Remember: You don't have to answer all the questions...one
or two will do fine...or even just your own commentary. Just make sure you have
a decent paragraph so I can count it for credit. This should be a
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that guy...just be you and seek out new info when you can.
Raison d'être = reason for existence
Ce n'etais pas moi = It's not/wasn't me
Why does the narrator want to create/invent all of the things he speaks of at the beginning of the chapter? What does that reveal about him?
What does it tell us about the narrator that his physical activity before jujitsu was tambourining?
What does the narrator mean when he says, "Jose"? What does this do to characterize him?
"even though I don't have dreams of running the family jewelry business anymore..." What is the double entendre of this quote?
Why does he only wear white clothes? Does this suggest something about him?
Interesting...before 9/11, no one would have ever thought about a plane hitting a building below the 95th floor...and would have rarely thought of a plane hitting a building at all...
Raison d'être = reason for existence
Ce n'etais pas moi = It's not/wasn't me
Why does the narrator want to create/invent all of the things he speaks of at the beginning of the chapter? What does that reveal about him?
What does it tell us about the narrator that his physical activity before jujitsu was tambourining?
What does the narrator mean when he says, "Jose"? What does this do to characterize him?
"even though I don't have dreams of running the family jewelry business anymore..." What is the double entendre of this quote?
Why does he only wear white clothes? Does this suggest something about him?
Interesting...before 9/11, no one would have ever thought about a plane hitting a building below the 95th floor...and would have rarely thought of a plane hitting a building at all...
"Even though I'm not anymore, I used to be an atheist, which means I didn't believe in things that couldn't be observed. I believed that once you're dead, you're dead forever, and you don't feel anything, and you don't even dream. It's not that I believe in things that can't be observed now, because I don't. It's that I believe that things are extremely complicated." What does the narrator mean by this? What does this tell us about the narrator?
What is his mom holding and squeezing? What does this tell us about her?
Why does his grandmother bring up the fact that his grandfather loved animals more than he loved people? What does this tell us about their relationship?
"Zipping up the sleeping bag of myself" -- what does this phrase mean? What does it reveal about him?
Why does the narrator think his mom would rather have the narrator be dead than his father? How do you think this affects their relationship?
The second time he rode in a limo, he went with the renter to dig up his dad's coffin. Foreshadowing...
Besides the marking of the New York Times with a red
pen (which is only anal if you're not an English teacher, by the way), how is
his father characterized?
The narrator uses the phrase "made my boots lighter" a couple of times. What does this mean? What does it reveal about him?
What do you think the narrator's father said in the four messages that we didn't get to look at? What did his father say in that final phone conversation? What would you say?
The narrator uses the phrase "made my boots lighter" a couple of times. What does this mean? What does it reveal about him?
What do you think the narrator's father said in the four messages that we didn't get to look at? What did his father say in that final phone conversation? What would you say?
44 comments:
I think the narrator thinks that his mom would rather have himself dead than his father because he feels alone. The narrator feels like his mom doesn't even care about her husband's death and isn't sad over it at all. He sees her laughing and smiling all the time and it hurts him because his father meant the world to him. This affects their relationship in a very bad way. A mother and her child should never have these type of feelings towards one another. They could be so close, just like the narrator and his father. The problem is I don't know if the narrator can get over the fact of his mother having feelings for another man, or being happy, or just enjoying life while he is in so much pain.
Throughout the book, white and black have been battling colors. White, which is all the narrator wears, is often a symbol of innocence and even emptiness. At just 9-years-old, Oskar has suffered a huge amount of pain and loss. Yet, he is still innocent in the way that he is completely honest. White can also symbolize light. Maybe, Oskar wears white to seemingly try and keep the light that his father brought him. Black, on the other hand can be symbolic of death, depression, loss of light. We are told that Oskar's grandpa can't speak so he uses a notebook to write what he's trying to say down. He "talks" about how he runs out of white space which the loss of his son has been a huge tragedy and for a parent to have to bury a child, the loss of "white space" in his life is unimaginable.
When the narrator says he believes his mom would rather have him dead than his dad, I took it as that Oskar simply reminds her too much of his dad. Her having to live with the fact that her son will grow up without a dad and miss out on sharing more memories than they already did is rough for her. That, along with the fact that the way he acts reminds her of her lost husband, can't be all that easy to live with. I can only imagine how hard it would be to look into your sons eyes and be reminded of the man that you loved who is no longer with you. It was definitely interesting to think about how casually Oskar was able to say that his mom would rather not have him around but at the same time it makes sense. He knows that he is a reminder of something his mom doesn't want to remember.
