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| Source: http://www.centralparksunsettours.com |
Do you find Oskar sympathetic or annoying? Or both?
Oskar "plays Yorick" (the long dead jester whose skull Hamlet holds in his hand!) in a school production. What is the significance of that role?
Jonathan Safran Foer has said that he writes about characters and their miscommunications: some characters think they're saying a lot but say nothing; others say nothing but end up saying a lot. Which characters fall into which category in Extremely Loud? What might Foer be saying about our ability to communicate deep-seated emotions?
Do you see this book as a work of realism (in which case the mother's role would matter) ... or as more of a fable? If the latter, what is Extremely Loud a fable of?
Do you find the illustrations, scribblings, over-written texts, etc. a meaningful, integral part of the work? Or do you find them distracting and gimmicky? Why are they there?
How do both main plot and subplot (Oskar's grandfather and the bombing of Dresden) interweave with one another?
(Source: http://www.litlovers.com)
Who was your favorite character? Why?
Were there any passages or scenes that you remember well or particularly liked?
Any comments about the way the book ended?
(Source: http://www.galesburglibrary.org)
Which Beatles reference makes the greatest impact in the novel? How would you explain their centrality in the Schell household?
How does Mr. A. R. Black's deafness contribute to the storyline?
Which of Oskar Schell's inventions would you most like to see implemented and how would it work?
Which of Oskar Schell's phobias seems the most debilitating and how?
What do Dresden, Hiroshima, and 9/11 share in common? How do they differ?
(Source: http://www.bookrags.com)
25 comments:
One of the questions that I am left with after finishing this novel is, where did Mr. Black go? When Oskar goes to his apartment and finds a realtor getting ready to rent the apartment to someone else, it makes me wonder. I feel that maybe he went to go live with Ruth Black in the Empire State building. He really liked her, and it was the first time that he had gotten somewhat close to another woman after his wife's passing.
That's just what I think, if anyone else has any other opinions, please share!!!
I'm left with so many questions about this book. All of which are pretty unimportant, but I'm still curious.
Why doesn't Oskar seem more interested in his father's name all around the art store? I would have wondered why someone other than my dad was writing my dad's name all over everything.
Where did Mr. Black go really isn't important to me. But why he would leave without telling Oskar makes me feel like he died. But I cant be sure.
What was the answer to the last riddle thing Oskar's dad gave him? I wanted to know that from the beginning when he mentioned it! It bugs me that it wasn't ever answered and I want to know so bad.
Was Oskar autistic? He seems very intelligent, but throughout the book I wondered if he had some sort of autism like aspergers.
Anyways, those are my questions.
My favorite character is the main character, Oskar Schell. I find him to be the one that went after what he wanted, which is inspiring to me. He wanted to know what happened to his dad or if anyone knew him, so he went looking and found answers, but not necessarily the ones he was looking for. I liked that the book ended with Oskar getting to have some closure by seeing the coffin again and then talking to his mom and hearing what happened on 9/11 for her. I think the best invention would be the biodegradable cars. The cars would eventually rust out and people would just have to put them in the dump and then they would be doing something good for the environment after all the years of putting fuels and fumes into the air.
My favorite character would have to be Oskar's mom. I guess because I feel so bad for her and she the only one trying to move on with life and we happy. Everyone else just focuses on the past and stays sad. Obviously Oskar was annoying, but he's young and his father died, you can't really blame him for being the way he was. The grandparents, although I loved their story from when they were young, made me mad. They're old and should be wise but they were just selfish the whole time, asking like teenagers. I understand they went through a lot but it's been a long time.
I loved the book up until the end. i thought it was well written and beautiful but in the end, it just ended. there was no conclusion or questions answered or anything. Oskar barely got better and it never really explained what happened to anybody.
I find Oskar both sympathetic and annoying almost. Sympathetic because whenever someone was down Oskar awlays apologized and tried to make them feel better. Its what he was good at. Annoying though because at times he asked a lot of questions and yes he was just trying to understand the story being told or to get a better grasp of the situation but, in certain situations and times, it is better if some things are left unasked. As with the case of Ron and his family. Although that moment might have been important for the story, in a real life situation Irs better to stop in my opinion.
I think that the pictures are actually quite important to the novel. More or less lets you see what Oskar saw or let you get a better understanding of what someone was saying.
I think my favorite character had to be Mr. Black because in a way he was witty and he had so much knowledge and experience. I feel like he just knew what to say when to say it. He was a very interesting character to get to know.
