So Oskar's grandfather had gotten Anna pregnant before the bombing of Dresden. How does this change your view of him and his behavior when he gets the news that Oskar's grandmother was going to have his baby?
While he's in the hospital after the bombing of Dresden, Oskar's grandfather says he was operated on, but it was the nurse's touch that saved his life. Why do you think he says this?
He says that "thousands of people were left to suffer hope." What does he mean by this?
How does this letter to Oskar's father change your view of his grandfather, if at all?
Simon Goldberg writes his grandfather a brief letter. Goldberg is an actual figure in history...you may want to find out a little about him...and think about how this letter may have affected Oskar's penchant for writing letters to famous people.
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This chapter is marked up in red because Oskar's father had marked up the letter his father had sent to him. This shows that Oskar's grandfather did indeed give this letter to his son, who then marked up all the mistakes he had found within it. His son then went looking for him, but when he found him he then introduced himself as a journalist so his father wouldn't find out that it was him. Although, Oskar's grandfather did know it was his son, but never decided to tell him that he knew. He didn't want to let his son know that he knew who he was all this time. This made me sad, because he then later died and he never got to truly know his father. Also, because his father knew who he was and never said anything. Oskar's father could have had a chance to know his father, but his father was too much of a coward to give him the opportunity. I'm glad now that he is getting to know Oskar after everything that took place. Not only does Oskar deserve it, but Oskar's father as well.
Definitely one of the most impactful quotes of the novel, "thousands of people were left to suffer hope" is a very pained statement. Hope itself has a connotation of optimism and goodwill, but here hope is like a sentence. After 9/11, when many were unsure if their loved ones had survived or perished, many still clung to the hope that their loved one was one of the lucky group to survive. After a while, this hope becomes worn out. Even after the likelihood of finding someone is too small to be considered a chance, people will always hold onto that "but maybe someday..." mentality. In this way, hope can cause the worst of suffering. With loss, there's the certainty that the lost loved one is gone forever and you can move on. However, never knowing how, where, or what one's death was creates that uncertainty many people often fill with a hope that is fruitless at best and haunting at worst.
Learning that Anna was preganant with Oskar's grandfathher's child made me understand him so much more. He lost not only Anna but his unborn child in Dresden so when he found out that Oskar's grandmother was pregnant, it became more clear why he was so scared and angry that she broke that rule. Maybe he didn't want to be a father to that child because he wasn't given the chance to be a father to the child he wanted. It was a selfish decision. He never really thought about his wife, he tried to but there were so many excuses he had to leave her. To him, she was "everyone", but Anna especially. Oskar's grandma lost everything too but she still opened her heart to Thomas (Sr). It was understandable that she was angry at him for coming back. Her son had just died and now he decides to come back, I would be angry too.
"Thousands of people were left to suffer hope." Hope can keep you alive or kill you. After the bombing so many people lost loved ones and with so much rubble, there were bodies unidentified or not found at all which left people hoping that the bodies weren't of the people they loved or knew. Oskar's grandmother suffered hope. When his grandfather left, she waited and waited hoping he'd come back, that for some reason he wasn't able to get home from the airport earlier. Oskar suffered hope. He hoped that he would find what the key was to and that it was from his dad, something he had left for him.
The very first thing I noticed was the fact that it was marked in red. I immediately thought of Oskar's father marking up his news paper earlier in the book. Oskar did describe how he would mark up almost everything he could as well as how intelligent he was. It tells that Oskar's grandfather really did give this letter to his son. I'm sure that reading this really impacted him in a way that even he probably couldn't describe. Another thing I noticed through all the red marks was how many of them there were. I thought that maybe it was because he was writing on a typewriter. Once you make a mistake on those you can't go back. But another reason for the rushed letter I thought was because of how excited he could have been. Im sure talking about his experience was not easy, so typing fast and or as much as he could think of in that period of time may have been the cause of all the mistakes. There was a lot of run on sentences that I figured were because of how upset he was. So much had happened all at once that there was no time for him to separate them into sentences.
