I didn’t understand why I needed help, because it seemed to me that you should wear heavy boots when your dad dies, and if you aren’t wearing heavy boots, then you need help.
(Foer 200, emphasis original)
On an early Tuesday morning in September 2001 two as human bombs converted airplanes hit the World Trade Center, killed about 2870 people and left nearly 10.000 children with only one or even no parent at all (Anzieu-Premmereur 281). This drastic disaster ended America as it was known before 9/11 and overwhelmed its inhabitants with tragedy, terror and fear, leaving behind an overpowering numbness that will express itself through flags flying at half-mast, millions of shattered individuals, repetitive pictures of horror in the media and attempts to handle the unbearable through literature.
In Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (for shortening reasons from now on referred to as EL&IC) the nine-year-old protagonist Oskar Schell suffers from the loss of his dear father Thomas Schell Jr. who died on 11 September in the restaurant Windows of the World located in the north tower of the World Trade Center.
This paper will show how Foer’s three main characters in EL&IC are portrayed as survivors of trauma, what experiences and guilt they suffer from and how they deal with these on the level of language, action and image. Referring to trauma theory this text will prove that each of the three characters has a different way of coping with the traumatic experiences they faced (in the case of the grandparents even two experiences are taken into consideration) and to what extend a resolution of trauma is achieved by them. The unconventional style of narration and design of EL&IC, its inclusion of blankness and blackness and its constant use of pictures through Thomas Sr.’s daybooks as well as Oskar’s Stuff that Happened to Me, create a collage-like character of the novel that resembles the structure of trauma which will also be discussed in this paper.
Table of Contents
I. Wearing Heavy Boots – Trauma in Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines how the three main characters in Jonathan Safran Foer's novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close are portrayed as survivors of trauma, focusing on their individual experiences of loss, guilt, and their distinct methods of coping through language, action, and imagery.
- Analysis of trauma theory applied to the characters of Oskar Schell, his father, and his grandparents.
- Investigation of the concepts of "loss," "lack," and "absence" within the context of 9/11 and the Dresden bombing.
- Examination of the distinction between "melancholy" (acting out) and "mourning" (working through) trauma.
- Exploration of how the novel's unconventional design—including visual elements, blankness, and blackness—mirrors the structure of traumatic experience.
- Assessment of the characters' attempts to resolve their trauma and the significance of the "listener" in the recovery process.
Excerpt from the Book
Wearing Heavy Boots – Trauma in Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
I didn’t understand why I needed help, because it seemed to me that you should wear heavy boots when your dad dies, and if you aren’t wearing heavy boots, then you need help. (Foer 200, emphasis original)
On an early Tuesday morning in September 2001 two as human bombs converted airplanes hit the World Trade Center, killed about 2870 people and left nearly 10.000 children with only one or even no parent at all (Anzieu-Premmereur 281). This drastic disaster ended America as it was known before 9/11 and overwhelmed its inhabitants with tragedy, terror and fear, leaving behind an overpowering numbness that will express itself through flags flying at half-mast, millions of shattered individuals, repetitive pictures of horror in the media and attempts to handle the unbearable through literature.
In Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (for shortening reasons from now on referred to as EL&IC) the nine-year-old protagonist Oskar Schell suffers from the loss of his dear father Thomas Schell Jr. who died on 11 September in the restaurant Windows of the World located in the north tower of the World Trade Center. About one year after the attacks he discovers an envelope labeled “Black” containing a mysterious key in his father’s closet. Believing this key to be part of a “Reconnaissance Expedition” (Foer 8) his dad used to arrange for him, Oskar decides “that finding the lock [is his] ultimate raison d’être” (69, emphasis original) which would consequently get him “closer to Dad” (52). In order to find the matching lock to his key Oskar starts on a quest through the five boroughs of New York City planning to meet every person named Black. Besides Oskar’s story the novel consists of two additional narrators: Oskar’s paternal grandparents. Both of them being of German origin had lived through the Dresden bombing in 1945 and were the only survivors of their families.
Summary of Chapters
I. Wearing Heavy Boots – Trauma in Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: This section provides an in-depth analysis of the three primary characters, exploring their psychological responses to 9/11 and the Dresden bombings while evaluating their use of symbolic objects and unconventional narratives to process trauma.
Keywords
Trauma, Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, 9/11, Dresden bombing, Melancholy, Mourning, Aphasia, Absence, Loss, Oskar Schell, Thomas Sr., Coping, Narrative, Symbolism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the representation of trauma in Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, specifically analyzing how the characters Oskar Schell and his grandparents cope with the traumatic events of 9/11 and the 1945 Dresden bombing.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed?
The thematic fields include trauma theory, the psychological impact of loss and absence, the distinction between melancholy and mourning, and the role of unconventional communication in processing extreme grief.
What is the core research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate how the three main characters function as trauma survivors and to what extent they achieve a resolution or integration of their traumatic experiences within the narrative structure.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper utilizes literary analysis grounded in trauma theory, specifically drawing upon concepts by LaCapra, van der Kolk, and Versluys to interpret the novel's text and visual design.
What does the main body cover?
The main body examines the individual struggles of the characters, comparing Oskar’s quest for his father’s lock with his grandparents' isolation and failure to articulate their history, while analyzing the novel's collage-like structure.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include trauma, melancholy, mourning, 9/11, Dresden, aphasia, absence, loss, and narrative resolution.
How does the novel represent the inexpressibility of trauma?
The novel uses visual metaphors, such as the "blankness" in the grandmother's narrative and the "blackness" in the grandfather's writing, to signify the breakdown of linguistic capacity when facing overwhelming horror.
What role do the physical "inventions" play in Oskar’s recovery?
Oskar's inventions serve as both a symptom of his hypervigilance and a failed attempt to control his environment, ultimately hindering his ability to live in the present until he transitions from "acting out" to "working through" his grief.
- Quote paper
- Nathalie Gerlach (Author), 2011, Wearing Heavy Boots –Trauma in Jonathan Safran Foer’s "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/176877