The beginning of this novel sort of confused me. Was anyone else a little overwhelmed by the narrator's inability to stay on topic? However, as the chapter progressed this style of narration sparked an interest. The entire scene in the limousine reveals a lot about Oskar's personality. At first glance it seemed as though he cares more about the driver than the death of his father. But as more of Oskar's tendencies to ask lots of questions instead of focusing on his mourning are revealed, I would argue Oskar is hurting the most in that limousine. Additionally, Oskar's incredibly detailed description of his father gives a door into his emotions. Oskar is a normally private and rational character thus far, but his description of feeling his father's chest hair through his shirt brings a whole new dimension to Oskar's character. As the novel progresses I am most interested to see more of Oskar's personality develop.
The narrorator is always inventing because he is a curious person. He is the type of person and has the mind where he never settles, and sees a problem, and wants to find a solution. What this reveals about the narrorator is how he is a curious person and never stops thinking. The narrorator was an atheist before, in my opinion, because he realized that the topic was something that was beyond him, and focused himself on something he could see and believe, therefore leading to his mindset of "I need to see it to believe it". He tends to base his theories off real things and even though curious, still wants to see complex things before they are fact in his mind.
Throughout this chapter, Osker is portrayed to really look up to his father more than anyone else in his family. His father is characterized as a very intelligent man who loves his son and family very much. He shows this through his constant patience with Osker's never ending questions and his ability to find grammar errors in even the New York times. He plays with Osker on his son's level especially through their game of "Reconnaissance Expedition". He is clever, and encourages his son to not give up on things he may not always understand. Osker's knowledge he gains through this game is what encourages him to investigate the key he finds in his father's room after his death. Osker's father helps build character for his son, while showing love for him in many ways. Although Osker's father has a close relationship with his son, he is some what portrayed to not have as close of a relationship with his wife. Maybe this is wrong but when his wife moves on so quickly after his death it seems as though their relationship was not very strong.
I think that the main thing I got out of the first chapter was a better understanding of how everyone reacts to situations differently. Although we do not completely know what happened to Oskar’s dad, we are able to see the major impact his death has left on the family. How much he was truly loved. The scene I really noticed this was during the limo ride with his mom and grandmother. Although Oskar may feel his mom doesn’t love him and purposely shuts him out, I think it is just extremely hard for her since Oskar appears to be so similar to her late husband. Hopefully she will be able to be there for him soon, once she has time to heal herself. Also, I think that Oskar just has an extremely curious personality, making him question literally everything. His mind could never stop. No matter the situation, he always had an idea to make it better. I also noticed how this (questioning) was also not only encouraged, but also modeled for Oskar through his dad especially. Oskar had an awesomely strong bond with his dad and you can see how devastating the sudden death was for him. Through all of the mind games he played with his dad, they developed such a great relationship. One of my favorite quotes from this chapter was one where you can see the most complete admiration Oskar had for his dad, how he just felt so comfortable with him. On page 12, Oskar said, “Being with him made my brain quiet. I didn’t have to invent a thing.” Somehow, his father had this ability to cease the constant questioning.
Something I really enjoy about Oskar is how he notes his only source of physical activity before jujitsu as tambourining. I think I mostly enjoy this remark because it is definitely something I would say. But besides how relatable his lack of exercise is, his categorization of tambourining really shows what kind of a person he is. Oskar is someone who values the strength of the mind over the strength of the body. This is shown throughout the chapter in various ways: Oskar listing ideas for inventions, his love for Stephen Hawking, and the game of “Reconnaissance Expedition” that he played with his father. Oskar is someone who wants to challenge his mind. He wants create and learn; he wants to exercise his mind.
Personally, I believe the quote about Oskar’s beliefs is a very interesting quote. One reason why I find it so intriguing is how it takes a peek into the mind of Oskar. In the quote, it is revealed Oskar used to be an atheist. At Oskar’s age, most children follow whatever religion their parents follow. I’m not particularly sure if Oskar’s parents follow any religion, but I find it fascinating how, at his age, Oskar already rejected religion. It truly shows how non-spiritual he is and how would rather get an explanation about life from science and philosophy rather than faith. However, the quote also notes he no longer is an atheist; he believes things are a little more complicated. This could mean Oskar went from being an atheist to agnostic (believing a higher power can neither be proven nor denied) or maybe some sort of a self-made philosophy. The quote really makes me wonder what happened to Oskar to make him change his beliefs.
I definitely agree with how Sophie said that the beginning of the book was a bit overwhelming. For me, it was overwhelming at first because it is a completely different style of writing than I am used to. However, this style also had the immediate effect of drawing me into the book. I was amused with the sharp turns in Oskar's train of thought, which encouraged me to keep on reading to see what Oskar would say next.
