Oskar says that Sonny, the homeless person he knows, "puts me in
heavy boots." What does this mean? How does he deal with this?
Why does Oskar put his father's messages into morse code jewelry? What does this tell us about Oskar? What does this tell us about the messages?
Interesting analogy about the beavers -- why do you think Oskar feels so far away from everything?
What is so alluring for a child about a parent's closet?
Why does Oskar give himself a bruise even though he shouldn't have? What does that mean?
Why is Oskar being so sneaky while trying to find out what the key is for? Why not ask his mother?
Why is he so indifferent about getting a letter and T-shirt from Ringo Starr? He says he's excited and he laminates the letter, but doesn't seem very excited...only mentioned briefly...And why did he receive them in the first place?
Why does Oskar put all of the images from his internet search in a file named "Stuff That Happened to Me", even though these things didn't actually happen to him? What is significant about the pictures in the chapter?
Why is Oskar's father's name written on the pads in the art store if the pads weren't there before he died? How is that possible?
Oskar seems to go to a lot of trouble to make sure his mom doesn't have the messages. Why not just erase them?
So is "the renter" a real person or just an imaginary friend of Oskar's grandmother?
The phone was a secret "that was a hole in the middle of me that every happy thing fell into." Why does he hold onto the phone so tightly and secretively, then?
Interesting list of people he loved...especially the order...what does this tell the reader about Oskar?
What is he conjugating at the end of the chapter? Why?
Why does Oskar put his father's messages into morse code jewelry? What does this tell us about Oskar? What does this tell us about the messages?
Interesting analogy about the beavers -- why do you think Oskar feels so far away from everything?
What is so alluring for a child about a parent's closet?
Why does Oskar give himself a bruise even though he shouldn't have? What does that mean?
Why is Oskar being so sneaky while trying to find out what the key is for? Why not ask his mother?
Why is he so indifferent about getting a letter and T-shirt from Ringo Starr? He says he's excited and he laminates the letter, but doesn't seem very excited...only mentioned briefly...And why did he receive them in the first place?
Why does Oskar put all of the images from his internet search in a file named "Stuff That Happened to Me", even though these things didn't actually happen to him? What is significant about the pictures in the chapter?
Why is Oskar's father's name written on the pads in the art store if the pads weren't there before he died? How is that possible?
Oskar seems to go to a lot of trouble to make sure his mom doesn't have the messages. Why not just erase them?
So is "the renter" a real person or just an imaginary friend of Oskar's grandmother?
The phone was a secret "that was a hole in the middle of me that every happy thing fell into." Why does he hold onto the phone so tightly and secretively, then?
Interesting list of people he loved...especially the order...what does this tell the reader about Oskar?
What is he conjugating at the end of the chapter? Why?
133 comments:
Oskar’s father’s name was written on the art pads, but only after he died. Now, someone had to write his name on the pad. But it could be anyone – his father, Black, or someone else entirely. I also noticed that “black” is written twice on each pad, but it’s unclear whether it’s the name or the color. The word “red” is also written, in red, on each pad. Thomas Schell’s name is also written in red on the pad. This parallels the name that Oskar found on the envelope. Both Black and Thomas Schell are written in red – one on a pad, one on an envelope. Thomas Schell also liked to mark up the newspaper with a red pen. So things written in red must be a clue. I was also thinking that red could be symbolic. Maybe it could be symbolic of the 9/11 attack?
I also just thought of something else. "What's black, and white, and red/read all over? A newspaper. It's black and white and you read it all over." But this could also tie into the book. Oskar is looking for someone named Black, he wears white, and there are clues that are written in red. Plus, Oskar's father marked newspapers with a red pen. So I don't know if that was on purpose or just a neat little coincidence. (I don't expect this to count as a comment, it was just a thought I wanted to share.)
Oskar takes great care to hide his father’s messages from his mother, instead of just erasing them. The messages have sentimental value for Oskar. Oskar once said that his father is the only person he felt comfortable with, and these messages are the last words that he will ever hear from his father. I think Oskar hides the messages from his mother because he thinks that his mother doesn’t deserve to hear the messages, but he still wants her to be near the messages so he puts them in jewelry. While Oskar favors his dad, he also knows that his mom was important to his dad. Oskar probably thought that it would be mean to completely keep them away from her, and probably that his father would not be happy about it.
I disagree with Abbey on the fact of why Oskar hides the messages from his mother. I think that Oskar is trying to protect his mother and the people around him. I believe that he feels almost like a nuisance to those around him, and having the ones closest to him listening to his father yelling for help would make them feel worse than they already do. He could also be doing it so that he can feel close to his father, just like he feels closer to his father while looking for the lock. The jewelry is a much more literal take on feeling close to his father. By putting the messages on jewelry he is letting his mother wear his father so that she can be close to him.
I agree with Jacob. Oskar is trying to protect people from his father's last words. I also think that Oskar is trying to preserve the messages as something just for him, because he was incredibly close with his dad. Oskar makes the messages into jewelry to give other people his dad's messages, but keep them secret as well. With Oskar's system, anyone can have the messages and appreciate them, but only Oskar will know what they are or how to read them, effectively keeping the messages his. I also think Oskar made Jewelry because that is what his father did. By doing what his father did with what his father said, Oskar is able to feel close to his dad now that he is gone.
Oscar uses the phrase “heavy boots” throughout the entire novel. Its a way to say that something upsets him. Like with Sonny the homeless person it saddens Oscar because this guy is homeless. Most people don't just bluntly say that something makes them feel sad and since Oscar thinks differently he has a way to say something upsets him without flat out saying the words.
As a child I always liked closets in general. I'm not sure what it was about them. When we were younger my friends and I would always go into this closet we had in the spare bedroom and we would bring a flashlight and tell scary stories. Or my friends built a small clubhouse inside their closet. Most children find their parents closet the most fascinating. Probably because their parents have things they don't and part of it is just child like curiosity getting the best of them.
I agree with what Jacob and Branden said about Oskar keeping the messages hidden from his mom. In addition to what they said, I believe Oskar doesn't want his mom to hear the messages because of how her and Ron are getting close. Oskar thinks they're falling in love, and if his mom were to hear his dad's messages, it'd almost be like betrayal to his dad now that his wife loves another man. Towards the end of the chapter, Oskar lists the people he loves in order from least to most. This list reminds us of Oskar's immaturity. He believes love is something that can be measured when it really isn't. Also, at the end of the chapter, Oskar is conjugating the verb "to be" in French. He is doing so simply to keep his mind off of things and eventually fall asleep, but this also reminds us readers of Oskar's mental illness.
At the end of the chapter, Oskar starts conjugating. The verb he conjugates is “etre” which means “to be.” So in order, it goes: I am, You are, He/She is, We are, You (pl.) are, They are. Oskar says that he conjugates so he “wouldn’t have to think about things.” I think that as Oskar thinks about things, his thoughts continuously worse. He says that he feels like “the turtle that everything else in the universe was on top of.” Oskar probably feels like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders and is probably feeling a little lost or down in the dumps. So I think he conjugates “etre” so that he distracts himself and can feel like he matters a little bit.
I believe heavy boots refers to Oskar's worries, anxieties, and anything to drags him down. After loosing someone you were so close with to such a tragic event, it wouldn't be surprising that Oskar suffers from "heavy boots", or anxiety. In the book, whenever he gets heavy boots he thinks of his dad, listens to the messages, or goes in his closet. I think that to Oskar, his father's closet is a safe haven. It allows him to get closer to him without his father being there, and even smell the scent of his aftershave. Doing this lightens his boots. But when Oskar's heavy boots get too heavy, he hurts himself by giving himself a bruise. When things get too bad and he feels too alone, this is the only way to help his boots, even though he knows its wrong.
I agree with Abbey about the French verb "to be". Conjugating this verb is definitely a distraction for Oskar. Repeating the conjugations over and over again makes them kind of like a chant, which is often used in mediation and is very effective in clearing the mind. However, I also think it goes a bit deeper than that; Oskar is reverting to simple facts so as not to be overwhelmed with all of the other complicated things that take up his time. Everyone needs to take a break when faced with something challenging, and this is Oskar's way of taking a break. He reminds himself of something he has known for years: Everyone exists. The verb "to be" implies existence, so he is telling himself, "I exist, you exist, he exists, she exists, we exist, you all exist, they exist." Focusing on these basic facts provides Oskar with relief from the stress of his dysfunctional and confusing life, allowing him to relax and get the sleep he needs.
Oskar shows with his jewelry made for his mother that he really does miss his father. It consumes him and angers him that his mother has a male friend over a lot. He thinks about her father all the time, thinking of ways that he could make the hurt from the loss of him to shrink. Oskar wants his mother to express that she misses his father and doesn't want her to move on.
Oskar being sneaky while trying to find out what the key is for ties into the last question about why does Oskar make the mores code jewelry for his mother. He doesn't think that his mother would be supportive of it. Oskar thinks that his mother is trying to forget about his father and wants them to all move on with their lives.
Oskar puts his father's message into morse code to memorialize his father's final moments and by making it into jewelry he is sharing what is said without actually telling. I agree he doesn't share what is said because he wants to protect those he cares about and it also tells us, like Jacob said, that he feels like he is a burden to those around him, so he feels he cannot reveal the pain the messages causes him. I believe Oskar doesn't erase the messages because they are the last thing his father did. Those messages contain not only his father's voice but also the love his father's love, therefore, making them one of Oskar's most prized possessions no matter how much pain it causes him when he listens to it.
The "heavy boots" symbolize his emotions specifically sad. Often he refuses to go to school because of his "heavy boots" and stays at home creating, inventing, whatever he can do to keep his mind off the event. Oskar feels so far away from everything because he was so close to his dad. When his dad died it left an emptiness in him and I think Oskar inventing and making things all the time is way of trying to fill the emptiness. A parent's closet is like unknown territory, it's like some unspoken rule not to go in it. Oskar finds himself in in because of the very fact it is unknown and he is looking for something, anything of dad that he doesn't know. I think the pictures in "Stuff That Happened To Me" have to do more with how they affect Oskar and not actually relating to each other or him at all.