With Oskar I can't help but feel sympathetic, he is too young to have expirenced so much pain. I think Foer is trying to show us that a lot of us keep everything in and often do not know how to deal with things. He shows us this through Oskar, he feels so much and takes on so much that he doesn't know how to properly express himself. My favorite character had to be Mr. Black, he had such a strong personality, I couldn't help but like him. This book had me crying one chapter and smiling the next. I really liked how we got to know a little bit about Ron, and why Oskar's mother spent so much time with him. I enjoyed the way Oskar's story and his grandfather's unfolded throughout the book, it sort of came full circle in the end. Whenever I read a book I always wonder what happens to the character after the story ends, so I can't help but wonder how Oskar turned out.
Like Brandon I was really curious about the whole art store thing and his fathers name being written on all of the notepad's. And I came to the thought. What if his dad was Thomas Schell Junior. What if it was Oscars grandfather? It would come to make sense that it would be, just considering the fact that his grandfather can't speak. How else does he communicate other then writing?
I was a little confused when Mr. Black was gone without a trace. I'd like to have the happy fantasy that maybe he did move to the empire state building like Taylor suggested. But the more logical response would be that perhaps he passed away due to age. When he was traveling around the city with Oskar he was having his fair share of problems finally saying he had to stop so in mind perhaps it was his time to start his next adventure in another life?
I feel very sympathetic for Oskar. He is very intelligent, but has a bit of social stigmatism. He loses his father in one of the worst ways he could in my opinion. He's having a difficult time trying to move on from his fathers death too.
One of my questions that isn't answered is the riddle his dad may or may not have left behind. Oskar does many dangerous things to find out the riddle. For example: going to the park to dig, going to an art store, searching for random people with the last name of "Black". Was there really a riddle or scavenger hunt? Or was the dad just messing with Oskar.
I find Oskar sympathetic. I felt so bad with what he had to deal with, and I just wanted him to be happy. My favorite character is Mr. Black. I liked how he went around with Oskar, which made me feel happier. I loved the moment when Oskar turned up his hearing-aid and Mr. Black could hear again, crying at all the sounds. I really started to like him then. Mr. Black has a great personality, and I thought it was very kind of him to go along with Oskar. I liked Oskar and his grandmother a lot too. In the ending, I really wish Oskar would have found out a way how his dad died just so he would have some sort of relief. It saddens me how Oskar won't find out.
I find the illustrations, scribbling, and over-written texts meaningful. They helped to add symbolism and give the reader a better view on what the narrator tries to describe. For example, the doorknob does not symbolize the lock Oskar is looking for, but in the beginning the reader thinks that is was the photo is for. However, the doorknob actually symbolizes Oskar unlocking the happiness he loses from when his dad dies. My favorite character is Oskar because it interests me that he would go all around New York City talking to people he does not know and tries to find one lock. His determination is inspiring, even though finding out what the key goes to is not as interesting as he thought it would be. Overall I thought the ending was good, but I wanted the lock to lead Oskar closer to his dad. I know this sounds crazy and unrealistic, but I was hoping Oskar’s dad would come back from the dead or fake his death the whole time so that he could come back to his family. I wanted a perfect happy ending, but at least it was not a sad ending. Overall this was an enjoyable book and I am glad I read it.
I personally liked the illustrations and scribbles everywhere in the book. They are a part of the story that just help make the book more real.
Oskar is my favorite character in this book. I love how his mind works, how he's always thinking, always inventing. He is an amazing boy who has a determination that everyone should have. I just love his character for all his odd behaviors and for just how smart he is. He doesn't hold things back, he says what he is thinking. That's not always a good thing to do, but Oskar seems to do it right.
I have some questions that can't really be answered but I just wish I could know, really know how Oskar's grandma and grandpa's relationship worked. They both knew they weren't in love with each other, they said they just liked the company. But it makes me wonder why they never went out and looked for more. I mean I guess Thomas tried to do that when he went back to Dresden but why didn't Grandma ever try to find someone? Also, I really want to understand why Oskar never showed his mother the messages on the answering machine. Maybe he knew they'd be too hard to listen too? Or maybe he just wanted to keep his burden hidden for not answering that last call. I don't know, but these were just some of my thoughts.
I find Oskar sympathetic amd annoying, depending on the mood and situation. The significance of the title I think was the bomb being "extremely loud" but because it happened it brought Oskar "extremely close" to a few characters along the way of his father's adventure, such as Mr. Black in the apartment upstairs and eventually his grandfather. My favorite character was Mr. Black in the apartment upstairs. He had a lot of knowledge and connected with Oskar and became a friend for him.