I found Oskar's comments involving religion (or lack of religion) to be intriguing. For a kid so young, I was surprised at how much logical thought went into his decisions about religion. As for when he said that he believes things are "extremely complicated", I think the main reason for this belief is his father's death. I believe he may not want to believe that nothing happens after death, because then he would have to face the harsh reality that his father is completely gone. I also noticed that Oskar's father seemed to be on the logical, not emotional, side of things, so his personality probably reinforced many of the strong opinions that Oskar had about religion. Without his father to help him think things through, Oskar's beliefs were probably shaken.
Why does his grandmother bring up the fact that his grandfather loved animals more than he loved people? What does this tell us about their relationship?
I believe that Oscar's grandfather loved his grandmother with passion but when the word "animals" is used, I believe that they are referring to his passion to sculpt. His grandfather loved to sculpt so much that he would rather pursue his dream rather than sit at home and be a father. I still believe that they loved each other, but as time went on, grandma knew it herself that he must follow his dream of sculpting. So in a sense their relationship was strong because they cared about each others wants and needs. But in the end, grandpa's dreams took over the relationship.
The narrator uses the phrase "made my boots lighter" a couple of times. What does this mean? What does it reveal about him?
Throughout this chapter and the rest of the book to page 173, the narrator always keeps the phrase of "light or heavier boots." To me it resembles the loss of his father and what emotional weight he has at that time. It also makes me think that he steps into the shoes or "boots" of the people he feels bad for and feels what they feel and adds it to his own boots. For the rest of the novel, without his dad, Oskar's boots would never feel lighter again. This tells me that Oskar is very emotionally unstable and needs the comfort of his Dad to make him feel a lot better. Just wondering if anyone else thinks the same way I do about the lighter or heavier boots.
The last question references the phone calls on "the day" and what I think they would be. Here is my response.
Message 1: Hello? I don't know if you guys are home or are even watching the news... It's really bad right now, they tell us that the firefighters are on the way up the stairs "phone cuts in and out" I'll... call... back... with more info soon.
Message 2: Is anyone home? I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm doing fine, if anything I should be worried because you guys haven't picked up the phone. Just checking in this time, they're telling us the same story about the firemen. I'm OK as of right now.
Message 3: Sweetie, Oskar, anyone? Man is it getting "coughs" smoky in here. There telling us to head to the stairs but there is a big jam. Things are just getting worse "coughs". I hope one of you guys pick up here in a little bit.
Finally Message: Honey, Oskar I don't think that we're OK in this building anymore, I've gone down a few flights of stairs just to see wreckage. I'm just saying this because I don't think that I'll get another call in, I love you guys and I hope y..... phone cuts out, end of message.
When I first started reading this novel I was also very confused by the many different thoughts of the narrator. After finding out that the narrator was only nine years old I could understand why his thoughts are the way that they are. Due to this writing style I was always left wanting to read more just to see what Oskar would think of next. Oskar is a very eager person, he shows this through his many different thoughts and inventions that he wants to make. He is always thinking of something new to create or ways to make things better than what they already are. Oskar has gone through things that a child should never have to go through. Oksar is still just a child with an innocent mind and pure intentions. I think his white clothes symbolize his innocence and inconceivable feelings as a child having to deal with the loss of his father.
Why does the narrator think his mom would rather have the narrator be dead than his father? How do you think this affects their relationship?
The narrator thinks that his mother would rather have him be dead than his father because Oskar, the narrator, resembles his father too much. They have the same idealistic beliefs and behaviours. This affects the relationship between Oskar and his mother because Oskar doesn't feel like he is his own person. He’s just a remainder of his father. He also doesn't want to remind his mother of his late father.
What does the narrator mean when he says, "Jose"? What does this do to characterize him?
When the narrator says “Jose”, he means to say, “No way, Jose”. By shortening this phrase, it makes the narrator seem like a very straightforward person. I think that he is trying to skip all of the unnecessary words and phrases to get to the more meaningful stuff.
The narrator uses the phrase "made my boots lighter" a couple of times. What does this mean? What does it reveal about him?
Oskar uses the phrase “made my boots lighter” several times so far. I believe that he is trying to compare his conscious or guilt to a physical thing to make it easier to comprehend.
"Zipping up the sleeping bag of myself" -- what does this phrase mean? What does it reveal about him?
This phrase means that Oskar is doing things by himself and isn’t relying on his mother or someone else to do so.
I agree with Sophie and Raina. I feel like at first he was just listing things, and jumping from subject to subject. Basically every paragraph in this chapter was about something different then the previous chapter. bI feel like Oscar has adhd or something similar to that. He was always thinking something, or saying something. It did kind of confuse me but as I kept reading, I sort of found it interesting. It was refreshing to read a different style of writing. You also do find out a lot about Oscar in the very first paragraph. He has some pretty cool thoughts on inventions, even some things I would like to have. He is also always thinking or saying something (like I said before), he is always thinking that things happen as if they were clues to something, and you can tell that he is just a boy, with all of his jokes that he likes to pull, that aren't very funny to his mom/grandma.