It seems that Oskar had made the jewelry for his mother in a form of secret reassurance. Oskar is the only one who had listened to the messages his father had left the day that he died, and I agree with what Abbey had stated about Oskar’s mindset on how his father’s death affected the whole family, Oskar had felt that he was the one who had lost the most and had grieved the most over his father’s death being how close the two were. I believe that he had made his mother the jewelry containing the final messages from Thomas as a form of reassurance so every time that she would wear the bracelet Oskar secretly knew the message on it. This made Oskar still believe that his mother still loved his father and that she was not going to quickly replace him with one of her male friends, such as Ron, who had walking into her life after Thomas’s death.
I feel that the jewelry that Oskar makes using his father's messages helps Oskar to vent, even if others are unknowing. His mother doesn't know that his father's last messages are placed into the jewelry that he's made, which is sneaky, although, this still shows that Oskar feels deeply about the death of his father. He wants to keep these messages a secret from his mother but still wants to be able to hear his father's voice, they had been very close, after all. When Oskar speaks about his "heavy boots" it's his way of saying something makes him sad. When some people are sad about something they tend to drag their feet a bit more than usual, making your feet feel heavy. This makes sense because Oskar is a very literal person. Due to Oskar being a person that feels a lot, seeing a person homeless and not getting things that he may need makes Oskar sad. This shows that he is a sympathetic person.
The messages on the phone are some of the most important things to Oskar and are one of the few things he has left that are connected to his father. If Oskar were to delete the messages he would not be able to access one of the few things he still has from his father, or ever hear his voice again. Oskar also holds onto the phone tightly even though it "was a hole in the middle of me that every happy thing fell into" because it is something that holds a lot of sentimental value for him. Oskar has a very personal connection with the phone and has a lot of emotion surrounding it given it is one of the last things he has to remember his father. The phone could be compared to a person's journal, which would be something they would pore a lot of emotion into and therefore would want to keep in secrecy.
I think Oskar is "put in heavy boots" by Sonny because Oskar is extremely compassionate and he feels sad that Sonny doesn't have a home. So every time he sees Sonny he is reminded that Sonny is living a hard life and it really weighs on Oskar. He feels as though Sonny is his friend ( regardless of whether he actually is or not, because Oskar trusts and befriends just about everyone as shown by his reckless house key gifting earlier in the book) and doesn't want Sonny to be in that situation.
Oskar is indifferent about the letter and T shirt he recieves from Ringo Starr because he won't wear any T shirts that aren't white, ut I think it's also because he doesn't really get excited about much since his dad died. You'd think he'd be excited to receive something from one of the men who performed one of his dad's favorite songs, Yellow Submarine, but he's not, and I think it's because his dad's death hit him so hard that he just doesn't find things enjoyable/exciting like he used to.
Oskar uses the term "heavy boots" throughout the novel. I believe he uses this phrase to describe things that make him feel any negative emotion. Such as sadness, emptiness, or loneliness. I believe Oskar uses the jewelry he makes as a creative outlet to express himself. This is the only way he feels like he can express his emotions freely. I believe Oskar bruises himself as a form of self harm. He uses it as a form of punishment for things he considers "bad" and he should be punished for. This is a very sad and addictive mental illness. This is another way that Oskar is dealing with the death of his father.
I think Oskar was trying to be so sneaky while trying to find out what the key is for because he believes no one knows about it but himself. I think that he believes there is a story behind it and wants to solve the "puzzle" or mystery behind it. I'm assuming he doesn't ask his mother because she would probably take it away from him like any mom would. Either because the key links with something that she doesn't want him to know about, or she wants him to move on with his life and not dwell on his dad's death. He wants to find out what the key is for because he thinks there will be a resolution in doing so. I think what was so alluring for him to be in his parents closet was that he simply wanted to be around his dad's things. To a child their parents "smell" becomes comforting along with being around their things and can make a child feel safe. Oskar probably felt this way about his dad's belonging and he just wanted to be close to him and have that safe feeling for a moment because his life had been turned upside down for so long.
I agree with Maddy, that a parent's closet is like a safe haven for a child. They know that they are protected, and Oskar feels protected by his father's voice on the messages. I believe that Oskar keeps the messages from his family and doesn't delete them because to him, they are his last bond he has to the father he loved at the top of his list. By keeping the messages to himself, it helped Oskar to believe that they were meant for him, and only him. This is another reason he puts them into morse code jewelry. Oskar is rather different, and thinks in different ways than other kids would. He is smart, and decides to do these things as a way to remember his father without people knowing. Instead of telling his mom where he's going or what he's hiding from her, Oskar is sneaky while trying to find out what the key is for because for him, it's like his own mission to figure out his father's possible secret or possible mission his father set out for him. Like I said before, Oskar is smart, and he has no fear in speaking his mind to anyone, which helps him to get answers on his mission.
Oskar basically says that sonny makes him nervous. It’s dangerous being a homeless person: sleeping in dark alleys, stealing for food, dumpster diving, etc. Instead of carrying around “the messages” on paper he created a way to remember the messages. Morse code was something him and his dad would of did together and he shared that with his mom. They were important messages to Oskar and even though his mom didn't know the messages existed the bracelet and other jewelry ment the world to her. Most children’s first role model is their parents, so looking at their clothes and trying them on makes them feel like them in a way. Well he was upset that his mom was with Ron so why not go on an adventure to see where the key leads him? The vase was on the highest shelf where no one would notice it so there was no point in asking his mom about it. One logical reason, that his dad’s name was on the pads, is that his dad isn't really dead. At the beginning it was said that they buried an empty coffin. Then again he could of been cremated. Maybe his mom knew about the pads or had something to do with them being on display. As he said Oskar wants to protect his mom and by showing his mom those messages, they would crush her. It would be like reliving the day of her husbands death all over again and Oskar knows how much she wouldn't want that. The list of people tells us that Oskar isn't a social person but when he meets someone, they have an impact on his life. It doesn't matter how big or how small.
Oskar uses jewelry-making as a way to express himself. By making his father's messages into morse-code jewelry, Oskar is trying to relieve himself of some of the guilt he feels without telling anyone about the messages. Oskar feels partly responsible for his father's death and doesn't want anyone else to know. He reiterates the idea that his father was speaking in the messages as if he knew that Oskar was home and was giving Oskar time to get brave enough to pick up. There is no reason that Oskar should think that his father knew he was home, but the guilt of not speaking to his father for the last time led Oskar to believe that everything was his fault.
I think that Oskar does not want his mom to have the messages for a few reasons. One would be that he is trying to protect her, he thinks that that would upset her and he doesn't want to do that so he chooses to keep them for himself. Another reason is knowing he is the only one who has heard them makes him feel special and gives him a special connection with his dad that no one else has. Now whenever he wants to hear his dad all he has to do is pull out the phone and listen. That would also lead into my third reason, some children like to have things that are kept secret from their parents, something that is theirs and cannot be taken away. Oskar may have feared that by telling his mom or anyone else that they might have taken the phone away and he might not get it back.
To answer another question, I think that "the renter" is indeed an actual person and not just a person that Oskar's grandmother imagines. I think it is a real person because I don't think she would make something like that up. Also, other people know about "the renter" so unless they are just trying to play along to make the grandmother happy then I believe it is an actual person. I think that it could be a relative, perhaps even the grandfather.
Oskar does not want to erase the messages because he would be erasing a link to his father. Those messages are some of the last words his father ever spoke, and Oskar sees them as a special connection that binds him to his dad. Oskar and his father always seemed to have a a bond that Oskar's mother could never understand. It's very apparent that Oskar loves his father more than he loves anyone. If he erased the messages, he would lose a piece of his father. Whereas if he keeps them he is able to listen to his fathers voice and, hopefully, not feel as sad about life. He doesn't want to share this moment however, and so he has to keep it from his mother. Oskar claims he doesn't want to hurt his mother with memories of his father, but I think Oskar wants to preserve the memory for himself. So, he has to go to the trouble of hiding it. A trouble which is greatly outweighed by the fear of losing his father's voice forever.
Having heavy or light boots seems to be terms Oskar uses to describe things that make him happy or sad. Whenever he does things that are fun and make him happy, such as playing with his grandma or going on the treasure hunts that his dad would make, he would commonly say that that event gave him “light boots”, the opposite goes for things that make him sad, such as seeing Sonny the homeless man. It seems that Oskar as a character feels bad for the less fortunate and this guilt gives him “heavy boots” this isn’t always good being if his “boots” become too heavy Oskar will then typically give himself bruise.
Oskar is being sneaky with the key because he thinks it's a challenge from his dad. The game his dad and him used to play was called the "Reconnaissance Expedition". His dad would give him clues and Oskar would use them to solve whatever adventure his dad planned for him. It was special to just the two of them. When he finds the key, he assumes his dad left it for him to figure out and therefore doesn't tell his mom so he can have one last game with his dad. Also, he doesn't want his mom to hear the messages because he doesn't want her to go through what he went through. He struggled immensely with the responsibility of talking to his dad as he dies and it has followed his ever since his dad died. The messages are so painful to listen to because Oskar knows what was happening to his dad as he was on the phone. Oskar keeps them as a memory of his dad and one last reminder of him.
Oskar puts his father's messages into morse code jewelry because he doesn't want anyone to know the secret he's carrying, but he wants to share his fathers words at the same time. By indirectly giving his mother her husband's last words, I think Oskar finds a way to ease his conscience a little bit. I couldn't have put it better than Branden Kern, "By doing what his father did with what his father said, Oskar is able to feel close to his dad now that he is gone." And it is just that. Oskar doesn't only make jewelry out of his fathers words because he feels bad for not telling anyone about the messages. He makes the jewelry because it's a way for him to feel connected with his dad again.