I honestly don't know what to think about Oskar. At times throughout the novel I found him to be annoying and somewhat rude. All of his phobias annoy me because he has somewhat limited himself to what he does. I do notice that towards the end of the novel he overcomes some of his phobias such as tall buildings and public transportation when he travels with Mr. Black. At other times I felt bad for Oskar because his dad died and I "rooted" him on as he continued his quest to find the key's lock. I am left wondering how Oskar's grandma felt about him meeting his grandpa.
Personally, I did not like most of the illustrations. While they usually helped emphasize the main parts, they often just became another puzzle to figure out.
I enjoyed reading the grandfather’s story more than Oskar’s because it seemed more realistic and meaningful, especially when compared to a boy wondering the city (alone) trying to find the lock to a key. The grandson and grandfather both lost someone important in their lives but the grandfather’s journey as a whole seemed more significant. He and Oskar’s grandmother lost much more and had many more experiences than Oskar.
It was also an extreme letdown how both the key and the lock were practically insignificant to Oskar.
One of the scenes that was particularly impactful on me was Oskar's idea of the mood ring skin type. He describes it as a was for us, humans, to be able to communicate feelings with others when it might be difficult. I think that this is something that he deals with a lot. Also, he says that if you are gray, which means confused, you could go in the shower and be able to see what you are truly feeling. He shows his desire to be able to understand how others feel and for them to understand each other, but also have a place to go when you have emotions that you cannot decipher.
I have a younger brother with down syndrome so for me Oskar was like listening to my brother. Throughout the book it was sweet to see him approach all these people with a childlike innocence and yet I felt myself get worried each time. Oskar has just such a sweet personality that I thought of my brother and how sweet he was that the book really touched me. The book could get a bit odd at points, but by imagining my brother I began to understand more.
Foer's sorting of characters based on miscommunication is very interesting. For instance, many of the Black's Oskar meets say a lot but it really does not mean anything to Oskar. However, Oskar's grandfather does not speak at all yet he enlightens Oskar in a way none of the other characters could.
The most debilitating phobia of Oskar seems to be his phobia of transportation sevices- such as the subway or the elevator. Not being able to take such transportation utilities slows Oskar down and wears him out.
I was disappointed with the way this book ended. After the en of the first dead line, anytime I picked up the book i would read 50 to 60 pages because i couldn't put it down! I felt like the book just kept getting better and better until the last 20-40 pages. Oskar's journey ends, the mystery of his grandfather, the name "Thomas" written in the art store, why his mother didn't worry... I felt like the author was just trying to end the story abruptly. Many mysteries that kept the reader interested were all revealed at once. I found that to be very annoying. Also, there are things that we don't even know. for example, what happened to Mr.Black? Overall i felt the book was good, but the ending was a major disappointment.
This book left me with many different varied opinions/ feelings about it. While I don't particularly like Oskar, I would rather the book be more oriented around his story than his grandparents. Oskar's story is somewhat more believable than his grandparents, despite that he goes throughout a good portion of New York at a young age, unattended by his family. His grandparent’s story just doesn't settle well with me; this book attempts to be realistic in certain parts, but the grandparent’s story is completely set in the opposite direction, and it takes away the little realism this book actually has. If I had to say whether this book was more a work of realism or a fable, I would have to go with a fable due to the grandparent’s story. I found the Illustrations/One word pages to be a waste of space for the most part. I generally don’t like it when authors try to draw you into the world by adding gimmicky items in it. A book should be well written so that the text alone fully immerses and that you create images for the book instead of the author providing you with images. The one addition to the book's text I did like was on page 281, where the words started to become connected because he was running out of room; however he should have stopped it on page 281. He got his point across on page 281 and pages 282-284 were not necessary and were a bit of an overkill. I feel like the books ending was a disappointment. Normally a book's last page is what concludes the story and sticks out the most to you and is what you remember, unfortunately it feels like there should be another chapter we are missing. I was semi-interested in this book in the beginning however once I got about half way through it started to take a turn for the worse. The author attempted to intertwine two separate plots; sometimes which works, this time it didn't seem to though. I feel like if Oskar's story was more drawn-out and had more detail these two plots could have been rather decent. I think his idea of intertwining them would have gone better if this had been two separate, more detailed books where the stories relate to each other instead of trying to merge it into one. These are two separate people who have lived completely different lives, granted one is very young, and combining them in my opinion doesn't work.