I know some found the first chapter to be a bit overwhelming the way it was written, but I personally love how it’s written. It seems very stream-of-consciousness and it really gives us a deeper look into Oskar’s thought process. I think Foer’s style of writing depicts Oskar and how he thinks perfectly for his age. We are able to see the true curiosity of a child, a trait that I think many people lose as they age. This curiosity, as well as having such a strong relationship with his father, is what drives him to find the missing lock to his father’s key. Compared to the relationship with his father, the relationship with his mother seems strained. There is a very clear difference between the two that we see just by the way Oskar talks about each of them. When he says, “I knew the truth, which was that if she could have chosen, it would have been my funeral we were driving to” (6). I think Oskar may feel as though he is a burden based on what he tells us of his mother and the way she is around him. I think he misinterpreted the things she says and does, and that being around him just pains her too much because of how much he reminds her of her late husband.
The last four messages the narrator's father left were powerful. We physically got to see the words he left, but there was more to his message than we were able to read. He had desperation in his words. He wanted so badly for someone to be on the other end to pick up that phone. He kept reassuring whoever would listen to those messages that he was ok. He cared deeply for his family and he wanted them to think that no matter what, he was ok. Oskar said he had kept those messages secret to protect his mom from the hurt, but I believe Oskar liked to have that one last moment secretive between him and his father. It could have possibly made Oskar feel more connected to his dad. I could not begin to imagine the fear Oskar's father was feeling. If I was in his shoes I would have also let my family know I was ok and I would have expressed how much I love them.
I also thought the beginning of the book was very confusing. Once I understood Oskar was only nine years old it helped me understand him as a person. I was then able to imagine how a nine year old thinks compared to a teenager, the age I was first thinking about. The way that Oskar talks and thinks make me want to continue reading to see what he will do next. I was, and still am, constantly left with surprises that I don't see coming. Oskar has a very powerful, eager, and inventive personality. He is always thinking of something different and continuously finds a way to keep himself doing something. After I got the hang of Oskar's thinking style, the book always has me wanting to read more and more.
Oskar seems to be a boy more interested on exercising his mind rather than his physical body. It is amazing of the things he comes up with day in and day out. Even the way he falls asleep by counting the seven minutes it is supposed to take a person to fall asleep. I'm still trying to figure out how Oskar's mind works but that is just one of the many aspects that keeps me intrigued in the book.
You can tell at the beginning of the chapter that Oskar isn't normal by his manic and esoteric style of writing and the fact that he only wears the color white. This suggests his purity but also suggests his unhinged nature. I infer from this that Oskar has some cognitive abnormality because it simply isn't normal for a child that young to be writing and thinking in such a manner. It's like reading the ravings of a madman. Despite this, he has these idea for inventing things (which are completely impractical and serve no use) that show he is mentally active. I believe from these clues that Oskar has a high functioning cognitive disorder. This means it's a very unique thing for his parents to raise him and why I like his father so much as a character. He often comes up with intricate games to challenge Oskar and provide him daily learning. I love the relationship Oskar and his father have a lot because of this interplay. One thing I like about Oskar is that he has already considered religion deeply at a very young age. It shows that despite his sporadic and mostly meaningless inventions he does explore profound topics at a mature level.
In the very first paragraph, Oskar tells us about inventing a teakettle that can talk. He explores the possibilities of what a talking teakettle could do. The teakettle could speak in the same voice as his dad, sing, or “crack up” with Oskar. Later, Oskar says he used to be an atheist because he, “didn’t believe in things that couldn’t be observed” (4). We know that there is no such thing as a talking or singing teakettle. However, Oskar enjoys saying “invented” instead of “thought of” because it gives a feeling of something that is possible. With the knowledge that Oskar’s dad died in the 9/11 attacks, I think Oskar’s idea of possible has been destroyed. He’s trying to hold on to his logic and his concrete ideas by saying “invented”, but the fact that he has given up atheism shows us he’s struggling
As some others have mentioned, I thought the beginning of the novel was interesting in how it was set up. I think it provided a glimpse into the mind of Oskar in only a few pages, which impressed me. Although a little overwhelming, I appreciated the fact that it was written the way it was because it described who Oskar is, how he thinks, and so forth. The jumping thoughts reminded me very much so of how a child thinks, and although he proves to be intelligent beyond his years, it also reminded me that Oskar is just a kid, and it seems like he's a kid who was forced to grow up too early. At his age, most kids concern themselves with the latest toy and follow the status quo, yet Oskar doesn't. Part of this is likely a result of his developmental or cognitive disorder (autism/Aspergers I think... I don't remember it being directly mentioned in the book.) However, I also think that some of his intelligence is a direct result of the environment that his parents had raised him in, in particular, his father. His father seemed like an intelligent man, and he used that to his advantage to help raise Oskar in a household where he was able to think freely, even if those thoughts were scattered everywhere like they were in the first chapter.