A parent's closet seems so alluring to a child because they look up to their guardians. When I was little, I felt the same way about my mother's closet. I admired my mother so much, I thought she was the greatest thing in the whole world, so why wouldn't her closet be full of great things too? It's a little different in Oskar's case; for him it's like opening a casket and waiting to see if a ghost pops out at him - A good ghost, that is. The ghost of his father. He went in there to relive the memory of his father.
People's houses always have a unique smell, and everyone can smell it except the residences themselves. I would imagine Oskar's dad's closet smelled a lot like him, which would be one of the reasons why he wandered in there. Another reason would be because of the clothes. With Oskar's imagination, he could picture his father wearing them again.
Oskar is cautious about trying to figure out the mystery of the key because he wants the memory of his father to stay with him and him only. Oskar and his father shared the tightest bond in their entire family. They were best friends, and when the tragedy happened, no one felt as much pain as he did. I would say he is too young to know that keeping his father's last words from his family is hurting his loved ones, but as we can clearly see, he is remarkably intelligent for his age, and he knows full well that they have a right to hear the messages too. He knows that they would want to hear them no matter how much pain it would cause. Maybe he is hiding the messages because he doesn't want them to get hurt, but I say he knows better, and he is being selfish with his father's memory.
Oskar doesn't erase the messages because he himself is not yet over the fact that his father passed away. His voice gives him solace, and in this way, he can pretend his dad is still there.
Oskar translates his father's last message into Morse code jewelry because he feels ashamed. Oskar hid and replaced the last phone calls from minutes before the death his father. I think he hid the messages because he felt that he was the only person they were meant for. However, even though he feels that he is only person his father intended the messages for, Oskar feels ashamed of what he has done because he knows that he was not the only person his father cared about. Making the jewelry relieves his shame because he feels that it makes up for hiding the messages. I think that Oskar knows that he's too far into the secret to come out with it. His mother's misconception of the real meaning of the jewelry makes hiding it even easier.
In addition to shame (and/or guilt), making this jewelry is simply a coping mechanism to Oskar. Although he listens to his father's words in privacy, making his messages in to tangible items brings his father's voice back to life.
As a child growing up, your parents' closet is a very intriguing place, like many other things in a house. But an adults closet is so much more exciting. This is a place where they keep all their personal belongings- clothes, shoes, notes, keys, ect. When a child goes into a closet they are usually looking for something familiar that can remind them of their parents. Or just to go in to try on their shoes, hoping to one day be able to fit into their shoes and be like them one day. As a child gets older, the clothes become more familiar, so they move onto the bucket full of letters shoved on a rack above the clothes. These letters give them a clue to inside their parents or grandparents life. In the novel, Oskar is so interested in his dad's closet because that's where the only part of him is right now.
Oskar lists the people/things he loves in order from 1 to 10. He lists them in reverse order starting with Walt, Lindy, Alicia, Farley, the Minch/ Toothpaste (tied), Stan, Buckminster, Mom, Grandma, and Dad. It significant that Oskar put his dad at the top of the list because it is obvious how much Oskar loved his dad and misses him incredibly. I find it interesting that he put his Grandma before his Mom. Oskar connects more with his grandma because she shares the loss with Oskar, not only with his father, but with the fact that Oskar’s grandfather left her as well. Oskar feels very hurt by his mother seeming to “move on” with Ron and feels hurt that she is able to connect with another person. I also find it kind of sad that on the list number five is his doorman, Stan. Out of everyone Oskar knows, only three people make the list that Oskar is related too. The fourth being his cat and the rest being people that Oskar may know but is not that close with. It tells us a reader that Oskar doesn’t have a lot of people he is that close with but still has a lot of love for those he doesn’t know. At the end of this chapter he says he wishes that they had enormous pockets for everyone not on our lists, for people families, and people we don’t know. Oskar has a lot of love to give but has been hurt by the loss of the one he loves the most.
The analogy about the beavers that Oskar made shows just how his mind thinks and works. He relates his ideas to such things that we normally wouldn't compare things to in our minds, like when he explains that his brain works in the same way that a beaver's teeth never stop growing, and they are constantly working to file them down, or it will kill them. This goes along with how Oskar's thoughts never stop flowing through his mind, sometimes with no filter, but he's also a kid, and a nine-year-old with that much knowledge about such random things may not have anything wrong with the way they think at all. When Oskar talks about the way his brain works like this, he is also referring to the inventions his imagination is constantly coming up with. He also creates these inventions to do anything to not think about the darkness in his mind about his father being dead. From this, Oskar feels far away from everything and has a lot of fears from the past year since his father's been gone. He is often alone with just his thoughts and he seems to turn to his imagination with the inventions to stop his thoughts in any way possible.
In a child's mind A parents closet could be compared to the wardrobe that leads you to Narnia. There is so much to explore and try on (especially mother's heels). It is also a place where one can feel connected to their parents, especially if their clothes smell like them," And I loved how my cheek could feel the hairs on his chest through his tshirt, and how he always smelled like shaving, even at the end of the day," (page 12). I have a feeling being in that closet made Oskar's boots feel lighter. Another idea that is brought up is that of grandmother's "renter". When I was reading about the renter I had imagined it being a real person, but I can tell how one would think otherwise. It makes sense to see grandma say that there was somebody there so that nobody would worry, but maybe someone actually is. Finally, Oskar is addressed with the burden of keeping the real phone from his family. It makes sense to why he would want to do such a "selfless" act and keep the evidence to himself, however, if it is keeping him from being happy, is it really helping anyone? He holds onto it to keep others happy... But could it be that those messages would bring the other family members closure to hear his dad's voice again?
When Oskar says that Sonny "puts him in heavy boots," he means that seeing him makes him upset and sad. When Oskar says something makes his boots heavier or lighter he is referring to his emotions and whether something makes him happy or sad. In this case, seeing this homeless man makes him sad and therefore makes his boots heavier.
I think many children are fascinated by their parent's closets because it feels comfortable and familiar inside. All of their parents clothes, smells, tiny trinkets, and in some cases memories are stored in there. After losing his father, it would only make sense for Oskar to want to go in his dad's closet so bad. Like Lexi said, it was a place where he could feel connected to him again, just like at the beginning of the book when he likes the feel of his dad's chest hair through his shirt, or just the smell of him. I think Oskar felt comforted and his boots probably got a lot lighter when he went in there.
It seems like Oskar thinks that if he deletes the messages of his father, then he loses all memories and connections with/of him. "The phone was a secret "that was a hole in the middle of me that every happy thing fell into."" shows the impact of his father and how much of Oskar's life was based around his father. Oskar's father's name is written on the pads in the are store because someone else wrote them and the person that wrote it could be Black. (A quick thought: Oskar's grandma could've written his father's name because she sometimes helped Oskar with the games that Oskar and his father played.) I'm probably completely wrong, but could Oskar's mother even be a part in the final game between Oskar and his father? Nothing is said or found out about Black in these chapters, so he/she could be associated with anyone both mentioned and not mentioned so far.
Oskar's reaction to receiving a letter and T-shirt from Ringo Starr is very telling. Because of Starr's significance (once in The Beatles, a group that his father enjoyed), one would think that Oskar would be overjoyed and feel at least slightly closer to his father. Unfortunately, this isn't how his recovery works. In the other letters featured in this half of the novel, Oskar seems fairly detached from them; they are displayed throughout the book as mere passing thoughts, as if Oskar is trying to latch so entirely onto some form of normality that it becomes little more than going through the motions. His father's death continues to hit him hard, and although that hasn't been a secret throughout the book, it's something like this that makes it all the more clear.
Oskar keeps the phone a secret so only he can have it. When his dad died, that were the last words Oskar's father ever said to him and his family. Oskar wants to keep the messages a secret to make the messages feel more important to him, and make the messages seem like his father is talking directly to him. If Oskar shared the messages, then the messages wouldn't be as special to him since his whole family would know about it. The hole in the middle of him represents a black hole, where everything happy gets lost there. He wants to keep the reason (his father dying) why the hole is there with him at all times and never forget about it.
I agree with Alyssa Garreau, Oskar does not want his mom to move on, to him it seems that his mom almost doesn't mind that his dad is gone, this angers him. As a way to keep his dad with his mom Oskar makes jewelry with his dads last messages encoded within. This is one way to ensure that his dad will always be with his mom, if this is what Oskar has to do from keeping him from going into a very deep depression then I see no problem with it what so ever.
One of the main reasons I believe that Oskar feels so far away from
everything is that he was incredibly close to his father and he lost so much when he lost his father. Oskar carries the burden of being the only one to know about the messages that were left. I agree with Lexi in that a parent's closet to a child is a place of mystery and a place that has not yet been explored many times which is what is alluring for a child. The main reason I believe that Oskar is so sneaky while trying to find out what the key is for is that he wants it to be one last game between him and his father. Oskar's imagination may be creating one last game with his father and the key may not even be to anything. Oskar does not tell his mother about the key as he feels she no longer cares about what happened to her husband, and Oskar is filled with contempt for his mother because she has moved on with her life and can be happy again. I feel "The renter" is a real person that goes and sees Oskar's grandmother and that they may be involved romantically which is the reason that they don't introduce Oskar to "the renter."
I agree with what Jacob and Heli said about how Oskar deals with his father's messages. I think in a way it is how he still feels close to his father. He sees that his mother is already moving on and seeing new people, and it makes him think that she does not love his father as much as she should and thinks that he loves him a lot more. I think he decided not to show her the messages for a couple of reasons. He wants his mom to be happy and he believes the messages from his father would ruin her progress of moving on and accepting things as it is. I also believe that Oskar almost feels that he deserves to keep the messages to himself. It is the only way that he still feels close to his father.