Reading this novel in an electric format, I initially thought something was wrong with my copy when I saw all the red markings. At this point in the novel I didn't think that Oskar's father had read any of the letters. However, later on when Oskar's grandmother mentions that one of the envelopes had a letter that helped in his search for his father. The red markings from earlier in the novel were mistakes in the newspaper articles, are the markings on the letter really just grammatical mistakes? I guess if I had one letter from my father I would not be worried about the grammatical mistakes as much as the mistakes of the past. What does this say about Oskar's father and his search for his own father? In the letter, the quote "thousands of people were left to suffer hope" is impactful and key to the themes of the novel. It shows that grieving cannot end if there are still questions left of the circumstances surrounding a loved one's death. This also made me think of Oskar's mother hanging up signs of Oskar's father. She knew that he was gone, but was cursed by the hope. It is interesting how the author connected two tragedies in history. I would not have seen obvious similarities between 911 and Dresden, but the similarities are in human nature.
I definitely have a better understanding of Oskar’s grandfather because of this chapter. After revealing Anna was pregnant with his child, it makes much more sense why Oskar’s grandfather decided to make the “no children” rule with Oskar’s grandmother. He was going to have a child with the woman he loved until it all ended from a bombing. It is obvious Oskar’s grandfather cannot move on from Anna, and it is completely understandable. Even though I still feel bad for Oskar’s grandmother in this whole ordeal, I can see why their relationship is not built on love.
I also find it interesting how this chapter gives an explanation as to why Oskar’s grandfather never speaks anymore. The audience has known from the beginning when we were first introduced to the grandfather’s muteness that something happened between him and someone named Anna. Then, we found out Anna was someone he was involved with romantically. From there, one could guess Anna had died or left him emotionally hurt. Now, this chapter has showed everything that has happened. This chapter gives insight into the workings of Oskar’s grandfather, and I am more sympathetic for him because of it.
Right after receiving the good news of Anna’s pregnancy, Oskar’s grandfather lost both the love of his life and his unborn child in the bombing of Dresden. So for him to hear that his wife, Oskar’s grandmother, was pregnant, it probably reminded him of the terrible event that occurred with Anna. He could of also thought that something awful would befall his wife this time too. With this phrase, "thousands of people were left to suffer hope," Oskar’s grandfather meant that the thousands of friends and family of the dead are left to wonder if the person they are looking for is alive. Since there is no list confirming their death, the friends and family are left with hope that said person is still alive somewhere.
Before reading this letter, I thought that Oskar’s grandfather was selfish for leaving Grandma to raise their son alone. I thought that Thomas Sr. was just using his wife to replace the void left by Anna. After reading this letter directed to Oskar’s father, I realize that Thomas Sr. left because he was afraid that he would lose another person that he loved. “I’m so afraid of losing something I love that I refused to love anything.”
I feel a lot of closure in understanding how and why Oskar's grandfather got the way he is now. Though I rather saw an event like this taking place coming beforehand, I nonetheless was truly horrified and impressed by the imagery throughout the chapter, and the kind of intense trauma something like this puts on a person. I still felt like parts of it were kinda unrealistic though, like the when he describes how all the animals ran loose throughout the town. I just felt like everything besides that felt so real and to have something like that be a part of the story made it feel less genuine and raw. I like to speculate what the reasoning, if there was any, for why Oskar's dad circled the words and letters he did. I also like the idea that Anna was pregnant before she was killed in the bombing, just to add that last nail in the coffin.
“Thousands of people left to suffer hope,” was the most impactful statement in this chapter for me. When someone dies and you’re able to see them dead, it’s sad. However, you can process that they’re gone, they’re right in front of you. It provides a sense of closure. Thomas says so many bodies were destroyed from the bombing that thousands of people were left to suffer hope. The hope is that their loved ones might still be alive somewhere, just lost. These thousands of people weren’t able to receive the closure they deserved. This is similar to Oskar’s situation in the present. Thousands of people during the 9/11 attacks, Oskar included, were hoping that their loved ones were okay. Bodies never recovered leave a feeling of hope, as if they could still be out there. In fact, Oskar mentions a couple of times that his father’s coffin is empty. He is not able to find the closure he deserves.