The phrase "zipping up the sleeping bag of myself" struck me as really, really sad. This, perhaps, was a result of the following phrase of words that followed that, where Oskar states, "... and I could tell that she didn't really love me" (6). At such a young age already, Oskar is thinking this. Already his mind, which is obviously whirring and bright, is being polluted by such awful negativity. When he zips up the "sleeping bag of himself", he is shutting down- maybe as a result of feeling annoying, disliked, or unwanted. I will have to see later in the novel if he zips himself up any more when those feelings are present. Regardless, I thought it was incredibly sad that he was shrinking himself down and shutting out his remaining family in a situation where they really needed to be there for one another.
I feel Oskar has a drive to constantly invent and innovate existing tools because of his father. It is clear that Oskar suffers from some cognitive disability that affects the way he thinks and makes decisions, which can be seen as he refuses to wear anything that not white, and how scattered his thoughts are. I feel that Oskar's father being Oskar's role model pushed him towards a more logic based thought process. Oskar's father seemed from the brief description to be an innovator, which would explain Oskar's constant drive to tinker and improve. This also explains Oskar's original choice to be an atheist. Oskar's father influenced Oskar's thinking in such a way that he would only accept a fact if it had testing and proof behind it, not just because someone told him too, not to mention his father was an atheist too. Oskar's change of faith can also be explained, as after Oskar's "theoretical death" he still felt constant pain and sorrow, which he originally belived that you felt nothing after death. Lastly, I think the phrase "made my boots lighter" means that Oskar's "mental baggage" (The Things they Carried reference) was lightened, meaning that some thought troubling him disappeared from his mind
I think that "Zipping up the sleeping bag of myself" is a phrase Oskar uses to describe when he draws away from the world and everything going on around him. He's just a kid, and as someone with younger siblings I can attest to the fact that when put off by something, kids do sometimes get distant, but I feel it also has a lot to do with Oskar's mental condition. I think that, because his brain is so rapid fire, when something unpleasant happens he folds into himself as a coping mechanism and then can focus on things besides what's all around him and take comfort in his mind. Another thing I personally found interesting was the amount of times Oskar talked about how he wanted to be able to let his grandmother touch him and to be there for her on some level despite the fact that he honestly disliked all the physical contact.I think that also plays into the fact that his mother is squeezing nothing- she knows that she can't take comfort from her son because of how touch makes him uncomfortable, so she is left on her own, which may also be why he feels she resents him so much.
When Sophie Dettling said, "The beginning of this novel sort of confused me. Was anyone else a little overwhelmed by the narrator's inability to stay on topic?" the first thing that came to my mind what the fact that Oskar is only 9 years old. I think that Foer wrote in the mind of a child quite well, even if I don't like Oskar much as a person. He's a bit... annoying. I don't like how he always says "obviously," even though he picked it up from his father. Maybe it was just my observation from the audiobook, but it was extremely repetitive and at some points it seemed like the kid was just acting pretentious.
I think that Oskar believes his mother would rather have him dead than his father because he feels unwanted. He feels as if his dad was the parent that truly loved him, and that his father was a man with greater purpose than what would ever come out of himself. Maybe he even thought that if it had been Oskar that had died, his mother and father would have been able to be there for each other. Oskar is quite distant towards his mother, and he finds it difficult to be there for her, because they're both suffering after the loss of such a beloved figure.
I think the narrator thinks his mom doesn't care as much about him because of how distant she's gotten since his dad died. The way the narrator talks about how his mom speaks to him and acts around him makes the reader believe that she's closed herself off since the incident. I also think the narrator just feels as if he's the only one that cares that his dad is gone. He always talks about how he sees his mom and Ron laughing, and he feels like she's forgotten about him and his dad. It's hard losing a parent in the way that he did, and I think it would be even harder to watch his mom "move on" because to Oskar, it means that his dad wasn't of importance to his mom.
In those last four phone messages, I think Oskar's dad was really reassuring his family, and himself, that everything was going to be fine and that someone was eventually going to find him alive. So far we've heard the first one which was him saying how they were instructed to stay under the staircase until firemen were to come and rescue them. As the time goes on, and as he sends more messages, I think he was slowly coming to the realization that he wouldn't make it out. As for the final message, I think it was just him telling everyone his final goodbyes. I can imagine it sounding panicky. If I were him, I really wouldn't even know where to begin.