Oskar keeps the messages from his mother because he still feels a lot of regret due to the fact that he ignored his fathers last call. He doesn't want to have to tell his mother that he was too scared to answer. He also feels that his mother is forgetting about his dad and now only cares about her new boyfriend. While Oskar still cares about his mother he keeps certain things from her to not just protect her, but also to protect the relationship he and his father had. There are things he knows she will not be able to understand the way his father would have, so he decides to just not tell her at all. He uses the term "heavy boots" to talk about the way he feels when things make him sad, or uncomfortable. They are things that negatively impact his thoughts.
Oskar wants to protect his mother from even more sadness. She is moving on with life like getting a new boyfriend. Oskar doesn't really want to impede on her mother's life being rebuilt. Oskar is also scared that his mother won't really care at all because she has moved on and doesn't care about his father as much as in the beginning. Oskar doesn't seem excited about the shirt he received from Ringo Starr because the shirt wasn't white. He mentioned this information briefly to keep the order of events for that day in order. He got the letter from Ringo Starr because he wrote a letter to him and gave him bulletproof drumsticks. Oskar had just woken up from nightmares when he started conjugating. He needed to take his mind off of his nightmares and needed something to do. He was conjugating in French because he has been taking French lessons.
I believe that Oskar keeps the voicemails from his father a secret as his own way of protecting his mother. Oskar doesn't want her to see something he believes she can't handle. I think that Oskar also keeps them for himself, fearful that is anyone else found out about about them they would be taken away. Because of this fear, and the strong connection to his father through these voice mails, it has become very important to Oskar to hide the phone. Oskar also uses the voice mails to help calm him down when he has "heavy boots". Oskar's "heavy boots" represent his anxiety and when he feels overwhelmed. He uses the phrase "heavy boots" often leading me to believe that Oskar has bad anxiety. The voice mails from his father have become very useful to Oskar as he copes with his loss.
I think the lack of enthusiasm for the Ringo Starr letter and shirt is because his father isn't there to enjoy them with him. Oskar's like for the Beatles stems from his dad liking the Beatles. A lot of kids like certain things whether it be music, food, TV shows, because their parents like it. Oskar's interest in the Beatles is more a way for him to be close to his dad, so he had to be excited for the letter and shirt because his dad would have been, but with his father not there a lot of his love for the Beatles is gone. For me, I can see it sort of like how a couple has a song that they claim is theirs, except in this case it's a group and it between a father and son, they both love the song and it can be thought of as magical, but when they split even if they still like the song it loses some of its luster and it won't be liked as much. I may be far off with that comparison, but that's how I view it.
I agree with the term having "heavy boots" is what Oskar uses to describe him being upset or sad, like him having a heavy heart. That's why when he sees Sonny who's homeless he has "heavy boots" he feels for what he doesn't have. I feel that Oskar believes the stuff between him and his dad should stay between them. That's why he keeps the key and everything secretive from his mother. He also, doesn't believe his mom is as upset or cared for his dad as much as him. One of the reasons is her already having a friend in her life. He knows his mother cares about him and he cares about her. That's why OSkar works hard to keep the voice mails from his father so secretive. He knows it would just upset her. He doesn't want to erase the messages because its one of the only things he has left of his dad that he truly is the only one to know about. The messages were one of the last things his father did in his life. Plus when he wants to calm down or anything he can listen to his dads voice like he is still there.
I think children see a sense of mystery and surprise in a parent’s closet. As if, if they know what their parents have kept away then they will know how to relate to their parents. Children seek the mystery in looking through a parent’s closet to find something mentally they are looking for. Oskar went in the closet for a sense of an answer. His answer was presented, in the form of a key he found as if the key would lead him to accepting and understanding what had happened which led to the journey of finding who it belongs to. Oskar uses the term “heavy boots” as a way of describing his sadness, worries, and everything that brings him down. He suffers from “heavy boots” when he met the homeless person and losing his father causing his anxiety to start. The term refers to all his sadness and anxiety compressed into the one term. Which is why when he is having “heaving boots” he will give himself a bruise even if he shouldn’t have.
The list of people that Oskar loves shows how he puts precedent over family members. Again, for a young boy, Oskar places a very high moral responsible upon himself as he sets out on a quest to pick up the final pieces of his father in order to bring himself closer to him. It is obvious that he loves his father the most because he seems to miss him because he was the only person who really understood Oskar despite his slight autism. For example, his dad "made my [Oskar's] brain quiet." Additionally, his dad embraced his high intelligence and maturity by saying, "Don't act your age." Also, Oskar just simply misses him. As for Grandma, he loves her the second best because although she is sweet, she can be lonely and he can kind of sympathize with that since he only has two friends at school, Toothpaste and The Minch. His Grandma also spends time with him and talks to him on the walkie talkie quite frequently. Oskar loves his mom third best because although he loves her dearly, he does not like her "friend" Ron and he feels that she is trying to replace Dad with his presence. After that Oskar loves his dog Buckminster, the doorman Stan, his two friends at school, and then the rest seem to be crushes or acquaintances and are trivial to the topic in the novel. Basically, this list also seems to show why Oskar places discovering what the key unlocks at such a high priority that he tells his first lie to his mom in order to skip school to look.
Oskar puts his father's messages into morse code jewelry for a couple reasons: he likes to make things for his mom, they run a jewelry store, he's creative, and it was just very sentimental. It's a beautiful way to memorialize his father. I don't know if it really helped his mother or not but I would hope that she genuinely thought it was a beautiful gift. He may be upset with her at the moment for appearing to be over dad already, but he still cares about how she's feeling. That's why he also keeps the key mystery a secret from her. Not only does he not want her to stop him, but he doesn't want her to worry either.
I think a parent’s closet is so alluring for children because there is a sense of adventure when going through things that belong to someone close to you. Most parents are idols for their children, so naturally the children would want to learn everything about them and what they like. As a child, parents seem so exciting and looking through their closet is like digging up little golden treasures. You never know what kind of valuables you’re going to find. In addition, it’s like Maddy said, a parent’s closet is a child’s safe haven. If you want to be close with a parent (whether deceased or alive), the best way is to get close with their possessions.
Oskar is being sneaky about finding out what the key he found in his dad’s closet is for because he is afraid of what his mom will say. Oskar doesn’t believe that his mom truly misses his dad so he doesn’t want to tell her that he is trying to dig up secrets from his dad’s past. He feels as though his mom has moved on, he thinks he is the only one that still misses his dad. By secretly searching for answers, he feels like he is still close with his dad and he doesn’t want to share that with anyone.
Oskar uses the term "heavy boots" for when he is upset. I think he says this because things that make you upset put extra weight on you and sort of drag you down. Oskar feels this and says that something that upsets him gives him "heavy boots" because that's the feeling he gets. When Oskar see Sonny he feels bad for him. He is basically having heavy boots for the things Sonny doesn't have, because he feels sad for him. Oskar is a pretty positive person, whenever he has heavy boots he tries to lift himself and others up with other positive things.
"The renter" is a big mystery in this section of the book fo the audience. All we know about him is that Grandma spends a lot of time with him, but Oskar never sees him. There's no description of him. Grandma always gives the excuse that he's out doing something when Oskar asks. Even though it's simple to think that the renter is just an imaginary friend to a depressed old woman who has lost both her husband and son, I think that "the renter" is a real person. Maybe it's a person that Grandma feels uncomfortable sharing with Oskar because the renter and he have a bad history, or Grandma just wants something in her life that is private to Oskar. Either way, by going out of her way to change the subject whenever the renter is brought up, Grandma is keeping that secret fom Oskar for a reason. I think the renter is real. If Grandma were crazy, she wouldn't go to all the trouble to try and hide him.
I think children are comforted in their parents closets. The familiarity of all the clothing they see every day, the smell of their parents, and the quiet darkness of the space all play a big role in a parents closet being alluring to their child. I like how Roma described going into a parents closet as an adventure. A child could go explore, discovering new things they've never seen before. Most people keep personal items in their closets, making it a strong connection for a child to be in their parents closet. I believe that someones possessions tells a lot about them, and lets other people build strong connections with a lost loved one through those personal possessions.
Oskar may be so determined to keep his search for what the key is meant to unlock a secret from his mom for a few reasons, one (which is probably the most basic reason) is that if she knew about her son skipping school to wonder New York all alone, knocking on a strangers door to ask questions about a random key, she would defiantly stop him. Not only is that a rather dangerous thing for a young boy to do, but also what are the odds of actually ever finding what the key is used for? The odds are probably too small for Oskar’s mom to think his key has any significance. Another reason why Oskar is so determined to do this is because it takes him back to the treasure hunts he used to do when his father was alive; I feel this quest is so important to him because this is the last hunt, the last game his father had left him, the final object for him to find, and in a way I feel this reason is the strongest as to why he won’t tell him mom, if she were to put a stop to that the memories of fun and mystery he shared with his father might slowly start to disappear.
I believe that the term "heavy boots" is a measurement. A measurement of feelings that Oskar endures. Therefore if he is feeling awful and if he is missing his dad, or if he has pain for others, his boots are very heavy. Once his boots are heavy it is harder for him to walk around and live life since he is carrying around a burden that he can't let go of. Since this measurement is always happening he always has some sort of burden.
Oskar thinks he is protecting his mother by not showing her the messages left by his father, he doesn’t want to see her cry or get heavy boots. He doesn’t erase these however because he like to listen to them when he is feeling down. Oskar doesn’t want his mother to know about the key because he feels like it was meant for him, a mystery his dad left for him just like the Sunday adventure he send him on. Oskar and his mother’s relationship is becoming very distant.