This chapter explains a lot about Oskar's grandfather's life. I believe that Oskar's grandfather was deeply scarred from the death of Anna and his first child. When Oskar's grandmother got pregnant, he couldn't handle the painful memories coming back again. He couldn't stand it if anything else traumatic were to happen with this second child, so he left to protect himself. This chapter also explains so much behind his lost voice. Readers already knew that something had happened with Anna, but after the level of trauma he suffered was explained, it makes sense that he would lose his speech.
I really loved the quote "thousands of people were left to suffer hope." To me, this quote is really honest and heartbreaking. After the bombings in Dresden, many people were left to wonder whether their loved ones were still alive. First, people were hopeful, but after so long the hope just couldn't last. To me, "suffer hope" means that it would be easier to know if your loved ones are dead or alive, instead of being stuck hoping.
This chapter helped me understand why Oskar's grandfather is the way he is so much more! First, I was able to realize why he thought it was okay to leave his family (even though I don't necessarily agree with it). He went through such a traumatic event. One that seemed as if the world was ending. One that ended his world. He found out the love of is life was pregnant, kissed her and felt over joyed, and never saw her again. The love he had for this unborn child and girlfriend was unexplainable. After losing two of the most important people of his life, we understand why he was the way he was with Oskar's grandmother with the quote, "I'm so afraid of losing something I love that I refuse to love anything". That quote alone shows how he completely changed after going through this. He no longer felt in control of his life. One of the saddest thing that he pointed out in that letter about that day (in my opinion) was all of the dying people who were calling out for help. He said they were "screaming out for help that was impossible to give". Imagine living through something like that, and not being a completely different person! These letters to his son are also important because it shows how he wasn't necessarily happy about leaving his family, he is constantly thinking about them!
Sidenote: I was completely amazed by how the author was able to make me fee as tough I was there, walking in and out of the cellars, searching along with him!
Oskar's grandfather is really revealed during this chapter in how he reacts to knowing that Oskar's grandmother is pregnant. Since he had went through it before and he ended up losing both Anna and his unborn child, he reacted in a bad way knowing it was happening again. Maybe he was scared that he was going to lose them again. Maybe it just reminded him of the trauma that he went through back in Dresden.
The quote "thousands of people left to suffer hope" refers to how much greater the pain of wondering is than the pain of knowing. People would rather be sure that their loved ones are gone than be wondering if they're still alive or not for the rest of their life.
When Oskar's grandfather says "thousands of people were left to suffer hope," it reflects on the condition of his spirit and how, for him, one of the worst things he could have experienced was hope. It really is sad to me how he views hope as something to suffer from, because in a lot of cases hope is the only reason why they choose to keep fighting. They choose to hope that the sadness will end, or that they'll be cured, and so on and so forth. For Oskar's grandfather to label hope as something to suffer FROM, well... It made me sympathize with him even more. For most, hope is a good thing- it keeps them going. But for Oskar's grandfather, it seems, he didn't want to keep going. He didn't want to keep hoping, he just wanted the uncertainty to be over and the pain to end. Although I am not overly-fond of Oskar's grandfather, and the relationship he shares with Oskar's grandmother, it did bring a lot of pain to my heart to read the story of Dresden, and how he not only lost his family, but the love of his life as well- and their unborn child. It's an extremely tragic situation that clearly broke him, and that brokenness made him not only lose hope, but made him view hope as something to suffer from. (I mean, maybe he doesn't mean it in a bad way, maybe he is saying hope is a condition of the heart or something like that, but when is the word "suffer" ever used with a positive connotation?) Nevertheless, it was extremely sad to read this chapter and it hurt me to see his past unfold.