In the first chapter of the book, the narrator refers to multiple "inventions" that he thought up. While reading through his many ideas, such as singing teakettles and little microphones to amplify one's heartbeat, I noticed that they all serve similar purposes. I think that the narrator thinks of these items as a healing process. Each invention serves to either make the narrator's feelings easier to cope with or to ensure the wellbeing of others. This reveals that the narrator not only wants to ease his pain but he wants to protect others as well.
I think that it is very interesting that Oskar uses his metaphorical "boots" and their heaviness to describe his feelings. To me this really shows how young and innocent he is because he can't really deal with/ express his emotions as an older person would. What is interesting to me about his character though is how this boot metaphor makes him seem like a normal child, but then he goes and does something like keeping his father's last messages a secret to protect his mom. That seems like a very mature thing to do and it shows how despite his age, he is a very dynamic and thoughtful kid. As for the characterization of Oskar's father, his last messages show how much he valued his family. He insisted on just making sure they weren't worried or afraid, and I thought that it seemed like he was more concerned about them than himself.
I agree with Raina, I feel that the death of his father prompted Oskar to delve into religious ideas in order to make himself feel better about the passing of his father by knowing there is an afterlife for him. Oskar's father seemed to be the family member he looked up to the most, and with his death, Oskar feels alone. His mother seems to want little to do with him, so Oskar feels alone. Oskar's father seemed to have the ability to halt the activity going on in Oskar's head, which now troubles Oskar tremendously.
When the narrator uses the phrase "made my boots lighter" it is being used to show how he is feeling. On the other hand, the phrase "heavy boots" is used and is showing the narrators sadness. So when the narrator says "made my boots lighter" it is displaying that he is relived or even a little bit happy and not filled with sadness. This phrase reveals how the narrator is feeling. It could also allow him to express himself and release his emotions in a way that makes him feel comfortable.
Oskar's father is characterized as the one character who most tries to connect to him and teach him something. Unlike his mother, who tries her best to help him, and his grandmother, who smothers him in affection, Oskar's dad is constantly teaching him and challenging him in ways he knows Oskar will understand. Oscar said that sometimes, the way his father sets things up forces him to interact with people, and that shows that he works to make his son more open and sociable. He talks with Oskar clearly, as an equal, and doesn't censor anything because he knows that Oscar is so much more advanced than his age. When he's gone, it creates a problem for Oscar because his father was the one person who he felt truly understood him. Now he has no one to challenge him anymore, which is probably why he works so hard to put together the last clues his father left him- it helps him feel close to his father and cope with his loss because it almost makes him alive again for Oskar.
Inventing is a hobby of Oskar's. He enjoys creating new things, which is great for him, because he is very smart. He comes up with different ways to distract himself from thinking about the loss of his dad, while he also spend time finding more out about his dad. The inventions make Oskar different than many other kids his age. Most nine-year-olds would most likely be playing video games or hanging out with their friends, but not Oskar. Oskar spends his time coming up with new ideas and inventions that incorporate his father into his everyday life. For example the teakettle that reads things in his father's voice. Not that the inventions lead to finding more out about his father, they just provide some comfort for Oskar. Another important aspect of Oskar is that he has some type of mental illness. He can switch from topic to topic very quickly. This maybe because he has his mental illness, but he is also just a child. Oskar is also very intelligent, it may have to do with his mental illness, but it really makes for a super interesting narrator. It is a totally new aspect, which is great. We get to read this part of a story from a child who lost his father, and is trying to find more out about him, while he is faced with his mental illness.
I definitely agree with Sophie that the beginning of the first chapter was a bit overwhelming with all the the different information jumping from topic to topic, but i found it kind of interesting and it was a different writing style that drew me into the plot! I loved it! As I read further I found that that was an important part in the chapter where I got to know the narrator's personality better and really understand who he really is. Oskar is a curious person, and in showing this in the beginning when he is in the limo he tended to be more interested in the driver than his fathers death. I think this shows how everyone morns differently and that he does by keeping his mind off of reality, because if not it will strongly effect him. Oskar was extremely close to his father, getting his amazing intelligence from his, but his character makes for an amazing narrator because he makes you think outside the box with totally new views.
Oskar's inventions at the beginning of the chapter reveal that he is a very imaginative kid, capable of creating great things, but also possibly locking himself away in his own thoughts. The phrase "zipping up the sleeping bag of myself" illustrates how this can happen. When he does this, he shuts himself away from the emotions and problems of his life as well as the people around him, like his mother. In this case, it makes sense that he's able to think that he would rather his mother would rather have him dead than his father- he shuts himself away from her without thinking about it from her perspective, despite having such a great imagination. I think this would put a strain on their relationship, as Oskar shuts himself off and his mother tries to move on and support her son.