Children are always allured by their parent’s closet. It is something new for them to discover and investigate. Curiosity can take over imaginations and they just want to know what could possibly be inside. Especially if it is close to a birthday or Christmas, there might be something to snoop around for. It’s also a way to find new things about their parents that they never new. In Oskar’s case it is a way to reminisce about a lost loved one. There are so many things in the closet that are tied into his father. The scent of clothes the looks of things all remind him of his father before he was killed. Snooping through a parent’s closet gives kids something new to look at and curiosity usually takes a hold of them. Oskar’s parent’s closet holds unforgettable memories from his father that he wants to hold on for forever.
I can agree on Victoria's comment on the Morse Code of the jewelry being a secret reassurance. Oskar had a relationship with his father that was not only based on an emotional level, but an intellectual one as well. He felt he had lost not only his father, but a part of himself that day too. Making the jewelry in itself was a way of almost honoring his father's profession and lifestyle, but the Morse Code had a much deeper meaning. By putting his father's own words into a code, it's something that only OSkar and his father would every truly understand, just like all those puzzles they once played together. It serves as a connection, making Oskar feel his father and him still share their secret games. However, the message is inscribed into Oskar's mother's bracelet for a reason, although she had never heard those last words on the answering machines, his father's words would forever be with his mother. It was a way of protecting his mother, but allowing his father's spirit to live with her every day.
Oskar is, understandably, very delicate after his dad's death. Because of his unbalanced mental state, he often blames himself for things that aren't his fault, like his father's death or his mom having fun with Ron and not him. Every time he does this, he gives himself a bruise. Oskar is also an exceptionally bright child. He realizes that he isn't dealing with his problems correctly, but he doesn't know any other way to solve them, so once again he beats himself up (both mentally and physically) for something that he knows isn't his fault. Also because of this, he is extremely tough on himself. When he accidentally breaks his dad's vase and his mother doesn't punish him, or even know that he broke it, he takes it upon himself to give his own punishment and bruise himself. Though it has become quite an unhealthy habit, it's one that Oskar has developed since his dad's death, and is an unfortunate way of coping with things when they don't go Oskar's way.
Oskar uses the phrase "heavy boots" many times throughout the novel. He tends to use this phrase whenever something upsets him. However, this does not mean that the phrase is exclusive to Oskar's sadness. I also believe it to mean pity. Often times when people see others that are less fortunate than themselves, they feel sad. They want to help, but they just don't know how to. This is what is defined as pity. Oskar most often uses the phrase "heavy boots" when he's sad or he reminisces in memories of his father, but he makes a special point to use the phrase "heavy boots" in reference to Sonny, the homeless man. This is why I believe that Oskar's references to "heavy boots" mean more than just general sadness. Oskar is a complex little boy, and because of this he also has complex emotions.
I think Oskar hides his plans to find out more about the key because he wants a safe distance between his precious memories of his father and his mother. Oskar frequently acts standoffish towards his mother and her happiness; he gets angry that she has a "friend," he wants to her to add to the Reservoir of Tears, he reflects that he doesn't want to know what she's dreaming because if it's happy, he would be angry with her. It's as if he hates her because she doesn't let his dead father dwell in her mind but moves on instead, as a normal adult would and should. He thinks his mother didn't appreciate his dad enough, and this creates a distance between them because Oskar feels everything deeply, his longing for his dad the deepest of all, and he cannot confide in someone who doesn't understand.
Sonny, a homeless person Oskar knows who stands outside the Alliance Françhaise, puts him in heavy boots. This means that Oskar is sympathetic towards Sonny and he makes him feel sad. Oskar thought about giving his Morse code bracelet to him, and also to Lindy, a volunteer at a soup kitchen, but then he decided on giving it to his mom. Oskar makes these intricate, elaborate bracelets because it keeps his mind busy, and he knows that he father would have appreciated and understood his creations. Also, in my opinion, Oskar gave the bracelet to his mom because he gave her the heaviest boots: she was not missing his dad how he expected her to and that disappoints him. And, he is skeptical about his mother’s relationship with her “friend” Ron. By giving her the bracelet, Oskar is sending the message to her that her that husband is still with her, and reminding Ron that she is still married, and that she should not forget about him so easily and so soon.
I agree with what the previous comments have stated above, especially about the heavy boots. The more stress Oskar encounters, the heavier his boots get. When his boots get really heavy, it's harder for him to go about the day because he's more worried about the heaviness of his boots. As well as when something good/happy happens in his life, his boots are lighter. That's a symbol of the stress and anxiety being lifted off his shoulders.
I believe that Oskar associates "heavier boots" with the disappointments or difficulties he has to deal with. When Oskar came across Sonny, the homeless person, it clearly made him feel upset which he then related to heavy boots. I think heavy boots could be an analogy to a burden. It seems all the things that give Oskar these "heavy boots" just linger in his head and build up on him. Eventually he has to deal with those burdens and he chooses to do so by distracting his emotions by either inventing something new, which always has some relation to his father, or sometimes giving himself bruises.
I agree with the previous comments about Oskar's curiosity with his parents' closet. As most people have stated above, that a child always has that curiosity towards a parents closet. They alway want to know what's in there, possibly for them. It's always what it smells like, or if there's anything just overall interesting in there. For Oskar, his reason for snooping was the idea that his father had many of his belongings in there, and I beleive that Oskar just wanted to be closer to his father.
I agree with Miranda describing the morse code jewelry as secret reassurance. I think Oskar ended up deciding to give his mother the bracelet because it was the closest thing he could do to telling her about the messages. I think it helped get some guilt off of Oskars chest because he didn't let his mother hear or know about the messages from his Dad. Also, because of how intimate Oskar and his fathers relationship was, I think the assembly of the bracelet made him feel closer to his father for those 9 hours. Morse code was most likely something that he was taught by his father. Oskar even mentioned a word that he didn't know the true definition of and said that his Dad would have known. So, Oskar was truly honoring his father with the assembly of the bracelet and he made it all the more special by giving it to his mother.
"Heavy boots" represent depression for Oskar. It's just one more bad thought/idea to carry around. I believe he uses heavy boots as a symbol of 9/11. Fire fighters wear boots, which would be heavy like the rest of their uniform. They we're there in the fire and flames on that day and saw things that no human should see. They dealt with pain and loss and they had probably never met the people they were trying to save. Oskar also deals with pain and loss due to his father's passing. So I believe he uses heavy boots as a way to connect his pain with other's pain.
Oskar is not excited about an autographed t-shirt from Ringo because Ringo is the least talented Beatle and he'd rather get a shirt from Paul.
Just kidding.
It reminds Oskar of his dad too much. It clearly shows that Oskar and his father shared a love for the Beatles. His dad was always humming songs and Oskar knew many Beatles songs. When he got that shirt from Ringo, it didn't really feel like it was because he solely enjoyed the Beatles and wanted it for himself, rather it was something he could share with his dad.
Oskar does go to a lot of trouble to hide the messages from his mother. It's not something where Oskar can just delete them. Those messages are the last time and the only thing he can replay in order to hear his voice. I also think he is saving them for his mother in hopes that maybe she would find them herself or that someday he would face his fear of his mother being sad and just have her listen to them. I also think that Oskar kept them because of some guilt. He heard the phone ring that last time and could have answered it to talk to his Dad one last time, but he just stared at the phone. Deleting the messages, I think, would be harder to do than him torturing himself and listening to them on repeat.
I think the reason Oskar doesn't ask his mom about the key is because he doesn't want to be a nuisance to her and most likely she won't know considering he and his father would play mind games and the key may be the answer to the last quest before his fathers death. He wants to find out the answers himself because he might not feel self satisfied if he gets help from his mother and he also doesn't want to waste her time.
I think that Oskar didn't ask his mom for help with the key because because he viewed it as one of his dads games. To Oskar, it could be one of the last clues his father left him from the unfinished riddle. Oskar will do anything to find out the mystery of this key, which is another reason why he won't tell his mom. Oskar knows his mother would never approve of all the things hes been doing in search of the owner of the key. Oskar has been lying, walking all over the city alone, even going into strangers apartments. He is determined to do anything he can to figure out where the key came from.
I agree with Rebecca's views on the morse code jewelry. I think that Oskar felt guilt for keeping the messages a secret from him mom. The bracelet was Oskars way of giving his mom the messages without actually letting her hear them. Making the jewelry for his mom, giving it to her, and seeing her wear it often probably helped him continue to keep the original messages from her. Oskar and his father were extremely close, he seems to have learned a great deal from his dad. It is obvious he was Oskar's biggest role model. I believe the morse code was something taught to Oskar by his dad, which makes the morse code bracelet even more special to Oskar.
Oskar is being so sneaky about the key because he doesn't want his mom to find out about it. Oskar feels like his mom doesn't really care about him anymore. He feels like his mom cares more about her new "friend" Ron than about him. Due to this, Oskar doesn't want to bother his mom with the key. In addition, I think he's also trying protect his mom. Since the key is related to his dad, Oskar doesn't want his mom to have to relive her husband’s death. Also, Oskar is a very independent person so he wants to figure out the mystery of the key by himself like he did with the other mysteries that his dad gave him.
Oskar doesn't want his mom to know about his dad’s messages because he's trying to protect her again. However, Oskar can't just erase the messages because then he would lose what he has left of his dad. Oskar’s dad was a gigantic part of Oskar’s reason to live and Oskar is not ready to let him go yet. Oskar still needs to listen to his dad's voice just so we can fall asleep at night. In addition, only Oskar knows about the messages, so the messages are even more special to him.
Oskar truly loves his father more than anyone or thing in the entire world. Then one day he is just gone, no longer living. These messages are the only way for Oskar to hear his dads voice. And if he doesn't want his mother to hear them then why would he erase the only form of verbal communication that he has of his dead father. He wants to hang on to everything he has left of him because he will never get to see him again. And he does not want his mother to take that from him.