I was a bit overjoyed when I saw the red ink, because that means that Oskar's grandfather really did give it to Thomas! I like and trust him more now. I also read a different side of him, seeing his background and past experiences that shape his world view now. He wishes he had almost never been given hope, it was bittersweet because all it did was raise his expectations and cause them to crash down further.
After reading that Oskar's grandfather had gotten Anna pregnant, his reaction to getting Oskar's grandmother pregnant made a lot more sense. It's clear that Thomas loved Anna very much and was excited to be having a baby with her, but after the bombing, everything was taken from him. After losing the love of his life and his unborn child, he falls apart inside and his whole outlook on life is drastically altered. When Oskar's grandmother tells Thomas that she is pregnant, he becomes terrified of the idea that something else could be taken from him and leaves. I think he regrets never taking the time to be his child's father once he finds out that his son, Oskar's father, was killed in the 9/11 attack.
When Oskar's grandfather learned about the pregnancy of Anna, and he was going to have a daughter, he became ecstatic. Once he learned about the bombing of Dresden, all of his washed away, and he lost everything he hoped to love. Reading this letter now makes me understand how he lost his words a little bit better. All of the trauma and heartache that a person goes through makes them just want to be emotionally dead. The loss of his words and his daughter have something in common, when someone has something precious taken away from them, the body will react in an unknown way.
The chapter is marked up in red due to the letter Oskar's grandfather wrote to his dad. It shows Oskar's father read it, and used the red marker to show mistakes that were made. It also tells us that Oskar's grandfather was true to his word to have it sent to his unborn son. I believe Oskar's grandfather was frightened when Oskar's grandmother tells him that she is pregnant. But he shows terror due to his true love Anna being pregnant and dying with her unborn child during the bombing. He was so traumatized that he slowly began to lose words to speak then one day couldn't speak at all. He lost his true love and his unborn child in the most traumatizing way, and he would never want to relive that heartbreaking day. So he left Oksar's grandmother due to him being scared that something like that would happen again.
The thing that stood out to me the most in this chapter was the fact that it was marked up in red. This showed that Oskar's father read the letter that his father had wrote to him because in a previous chapter, he had marked up another document in red pen as well. He says in his letter that "thousands of people were left to suffer hope." What he means by this is in a certain time hope is considered suffering. In this case, when you are hoping for one of your loved ones to be okay, you are most likely suffering as well. The pain of not knowing will quickly overtake the feeling of hope. It is very sad to think that of all the families going though the pain of suffering and their hope being overtaken.
When I found out that Anna got pregnant, it confused me. I wondered where she was, did he leave that child too, where was the baby?? I had so many questions. Then when he started talking about the bombing, it finally clicked. He lost the love of his life, and his child. Right then I gained a lot more respect for Oskars grandfather. All of the feelings I felt for the grandmother and why he was so disconnected made sense. Everything he had ever loved died. He was afraid to get attached to someone or love someone so much again to just have them die. It made so much sense. When I herd the news that Oskars grandma was pregnant and how he reacted, it made me mad. He ran away because of a child. But then, I understood why he did (which is what I mentioned earlier). I can't even imagine loosing the love of my life and my child, so it makes sense why Oskars father did what he did.
Suffering in hope is a very emotional idea for people. When the families of the victims in 9/11 heard the news about what happened, they were left with the thought of the chance that their loved one could still be alive. As humans, we dwell in our thoughts, especially the good ones. For hours people dwelled in the thoughts of seeing someone come home perfectly fine. They live in their hopes and dreams. The constant idea that it will all work out in the end. Sometimes hope hurts more than just knowing.
The red markings on this chapter showed that it was something Oskar’s father had read and also proves that Oskar’s grandfather did indeed give the letter to his son. After learning that Anna was pregnant, Thomas was as happy as ever. He finally had the wife of his dreams and a new child coming on the way, however this was shortly ruined. After the bombing everything fell out of Thomas's control. His wife and his unborn child were no longer there to live with him causing his life to turn upside down. When Oskar’s grandma became pregnant I then understood why Thomas reacted the way that he did. Thomas was scared that he would lose his child again and he couldn’t go through the pain of losing his wife or his child again.