I find Oskar both sympathetic and occasionally annoying. Most of the time I feel sympathetic towards Oskar. He lost his father in a terrorist attack, he feels like his mother is forgetting about his dad, he seems to have no friends his age and is bullied at school, and the whole time he is on an impossible mission. Because of Oskar’s autism, he doesn’t always understand what people are saying or doesn’t say the right thing in conversations. Despite this, Oskar has proven he is knowledgeable and imaginative, since he “invents” things that he believes would make the world a better place in his mind. Sometimes I wish Oskar didn’t know the things he knows because they are the things that give him “heavy boots.” Sometimes I got frustrated with Oskar because he refused to let things go or move on, but I had to remember that Oskar is nine years old and is trying to cope with a tragedy that no one should ever have to experience. Oskar’s sadness and inability to let go of the past are part of what makes him an easy character to sympathize with.
When it comes to picking and choosing a favorite character, I can’t just pick one. I liked Mr. Black very much. He was so energetic for an old man, and he had so many stories and experiences he shared with Oskar and myself included. I was very disappointed to see him go when he did, especially without preamble of his leaving. But my other favorite character would have to be the grandfather. I enjoyed reading his letters to his son—they were so real. He’s such a great character. There were times I didn’t agree with his actions, but that’s what made him the character he was meant to be. I loved the fact that he couldn’t speak. I think it makes his character mysterious and sort of elusive, as well as appreciative and inspiring, because sometimes people don’t need to speak to communicate.
There isn’t any one passage or scene that’s my favorite, but as a sucker for romance, I loved the story between Oskar’s grandmother and grandfather. There were romantic parts, there were parts full of despair and sorrow, there was gentle drama. To be honest, I kept reading just to read their parts. They’re the characters that kept me intrigued and that really made me love the novel. Their relationship was starved since the beginning, and they didn’t do much to mend it, but instead, accepted it and let it be how it was. I think they loved each other in different ways, or rather, loved the idea of not being alone, of having someone beside them, no matter who it was. Their perspectives and their letters made the novel brilliant.
I am going back and forth between how I feel about Oskar. I found him to be annoying at times but also at the same time I would feel really bad for him. He did have to go through the tragic loss of his father in 9/11, and no one to go to being he was bullied at school he really didn’t have friends, and his mother wouldn’t even acknowledge that he was there, but all of his “fears” seemed to annoy me throughout because it always seemed like he had to come up with an excuse not to try something, and always looking at the ways things could go bad rather than what would happen if he were to overcome his fears and all the good that could come out of it. Which happened near the end of the novel while traveling with Mr. Black, but I just wish it could have happened more throughout the novel, it seemed quite depressing to me. Even though it seemed depressing throughout the novel I did have to remind myself that Oskar was a 9 year old dealing with things that no 9 year old should ever have to deal with. So I feel that all in all Oskar really did have a reason for acting that way he was, although quite annoying, I think that he handled his whole situation quite maturely.
MY feelings about Oskar rarely very. He is my favorite character out of the whole book and was from start to finish. I don't think his character searches for sympathy or tries to be annoying. Obviously I do have sympathy for Oskar because of his loss. At times he can be extremely loud and even hurtful to others but it is not his intention. He doesn't understand why his family doesn't grieve the loss of his father like he does. He has a lot of built up anger and he is a child. If i lost my father i would be all over the place regardless of my age.
I don't know what invention of Oskars i would want to see most but I love his description he uses when he describes his inventions. My favorite description is on the first page when he was talking about everyone having a speaker thats sounds your heart beat and he said, "That would be so weird, except that the place in the hospital where babies are born would sound like a crystal chandelier in a houseboat, because the babies wouldn't have had time to match up their heartbeats yet." I can't even explain why this part made me smile so much but this is where i became hooked into this book, on the very first page.
I find Oskar neither sympathetic or annoying. He has just dealt with his father's death in his own way. The significance of the title to me seems like something that can either be uncomfortable, or something intense. My favorite charater was Oskar's grandmother. I gained my respect for her in the parts of the book where it talked about her living with her husband. It would take a lot of strength to love someone who didn't love you back the same way. Strong characters inspire me. The Beatles reference that makes the greatest impact is the one where Oskar hears the song Hey Jude. It shows he really wants to be happy, he just doesn't know how to be.
My favorite character was Oskar. His dedication and will to learn is something that teens my age start to forget about. I envy his interest in the world. Though I do find him annoying because he must know everything which isn't an attractive character personality. The drawings though I do not find annoying. They help show the story more as Oskar's diary and perspective than just the reader following him around.
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