As the book progresses it is clear to see how much Oskar loves his dad and how much his death has hurt him. His list of his love is different from most children's lists, his mother is not first. She actually falls behind his grandmother. This I think might be due to her willingness to move on after the death of her husband. The bad part about Oskars love being most directed to his father is that is who he always thinks about, and I know from experience that constantly thinking about someone that is no longer is here can be damaging to your health.
to a child, there are many things that attract kids to their parents closet. a major reason that the parents closet is a place that the child never goes in, and full of things that the child does not see everyday. a child will see his or her parents go into the closet everyday but they never go in. also, in the case of Oskar, he wanted to go in his parents closet for the memories of his dad. so children either go in there for the mysterious aspect or even for the memories of their parents.
Oskar does not ask his mom about the key because he was sneaking around his father's closet and broke a vase. Also she was laughing and playing games with Ron which made him angry closing himself off from his mother even more from his mother. Oskar doesn't want to to get rid of the messages because if he does that it's like he is erasing the remnants of his father.
The way I interpret Oskar's unwillingness to ask his mom for help in finding out more about the key is because he's subconsciously being selfish. Just like how he took his dad's message and kept it from the rest of his family, he might be thinking it will destroy his mom and grandma to hear his fathers last message and he's just taking one for the team, but I believe he is taking a form of possession over his dad. I also believe that he's trying to make it alright by giving his mom his dad's message in a way he knows she won't understand, but if questioned about it when the truth comes out he can say well I did technically tell you and being the peculiar child he is he might get away with it. I feel like it's the same type of thing with this new quest of his. It's a thing his dad and him would do often and his mom was never in on the previous adventures so he wants to keep it that way to give a feeling of normalcy to his life without his dad. Even though in the long run he might hurt his disconnected relationship with his mom even more. He wants to feel selfishly close to his dad and I understand why he'd want to, so you can't really condemn him for it.
Oskar was being so sneaky about trying to find out what the key was for because he didn't want his mom to know. this is because he thought that he might get the key taken away before he could find out what it was for. also, Oskar didn't want to disturb him mom especially when she was spending so much time with her new boyfriend, this is why he did not tell her. i believe that he also thought that he would get in trouble if she found out.
Oskar hid the messages from his mom in order to protect her. He knows how hard it is on him to hear the messages, and he doesn't want her to suffer. Although deleting them may seem like the most obvious choice, Oskar didn't believe it was. The messages were the last connection he had with his father before he died. He wants to hold onto this connection, and keep it between the two of them.
I agree with Sara, Oskar is drifting apart from his mom due to her willingness to move on. A quote from Oskar that really stood out to me was, "I became a little lighter, because i was getting closer to Dad. But I also became a litter heavier, because I was getting farther from mom. The harder he tried to find closure after his father's death, the more closed off he became. He didn't really talk to his mom about his feelings, he usually kept to himself or talked to his grandma. Oskar felt as though he couldn't relate to his mom because he was struggling to move on from his father's death, while his mother seemed content in her "relationship" with Ron.
I feel that Oscar loved his dad more than anything else in the entire world. After he failed to pick up the phone when his dad called for the last time, he wanted to talk to him in anyway possible. so when he found the Letter labeled Black. he felt like his dad wrote that letter to him to find what the key went to. So indirectly his father is talking to him. Which is why he has started his journey.
As a child, your parent's closet is usually fascinating for many reasons. For the most part kids admire their parents and want to be like them one day, so exploring their closet where they keep their "grown up" clothes can be interesting to children. It is a place they can play dress up and look for different items that catch their attention allowing their curious sides to come through. It is a different territory most children do not get to go in everyday. It is a place they can feel intrigued, interested, and safe with hundreds of amazing things to look at and touch. When it comes to Oskar in particular, he was drawn to his dad's closet because he misses him. Oskar is looking for closure and wants to know what belonged in his father's special space. His dad's closet is left exactly like it was before he passed, so visiting it allows Oskar to remember his dad and deal with the pain and depression he is going through without his dad by his side anymore.
When Oskar finds the key in his dad's closet and cannot find what lock it belongs to he becomes so angry that he "gives himself a bruise". In other words this means he hurts himself. I believe that Oskar hurts himself because he is filled with many emotions including anger, confusion, and sadness. His father has just died and he misses him terribly. Oskar feels as though he must find out what lock this key belongs to because it will link him to something of his fathers that is important. Due to the fact that he has no idea what it belongs to, he blames himself for not thinking hard enough, thus resulting in him hurting himself to make him feel better about the situation.
Oskar, rather then deleting the messages, hides them in a rather elaborate way in his room. Instead of just erasing them he keeps them, he holds onto them, I think he wants to keep them for memory of his father. He hides the messages from his mother, I believe to ease her pain, the messages, although very heartfelt are very sad. Those were Oskar's fathers last hours and just that thought is very sad. Oskar hid the messages to try to help with the pain of the loss of a father and a husband.
Throughout the story, Oskar uses the quote "puts me in heavy boots" many times. I believe Oskar uses this in a comparative way. Heavy boots to me means, when he sees something that upsets him, makes hims think sad things, or puzzles him in a way. His heavy boots stick with him throughout the rest of the day, and possibly one of the things that race in his mind constantly. Heavy boots can be describes and depression, or severe anxiety, making it harder for him to carry out his day without thinking about what is on his mind. Oskar could be suffering from a type of depression or a low point in his life because of the recent death of his father, and the non trusting relationship that he has with his mother.
The phone was a secret "that was a hole in the middle of me that every happy thing fell into." Oskar held onto the phone because it was the last words he'd ever hear from his father. Oskar could never get another word from him. I think the messages created a hole in him due to the time that his father called and left the messages. Oskar was only a few minutes late to say goodbye to his father, he will never have closure. He was so close to saying goodbye, to having his chance, but in the end was too late. I think that would leave a hole in anybody. Oskar refuses to get rid of the messages because if he got rid of the messages he would be getting rid of his father, or at least the last words from him.The last messages sent from Oskar's father are something tangible, something solid for Oskar to hold onto, it allows him to keep the memories of his father alive.
There are a few reasons why Oskar has gone through a lot of trouble to hide the messages (left by his father) from his Mum. One being he is trying to protect his mother from sadness, because he knows that she his having a hard time dealing with his fathers death, just like he has. Another one is he doesn't want his mother to get mad at him. She would get mad because she would question why Oskar didn't pick up the phone to hear the last words of his father. And I believe he wouldn't be able to deal with the emotions if his mother found out. He cannot simply delete the messages because that is the last thing he can return to to help him recall the voice and true memory of his father.
Oskar makes the morse code jewelry for the same reason he keeps the messages on the phone hidden in his room. It's something solid, something tangible, that keeps his father's memory alive. His mother can look down at her wrist and even though she can't hear him say, "I love you," she can look down and remember him saying it. She can remember the very thought and can almost hear his words. The jewelry shows the truly humane side of Oskar, the vulnerable part, he wants a piece of his father that he can hold onto. Jewelry is usually given to someone either for a happy reason or as a form of apology. Is Oskar trying to apologise for something? The messages he's kept hidden? He keeps the messages as a tangible memory, maybe the morse code jewelry is a way for his mother to have something solid to remember her husband.
Oskars fathers name is written on the pads in the art store (much to his surprise) by someone who Oskar thinks was his dad. This deeply troubles Oskar and starts an internal conflict within himself. When in fact it was Oskars grandfather. Oskars grandfather had gone to the art store and through one of his stages of mourning his grandfather went and wrote Thomas Schell on every note pad. Later this only led Oskar to think that he was on the right trail to finding out more information about the key, when sadly it didnt.
Throughout the story on many occasions Oskar mentions giving himself bruises. To me, this means Oskar is participating in self harm. Oskar only hurts himself when he has recognized that he has made a mistake or he is extremely upset about something. When Oskar makes the observation that he shouldn't have given himself the bruise, it means he recognizes that he shouldn't be hurting himself, either in a physical or emotional way.
Oskar's search turns into even a bigger mystery after he sees his father's name written all over the doodling pads at the art store. The store manager made it clear that there is no way that the pads would've still been the pads that were out a year ago, which was when Thomas Schell was still living. The manager also makes a good point saying the word "Black" in red pen was interesting. Capitalizing the "B" points towards it being a name and not writing the word in black sends a message that the word is not associated with the color. The biggest question: "How did his name get put on those pads if he is no longer living?" I really don't know what this all means but it sure is mysterious. All I can make of it is that those pads are older than the manager thought.
Oskar is keeping his father's messages from his mother and other people around him only to protect them. If Oskar were to reveal the messages to anybody, they would feel even more pain and it would be a terrible remembrance of that tragic day when his father passed away. By keeping these messages to himself, Oskar can still have a personal connection to his father. Oskar believed that he loved his father more than anyone and he still wants it to be that way. He puts the messages into Morse Code on the bracelets that he gives his mother. He does this to keep them a secret, but this way she can still be close to her late husband without her even knowing it.
Why Oskar holds onto the messages from his dad so dearly is clearly because he misses him. The bond that the two of them shared was about as strong as it could get, they would talk for hours, listening to the radio and talking about life, this being said, because of how close they were to each other Oskar is very protective over the final words his father had said, and in some ways I feel that he keeps the messages to himself because he feels like he was the most affected by the death of his dad, so he kept the messages a secret because he believed he had the right to keep his dads last memories to himself. When he says that keeping the messages secret is like a “hole that every happy thing falls into” he’s saying that it’s a sad thing that he will always know is there but can never talk to anyone about, thus when he thinks about it all his happiness falls into the “hole”. Oskar doesn’t delete the content, however, because that wouldn’t make him feel any better about keeping it away from his family, and if he deleted them he would never hear his father’s voice again.
Oskar's list of loved ones is quite striking to me. I could never put one parent over the other let alone put my grandma in front of the women who gave birth to me.