I agree with Morgan with the fact that Oskar's father did reciveve the letter that Oskar's grandpa wrote to his son. In this chapter, with red ink marking up the pages I think Oskar's father was just correcting any spelling or grammar mistakes, and circling the meaningful words in the letter. Also, the quote "thousands of people were left to suffer hope" is very powerful and has lots of meaning. After the 9/11 attack, people were suffering to at least have a little hope left that their family member was a lucky one to be able to survive the horrible attack. But hope can last only so long until they realize the ope is lost, and they would forever have to suffer with the loss in their family.
The chapter being marked up in red instantly made me think of earlier on in the novel where Oskar’s father had marked up the newspaper. This significance of it being marked up is to show that Oskar’s father had actually received the letter. When I read about Oskar’s grandfather loss with Anna and his unborn child, I think I finally had the chance to understand where he was coming from. I am able to get a deeper understanding of why he left. He had already dealt with such a heartbreaking loss with Anna, and he either didn’t want to deal with the chance of that happening again, or it just brought up too many painful memories. Of the entire letter, “thousands of people were left to suffer hope” was one of the most impactful statements. Having a loved one pass away is sad enough, but not being able to know for sure and have a sense of closure is much worse. Having hope doesn’t allow for people to truly deal with the grief they may feel, simply because they’ll always have that one sliver of hope that their loved ones are still alive.
When I first started reading this chapter I became very confused on why there were red markings all over this chapter. Later on while reading it, I remembered that Oskar's father would mark up the newspaper in red pen. I began to look for grammar or spelling mistakes that were marked red. I could find a few but then realized that some are marked to show the importance in the words. I like how the red markings show that Oskar's grandfather really did give the letters to Oskar's Dad. It made me think that the grandfather isn't as bad as I saw him before. He left his child and wife but seems to have cared for them even when they were apart.
I didn't initially put two and two together, but it's because this is the only of his grandfather's letters that his father actually received, as seen by the red markings all over the letter. It definitely allows me to feel a lot more sympathetic for Oskar's grandfather when I learned about Anna and the baby that he lost. To have gained everything and then have it so violently taken away is a terrible, terrible thing to go through and of course it would affect all future relationships. I still think that he was stupid to have left his pregnant wife and to have missed his son's entire life, but understanding what has brought him to this point has certainly made him seem like less of a jerk and more...pitiful. When he says thousands were left to suffer hope, he's talking about the fact that those without concrete evidence of their loved one's deaths would never be able to find closure- there would always be the hope that one day their loved one might return, or that if they looked hard enough they could find them.
Oskar’s grandma and grandpa collected animals because his grandpa probably felt remorse for all the ones he killed in Dresden after the bombing. I like some specific quotes from this chapter: “Anna’s father, your grandfather, was sitting in his chair with his face in his hands, he was my hero.” “It was the first time he had ever struck me, that was the last time I saw my parents.” “My lungs were trying to pull the room in through my mouth.” “Everyone was losing everyone.” “In its eyes I was sure I saw some form of understanding, but I didn’t see forgiveness.” “I took the future from my pocket and gave it to her.” “I heard the roar of that baby’s silence.” Also, he uses almost every color to describe the bombing scene; orange, blue, violet, white, yellow-gray, just yellow, red, pink, gold, brown, purple, green, and black. I feel angry after reading this chapter. Thomas’s hands are rough because his skin got removed from a hot door handle. He used both hands. I find it interesting how both Oskar’s dad and grandpa went through similar situations.