It is quite interesting how Oskar only wears white clothes. He even has his own pair of white gloves that he takes with him. I believe he is wearing the white clothes because he is shown as a pure character. Oskar is only nine, so still a kid, and he might not understand the way things adults do. Oskar says some mean comments through the novel. He tells he he wishes she was sad like him and that he wishes she were gone and not his dad. Although these comments seem very harsh to an adult, he is only a kid that misses his dad dearly. He doesn't know exactly how to deal with the loss of his father and many kids say and do things they don't necessarily mean when they are lost at what to do. I believe Oskar wears white so that the reader is able to understand he is a pure character and may not exactly mean some of the things he says.
In chapter one I was a little confused at first on what exactly was going on, then the book picked up and I noticed that Oskar asked a lot of questions and he has a very big imagination, many of the things he "invents." He questioned everything. During the Limousine ride he asked the driver a lot of question trying to keep the conversation going. I also found it weird like Mackenzie said that he is wearing white clothes mainly, I think it shows his innocents as a child. His father died and in the Limousine ride his Mother and Grandmother were completely silent. His Grandmother just knitted gloves for him that he would never wear and mother was holding something in her purse. His mother isn't there for him probably because Oskar looks so much like his father. Oskar really doesn't know how to handle his Father's death, he is only a kid how should he know.
Reading a book written in the perspective of a mentally handicapped child is truly different. However, Oskar’s behavior, thought process, and personality is all too familiar to me at the same time. While I was younger I worked in a group called Peer to Peer, where a group of my friends and I would have lunch, interact, and work on projects with other classmates of ours that were mentally handicapped. While becoming freinds with these classmates, I began to better understand and notice some of their ticks and habits. Oskar’s character is a true mix of the many kids that I worked with. While in the limousine to his father’s funeral, Oskar would constantly deny the fact that his father was dead, even when his family would insist on convincing him otherwise. He would talk about how fun and cool it is to be in a limo again and how strange it was for him to be in one for no reason. He said that he knows his dad isn’t dead and he didn’t really no why he was going to a strangers funeral. I could feel that his mind had created a defense mechanism, just as many of the mentally handicapped do. Just as we experience shock due to losing a loved one, he had too. Only, his mind had not allowed him to believe something rational. Instead, his irrational belief of his father surviving such a tragedy as 9/11 planted its way into his head instead. All for the reason of protecting his own heart.
Throughout the novel, the author Italicizes the word “Weird” every time it appears within the book. There is even a chapter named after the word. This can’t just be an accident and it makes me wonder why such a vague word would be so important. We know that Oskar is different and he is probably weird to all of us in our own way. It’s possbile that the author just did this to emphasize the fact that Oskar is, in fact, different. However, I almost feel like that this is a reference to how Oskar may see himself. If the book is written in the perspective of a mentally handicapped child, it could be that Oskar is giving us suttle hints into the way he sees himself. If this is the case, then it could be a representation on how the mentally handicapped may think. Although they act different, everyone is the same on the inside. They see themsleves in the mirror just as you do. They see their imperfections just as much as you do, they just have to accept how they are. It just goes to show that Oskar isn’t all that you’re seeing him to be, there is more to him than that. He realizes that he is different and in this suttle hint, it shows that the things he denys, like his father dying, he knows to be true deep down somewhere. Oskar deals with the same things we do, just in different ways. Maybe he isn’t so Weird after all.
I like his quote “zipping up the sleeping bag of myself” because it is a good visual representation of realizing that you’re annoying someone, so you shut up and recede into yourself. I am a naturally questioning and curious person, so as a rule of thumb I never shut up. I’ll talk until someone tells me to stop or until I can get the hint that they’re not really listening anymore. This quote might reveal this characteristic about Oskar as well- a naturally curious kid with observational eyes and an unlimited reservoir of questions. The more I read, the more I can relate to the constantly curious Oskar. He’s always focused on riddles and answering questions and just generally decrypting the world around him, much like I used to as a kid his age. His quirk of only wearing white is something I for sure want to delve into and discover the motivations behind, eventually. Color characterization and symbolism is one of the most used motifs in literature basically ever. White is almost always symbolizing purity, innocence, cleanliness, or even institutionalization. Makes you think…. Can’t wait to see where that goes. Another thing that piqued my interest was his fascination with French. Where did that come from? Why does he know it? What about it makes him feel compelled to use it frequently? Was his father a French speaker? Did I miss something? Also, I’m deeply interested in how and why the chapter names are called what they are. They seem obscure and (obviously) I really want to know where that will take us. I feel like the randomness is pretty important. Lots of questions, lots of novel left. One more observation, sorry, I also like how Oskar frequently says “which I know about, unfortunately.” It’s funny that a young child like him can recognize that some things that he knows are things that he shouldn’t know about yet, like he realizes his young mind has a grasp on things that would normally be out of reach for someone his age.