The top four on Oskar's list:
1. Dad
2. Grandma
3. Mom
4. Buckminster
Oskar appears to be quite selfish. He doesn't want his mom to be happy and move on with a new friend (Ron). It seems as if since he's not happy, no one can be happy. Later on in the novel, Oskar also tells his own mother that he wishes it was her that was dead, instead of his father... This invigorated me because it is such an inconsiderate thing to say. I wish Oskar would realize that in these times of pain and sorrow, love and support should be shown because as Oskar has witnessed, a loved one can be taken away so quickly and so unexpectedly.
For a child, a parent's closet is a alluring because of curiosity. It's a place that not many kids venture to because it mostly consist of their parents items. Kids are curious as to what they can find and what their parents are hiding from them. Oskar is a very sad kid who doesn't want to feel helpless. I believe he gives himself bruises because he wants to feel like he has some control. It something that is more comforting to him emotionally for losing his father but causes physical pain. People vary in the way they deal with grief. Some people refuse to eat, hurt themselves like Oskar, or do whatever makes them feel better. Oskar had no control of his father's death which is why he feels helpless. Not to mention how controlling his parents were with putting restrictions on various things like television and food.
Oskar's father often played games with Oskar. An example is when Oskar was supposed to find something in Central Park with a metal detector but he wasn't sure what and didn't have any clues. When Oskar found the key he saw it as a way to reconnect with his dead dad. His father often tried to let Oskar decide the best way to achieve whatever the goal was. So Oskar decided not to tell his mother about the key because he wanted this to be a thing just for him and his dad. He felt that if she helped he again would not be in control. Oskar loves the Beatles but he did not enjoy the t-shirt he got from Ringo Starr.
The T-shirt he got was black and Oskar only wears white clothes. Also Oskar just discovered the key that was in the vase. He was more occupied with the key than the letter that Ringo Starr sent him.
A parent's closet is so alluring to children because what they might find in it. Children are interested in what their parents did in the past so they go to the closet in hopes of finding that out. Oskar is being sneaky because of the way him and his father played their game. When they played he was given very little hints so Oskar thinks that his mom will either give him a hint or tell him what it is for.
Some people will do strange things to protect the people they love. Oskar loved his mom and his dad a lot. So he wants to make sure his mom doesn't have painful memories if she heard the voice messages. However, Oskar himself doesn't want to delete the messages. It is the last time he heard his father speak and it comforts him to hear his voice. He keeps it very well hidden and protected in boxes so his mom never finds out about it and so he can here his dad's voice whenever he needs to. The renter is a real person and it's Oskar's grandpa. I'm sure that Oskar's grandmother didn't want her husband to get close to her grandson. This is because her grandpa tended to abandon people and Oskar's grandmother didn't want Oskar to go through that like she did.
I agree with Abby that Oskar can’t erase the messages from his Dad because it was his Dad’s last words and the last thing that his Dad left. He feels that his mom can’t hear the messages because then she will become sad. Yet he can’t bring himself to deleting the messages because he wants to hold on to one of the last remaining pieces of his dad.
I agree with the others saying that Oskar has kept his father's last words a secret for the protection of others. I also think there is another reason Oskar wants to keep his father's last words a secret. He does it to share one last bond with his father now that he is gone. Some may view Oskar's actions as somewhat selfish, but he is looking for one last moment with his father. I do agree with what Heli Patel said in saying that the author does a great job of reminding us how immature Oskar still is by creating a list of people he loves in order of least to most.
I believe that "heavy boots" are connected with Oskar's anxieties and his sadness, which brings him down. It seems that when he lost his father in the tragic event the boots became heavier. When Oskar starts to feel the heavy boots he begins to thing of his father, or doing so,etching that reminds him of his father. One example is going into his father's closet. It allows him to be close with his dad in the way of his smell and style. An adult closet is very alluring to children, not only because it could flashback some memories, like Oskar's, but it is unknow to children. We hope to find something we don't know about our parents within their closest. Now back to the heavy boots, when Oskar's boots get too heavy he will hurt himself. This is the only way that he is able to lighten the weight even though there are better ways.
Oskar is being sneaky because he likes to be independent. I think if he told his mom she would not let him do this alone or at all because he is basically her only family left and she doesn’t want to lose him. He wants t figure things out for himself without his mom by his side. Also his dad was his adventure buddy so I think that doing this by himself reminds him of his father and gives him a way to connect again. If his mom was involved he might not have felt such a deep connection with the activity. He likes to figure things out for himself and does not like to take the easy way out so he would rather discover things for himself. Oskar likes to be independent and feel connections with his father in any way possible, therefore he wants to find where the key fits by himself.
It's not one of the prompts but I was personally very interested in Oskar's information about the teeth of a beaver. Oskar's actions have the tenancy to seem impulsive or strange (hiding messages from his mom, making Morse-code jewelry, giving keys of the apartment to everyone he knows). The beaver analogy tells us exactly why he does what he does. Oskar does almost everything not because he wants to, but because he feels he has to. This is in direct correlation with the beaver because most people think beavers salivate on trees all day simply to build a better home (or something), but in actuality its because they would literally die if they didn't. Oskar hid the messages from his mom to protect her, made the jewelry so he could make her happy, and gave away the keys to make sure everything he might need was taken care of. Oskar does these things to make his boots lighter so he doesn't die like the beaver except on the inside(which is probably worse).
Before Oskar's dad died he left five messages. Oskar is determined to make sure his mother never hears them, but Oskar doesn't erase them. The last words of a dead loved one, can mean so much the last time they say I love you, or even just to hear their voice. Oskar chooses not to delete the messages, but avoid showing them to his mom because it’s like the final secret between Oskar and his father. No one else is to know about secrets. Oskar doesn't like to be emotional or even have emotions. This is why he gives himself bruises; he refuses to feel the sadness of his dads passing and therefore causes himself a physical pain more.
Oskar is trying to be sneaky around his mother because he believes that she doesn't love him anymore or even care of his existence. As we read further you see that his mom is third on the list of people who actually love him, his grandma and his father he believes love him more than his mother ever will. So he tends to try and stay away from her because he thinks she will stop his escapades and never understand the true meaning behind the key and the adventures that Oskar's dad made for him. I do agree with Lauren when she says he wants to fulfill what his father planned for him because it would give him this inner feeling of accomplishment and maybe then some of the emotional pain would go away. I also feel that 'Oskar doesn't trust his mother because she is seeing other people and acting as if her husband never even existed. So in retrospect Oskar tends to be sneaky to try and avoid unwanted attention and to be able to solve the mystery his father set up for him to unlock and find the meaning to.
I can relate with Kassidy in that the messages are Oskar's last tangible connections to his father, which is why he does not erase them. I know for many, the last words that were spoken to them prior to one's death become unforgettable. AS a way to almost memorialize his father's words, I believe Oskar will forever keep the messages. I believe he does not show his mother them mostly due to the guilt he feels over not answering the last phone call his father made. He fears he will lose his mother too because of it, when in actuality she is doing all she can to allow Oskar to cope in his own ways. Another reason I find that Oskar does not share the messages is to protect his mother from hurting the way he is. Although he says his mother has move on too fast from the death, I think Oskar wishes he could have the same content she portrays. He is bothered by her laughter the most, which is ironic in a sense; seeing as Oskar is always trying to make a joke to make others smile.
I believe that the allure of a parents closet that most children have is that as a child you look up to your parents, you see what they do and learn from their actions. Most children don't have closets with their clothes hung in them, they have dressers. This adds to the mystery of the adult closet. A child might want to explore a parents closet to discover what is hidden in the dark depths of the small room. I believe it is also comforting to brush through the clothes of your parents at a young age. In the case of Oskar it was. The scent of his father still lingered and is something that he could hold onto to help remember him.
Oskar tries to be sneaky around his mother because he feels that she doesn't really care for him or love him. He feels like she would get mad at him for trying to mess with the key. Oskar made a list of who he thinks loved him the most, his own mother fell to third place under his father and his grandmother. Oskar feels that his mother is to busy loving her new boyfriend to even think about her own son. He doesn't really care for his mom's new boyfriend and he knows that her boyfriend will never be as good as his father. Oskar wants to fulfill what his dad left behind for him and if his mother finds out about this Oskar will have to deal with some new problems.
I think Oskar didn't ask his mom about the key because he thought she wouldn't know, and then she would tell him not to worry about it. Maybe he felt that she wouldn't allow him to try to find what the key opened. I also think it's possible that his mom knew exactly what the key was for, but he wasn't ready to hear that it led to nothing. He felt like he was finally starting to put pieces together, and he wasn't about to let his mom take him back to square one.
The allure of a parents closet is to show the clothes that they wear everyday and to also hide some secrets from your child. Whats in the closet is a mystery to some children. Children have a sense of curiosity so they go and check out what is in the closet. The closet can also tell a story about your parents past. Oskar goes through his father's closet and he finds a blue vase. He accidentally breaks it and he finds an small envelope containing a key. He wonders what it is for. His father left that there for him and if he didn't ever go into the closet he wouldn't of ever found it. It shows that Oskar is curious about his father.
Oskar puts his father's final messages into Morse code jewelry because he wants a way to share his father's last words with other people without actually having to give up that secret. Instead of showing his mother the phone calls and letting her be overcome with grief, he instead makes the jewelry so he can share the message in an alternate way. Keeping the recording himself is also a way for Oskar to stay close to his dad. He is able to hear his father's voice whenever he needs a little emotional boost and even in the afterlife his father is able to help him through some of his problems. With this being said he avoids letting his mom know about the messages first because she would be sad but also because he wants to save them for himself. It is the final thing the father and son will ever share.
