank you, and good point, we've learned a lot about Oskar by decoding his inner thoughts. And I also agree how it makes us relate to him a bit more, because its human nature to not always say exactly whats on our minds.
kas43091:
I don't think thats far out at all! Thats actually a great point, I always thought of him as being more confused than wanting control, but that makes perfect sense now that I think about it.
anonymous(yes, me):
I can see where youre coming from in saying that Oskar is looking for a way to accept the world rather than searching for acceptance of himself. Sorry to bore you.
bigmac:
"Oskar's imagined scenes result from his forced maturing and the subsequent naivety that is certainly still present in his life" That line you wrote is exactly how I would have liked to sum up my blog, I'm glad you saw exactly where I was coming from. Thank you!
Post a Comment