This chapter completely changes my view on the way Oskar's grandfather behaved when he found out that Oskar's grandmother is pregnant. At first, I thought it was very disrespectful to just leave a woman to take care of another life on her own. I couldn't understand why he would leave during a time most people would be celebrating. Once I read that Anna was pregnant with his child, and he had lost them both, is when I began to understand. Loss is the only thing Oskar's grandfather knows. He had lost everything in his life after the bombing. Once he found out he could have a second chance at raising a child, he became afraid. He was afraid he would relive the past because hurt and loss are the only feelings he is familiar with. I believe that he leaves to protect his wife and future child because he thinks his presence will just bring more pain to the people around him.
I think that the fact that he was expecting to be a father before the bombing really helped me to see where he was coming from. I couldn't imagine how hard it would be to be put back into the situation of having a child after what had happened to Anna and their future together. I think that he felt like it would eat away at him every day knowing that the mother of his child is not who he really wanted it to be. Although I think it is really sad that he abandoned his wife and child, I don't think that it makes him a bad person after knowing what he had felt and had been through. It just really makes me wonder what things would have been like had he stayed and helped raise his son. I doubt that he ever would have made peace with himself, but maybe he would have been able to find a little bit of happiness in his life.
Oskar's grandfather had gotten Anna pregnant before the Dresden. How does this change your view of him and his behavior when he gets the news that Oskar's grandmother was going to have his baby?
I believe that when Oskar's grandfather was told that his wife was pregnant he had flashbacks to everything that went on when Anna was pregnant and freaked out. He was probably upset because that was the one rule he made and it was broken. He created it because the last time he was going to have a child he was in love and wanted it, but now he didn't want it if it wasn't with his one true love, Anna.
When Oskar get Anna pregnant it made so much more sense why he made a "No Children" rule. After the bombing it made everything come together. I just assumed she died or just left him. Now it made sense he could never let go of her or even the thought of her, which is why Oskar's Grandmother and him never really had a relationship based off of love. He was still in love with Anna and had no room to share it with his wife. It made me feel bad for the Grandmother, she never go to be loved by him he was always thinking of Anna.
Oskar's grandfather became bipolar in this chapter. First, being excited that he was going to be a father. Then, the bombing. This chapter clears up on what Oskar's grandfather was thinking. The markings throughout the letter tell me Oskar's father had read it more than once, because he most likely read it first for understanding, then to correct him. The markings point out the mistakes (mostly run-ons) and other interesting phrases. The photo in this chapter is very intriguing - a door knob with no lock. Does that mean Oskar's grandfather has no other way of going through life? Everything he loved is gone - he has no choice of unlocking the door or keeping it locked. He only has one way out.
The fact that this chapter is marked up in red indicates that Oskar's father has read the letter intended for him. He has circled all of the mistakes in the letter, as he used to do to the New York Times.
The fact that Oskar's grandfather had lost a child explains his detachment to Oskar's grandmother. He had learned to distance himself from any kind of love. At the end of the chapter, he even expresses regret for not telling her: "Maybe if I had said... 'I'm so afraid of losing something I love that I refuse to love anything,' maybe that would have made the impossible possible." Maybe if he had been open with her, it would have made loving her (the impossible) possible.
In response to what I'm seeing from practically everybody's post; hey, that explains a lot, actually. I was way to focused on the whole "wow I've now got to go shoot a bunch of loose zoo animals" in this chapter, cause I was watching this dude talk about how he used to work in a construction job. He was going on about how one day, while working at a zoo, he was backing up a truck and he hit this dormant telephone pole, where upon it crashed into the Lemurs electric cage, and all the lemurs climbed through the pole and escaped. It must've been like a really weird Pokémon type of experience with the lemurs. A little off topic, I know, but I really enjoy lemur stories and analogies, primarily because of how fun it is to say leeeeeeeeemuuuuurrrrrrr.
The letter being marked up shows us that at some point, Oskar's father received the letter and marked it up. Knowing that Anna was pregnant before the bombing helps me to understand why Thomas was more inclined to leave. The child he loved with the girl he loved was taken from him. He didn't really want to have children with Oskar's grandmother and she broke that rule. Hope is very powerful. Hope is awful because it will leave you thinking constantly of what might be. It will drive you to craziness.
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