The allure of a parent's closet is hard to describe, because there is a personal connection to all that is different. In Oskar's case, I think there are numerous reasons why he feels comfortable in his father's old closet. First and foremost, the closet serves as a safe haven for him. He feels connected to his father simply by the items he once had owned. There is a nostalgic feeling that overcomes one when surrounded by clothing that someone you once knew wore, the memories associated with the outfits can not die like a human can. One thought I had that may be far-fetched, is the reasoning behind hiding the answering machine in the closet. When you're young, there is a common misconception that the monsters are hiding in the closet, and you send your parents in after them just to be sure you can sleep through the night. In Oskar's eyes, monsters are the terrorists that took his father from him all too early. Although he may have lost his life to the real-life monsters, his voice would forever remain on the answering machine in the closet. This could possibly represent a security Oskar feels, a sense that his father is still watching over him; protecting him from the future monsters.
I believe the reason that Oskar is being so sneaky while trying to unlock the secrets of the strange key that he finds because he feels that it offers a special connection between his deceased father and him. He wants to be sneaky also because he is an introvert that doesn't like to talk about his feelings with others. The key also gives Oskar something to take his mind off of the situation he's having at home with his mom. He doesn’t want to show his mother the key because he doesn’t believe that she cares enough to even help him if he did.
"The renter" is a peculiar figure in the novel. It is quite obvious to me that "the renter" is physically nonexistent considering "the renter" is never around when Oskar is around. Oskar says that he "was constantly running errands, or taking a nap, or in the shower, even when I didn't hear any water" (69). I assume that "the renter" is an imaginary friend for Grandma.
I think that there are a couple reasons for Oskar making Thomas's messages into jewelry. But the main one is Oskar probably feels guilty for hiding the last moments of his father from his mother, his grandmother, and from the world, and wants them to know (in some way at least) about Oskar's secret. The last words of Thomas help Oskar to feel closer to him. On the flip side, Oskar knows that if his mother were to hear the messages it would disturb her greatly, and dredge up feelings that would throw her back into the beginning of the grieving process. So he decides to split hairs and make the jewelry for his mother, instead of Sonny or Lindy.
When we were little kids, I think that everyone was drawn to their parent's closets. Closets have always seemed so secretive and personal. As the oldest of four, I always felt like I needed to be the closest to my parents. In comparison to what Oskar feels, it seems that by spending so much time in his father's closet, he's trying to keep his father alone to himself. I don't think that's so much of a bad thing though. When someone you love dies, you try and do everything you can to feel close to them again, even if it might be only for a short time. It's a part of the grieving process. Oskar is grieving the loss of his father in his own way when he spends time in his father's closet.
Sonny the homeless person puts Oskar in “heavy boots” because he has nowhere to go and nothing. To me, “heavy boots “means you feel very grounded with the real cruel scenarios life can throw sometimes (in which Oskar has more of than any child of his age ever should.) Oskar gives himself bruises even though he shouldn’t have because he is upset with something. I don’t think Oskar is actually hurting himself, but rather is giving a mental bruise, or being hard on himself when he should not. Oskar doesn’t erase the messages from his father because he gets comfort in hearing him speak himself.
Oskar puts his father's messages into Morse code jewelry for his mother because he wants to see his mother to miss his father as much as he does. Further into the chapter, Oskar notes listening to the voice messages his father left before he passed, and instantly purchasing an identical, secret phone to record the messages before deleting them so his mother couldn't hear them. He avoided revealing them to this mother because protecting her is one of his main raisons d'etre. This reveals that the messages are drastically agonizing for him.
Oskar puts his father’s message into morse code to share it with his mother without really sharing it with his mother. He wants to protect her, but at the same time he wants her to have his father’s last words like he does. I think that it also shows that the messages maybe weren’t the cheeriest and aren’t something Oskar wants his mom to hear. I know that I was a lot like Oskar in my parent’s closet when I was younger, and I think part of it is because we want to be like our parents. I would put on my mom’s shoes and jewelry or my dad’s football hat and pretend to be them for a little while. Their closet brings us closer to them, and I think Oskar really felt that way when we went into his father’s.
Oskar gives himself numerous bruises, and I feel like it’s because he wants his pain to go from the inside out. Maybe if he puts his pain on the outside, he’ll stop hurting so much from his father’s death. I know that if someone I loved had their last words on an answering machine, I would make a thousand recordings of it and keep it with me for as long as I could. Like I said earlier, maybe the words aren’t good, but they’re still the last thing Oskar has of his dad.
As made clear in the novel, Oskar Schell has a difficult time falling asleep every night. He is often jumbled with thoughts and emotions that force him to stay awake until the early hours of the morning. I think that the file, "Stuff that Happened to Me", is his method of trying to fall asleep. Although the things that he saves are not actual representations of his life. Maybe these things distract him from the thoughts and emotions that haunt him everyday? Each night it seems as if it is harder and harder for him to sleep, so everyday, the file grows bigger, and he has more to look at as he tries to finally rest.
I agree with the previous comments that say the allure of a parent's closet is the safety that a child feels when they enter it. In Oskar's case, it is the only place that he can go to hear his father's voice. Oskar's father was his favorite person in the world, and being close to his personal belongings makes him feel better. This is also why he can't erase the messages, because he would never be able to hear his father's voice again. He lives to protect his mother, so he chooses to hide the phone and go through all of that trouble because he loves her. I think he wishes he could tell her, but doesn't want to put her through any pain. This desire is what leads him to put his father's messages into morse code and give it to her in jewelry.
I agree with Abigail on the fact that Oskar is being so sneaky and secretive because he doesn't want his mother to take his mission away from him. From what I've noticed about him throughout the novel, he needs something to keep him busy at all times. This is demonstrated by him conjugating until he falls asleep. Oskar feels like he needs to figure out this mystery, and I believe he may feel like he owes it to his father because of all the kind things his father did for him throughout the short time they had together. I think he also is keeping this from her because a lot of the things that he does stem back to his ultimate motivation of protecting his mother. He may feel that if he tells her about this chase he's going on, he isn't protecting her.
One of the most interesting things in the chapter is the list of people he likes most. It almost seems as if he didn't put them in an order that would make sense in a healthy person's head. For example, his cat is the fourth most important person in his life, with the only people above the cat being Oskar's family. It's also interesting that his parents aren't both at the top of his list, with his mother being placed below his grandmother. This might be partially because of his great love for his grandmother, but also because of the tense relationship with his mom due to her relationship with Ron. Stan also has an awkwardly high positioning above his school friends.
I am slightly perplexed by the self harm that Oskar imposes on himself, but his father seems to be the reason behind every action he takes, and every word that he speaks. Or maybe possibly a way to flush his anger or sadness? Or possibly as his own means of punishment. With his father being gone, Oskar seems to have lost control of his thoughts and actions, and I think that's the reason that he bruises himself.
In answering the prompt question, and adding to other comments, I would say that parent's closets are secretive, like Shelby had stated. When my brother and I were younger, my mom had two closets in her room. One was insanely secretive because we never seen our mom go in there. It's a part of the house that no one goes in, that's what appealing about it. It's a new and exciting space to explore. I thought it was sort of weird for him to write to Ringo Starr. I think it's sort of weird to write to any celebrity but I was confused on why Oskar only wears white? For purity? Cleanliness? But to answer why he doesn't really care is because it's Ringo Starr... He's pretty cool but not too cool. Also, Oskar writes to so many celebrities, he just likes writing and I don't believe he really cares who it's too just as long as they write back. Maybe it's to make him feel important.
In response to Oskar's father role in this chapter, it's really interesting. His father was in the 9/11 attack and calls the home phone to try to reach someone. He just wants to hear someone's voice before he goes. But Oskar gets home first and finds all the messages. It's crazy. Oskar wants to protect his mom from hearing his father's voice. I also think that Oskar feels like if he was to show her then she would delete the messages leaving Oskar nothing. With the pads in the art store, I generally think that Thomas came back. This ties in with "the renter". No one has talked to "the renter", no one has seen him. Oskar's grandma only loved one man, and that was Thomas. Thomas probably knows about the mission, a.k.a. the lock in the door. Therefore I think Thomas did the stuff in the art store, especially since there was a sculpting tool used.
The fact that his father, the man he loved most of all, died and really put a hole in his heart. Oskar talks about trying to protect his mother, but maybe he's just protecting himself. If he has the voice messages, that means he doesn't have to share them with anyone. If he doesn't have to share them then they are all his and have a bigger meaning. He didn't delete them because he still wanted the messages for himself. Oskar probably thought that by protecting his mother, he was also protecting himself. He was protecting his mother from hearing the messages and he was protecting himself from losing one of the last things he had of his father.
I feel that Oskar is being sneaky while trying to find the key to what it opens because he doesn't want it to get taken. I also feel that he is being protective of his mother, to find out what it means before he tells her. Just like with the messages he is keeping them from her. But another feeling I have is that he could simply feel that his mother could not care, because when he found it she was laughing with her friend Ron. So Oskar could feel like she's replacing his father and that he should be the one in charge of the key because he loved him the most.
The closet was so alluring to Oskar because of his curiosity. He wanted to see what was in the big glass on the high shelf. Everyone wonders what is in their parents closet. This is because they are adults and the thoughts of "what does an adult hold?" Is what runs through a child's mind as we stare into the depths of clothes and unneeded junk. Although for Oskar he found something and for his curiosity he received another clue from his father that will help him on his journey.
Throughout the book heavy boots is used as a phrase for being depressed, probably in relation to when you're depressed you don't really want to lift you feet up the whole way and they just drag. Oskar bruises himself when he makes mistakes or is angry at himself it's probably to let off steam and direct his anger away from other people, therefore keeping it private. Oskar wants to keep everything that belonged to his dad, including his last words, he doesn't want to forget him so desperately that he feels the need to hoard everything that reminds him of him. That's why even though it causes him lots of pain he refuses to get rid of it, but that doesn't mean he wants his mom to be in pain too.
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