The very first thing I noticed about this book was the way it's written: very wandering but not at all without purpose. The way Oskar uses the phrase "Jose" epitomizes his perception of the world. It may seem very backwards to someone else, but it's very fresh and uncensored and makes sense in its own way. Sometimes it can be a little difficult understanding the things Oskar thinks, or the emotions he's trying to express because he expresses them through analogies and unconventional phrases. It doesn't help that context isn't always right there either. There have definitely been things I could't understand until the book explains it or completes the thought later, but I think that's a part of the novel that keeps me excited and wanting to read more.
As far as riding in the limo with the renter, it just makes me question what I originally thought of the renter (I thought his grandma made up the renter). So is he real? Is he not real as the renter but as a pseudonym for another character? I feel like I might find out later.
Why does the narrator want to create/invent all of the things he speaks of at the beginning of the chapter? What does that reveal about him?
The narrator, as told in first person by the nine-year-old Oskar Schell, is thinking of manny ideas for new inventions. I believe there were two big reasons why he did this: it was a distraction and he wanted to improve technology for less future problems. Inventing is a task that takes a lot of thinking and time, just what Oskar needed. Losing a parent unexpectedly is hard, and this was an easy way to keep the narrator's mind off of it. Also, he wanted to fix things that weren't perfect or that could help him cope with 9/11. Oskar mentions in the chapter how he wishes elevators wouldn't go up and down, that the floor level would come to you-that way you wouldn't be trapped in an elevator when a plane crashes in your building. (paraphrase). This idea from Oskar shows he still mourns for his dad's death and wants to fix things so people don't die. This reveals that the narrator is trying to solve problems that could occur with inventions in the future so nothing bad happens.
"Even though I'm not anymore, I used to be an atheist, which means I didn't believe in things that couldn't be observed. I believed that once you're dead, you're dead forever, and you don't feel anything, and you don't even dream. It's not that I believe in things that can't be observed now, because I don't. It's that I believe that things are extremely complicated." What does the narrator mean by this? What does this tell us about the narrator?
I believe Oskar didn't know anyone personally that died, so he was a true atheist, but, ever since his father died, he didn't want to believe that his dad didn't feel anything. This is a normal thing for a child to go through. No, not losing a parent in a terrorist attack; it is normal for a child to believe in one thing and have their opinion or view change once it affects themselves. Oskar is just maturing and thinking by himself.
As the book opens and we begin to learn about Oskar, we see how he is curious and how his thoughts, as well as emotions are often all over the place. We can see his creative and unique mind when he tells us of all the things he would like to invent. I believe he wants to make all these things and tells us so, simply because that is what he wants to do! Describing the inventions and ideas also helps the reader to get to know Oscar and how he thinks. We can also see how he is unique when he describes his "tambourining" as his last physical activity. Using the tambourines is not normally seen as a physical activity, but the fact that he classifies it as physical activity, and enjoys playing them as much as he does helps the reader to again understand Oskar's unique character.
This Chapter establishes Oskar as a curious, impulsive, and eccentric character. The chapter begins with Oskar going on about his ideas for inventions, later on in the book this activity is normal and what we expect from the character, but in the very beginning of the book we don't know Oskar and are left confused. The author does this purposefully to show the reader what kind of character Oskar is. Oskar doesn't care about social rules, and about explaining himself to others, he prefers to just act how he sees fit and not worry about what others may think of him. What interests me about his character is how he grieves in a very conventional way, most people would be a wreck on the ride to their father's funeral, while Oskar acts like he usually does, it's only by reading through the book he learn of the deep pain Oskar feels from his father's death.
Why does the narrator want to create/invent all of the things he speak of at the beginning of the chapter? What does that reveal about him?
I see the narrator as the type of person that needs to occupy their mind, and his is by inventing (things). I think he just wants to make the world different and his inventions are what he believes will do just that.
Why does the narrator think his mom would rather have the narrator be dead than his father? How do you think this affects their relationship?
The narrator thinks that his mom would rather have him dead because they do not have the same relationship that he had with his father. Or that the narrator wishes that he was dead instead of his dad because life isn't the same without him and thinks that his mother feels the same way. I think they already had a strained relationship but they lost the one person that could have brought them together.
When the narrator uses the phrase "made my boots lighter" I believe it means that it relives some of the internal pressure that Oskar has. If only for a brief moment, it lightens the load he bears. The phrase reveals that these metaphorical boots are the emotions that he has about his father's death. I don't think he will ever be able to take the boots off, they will always be with him.
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