Odyssey to Find Closure

 

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer
 


In the book Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer, the protagonist Oskar Schell finds all his answers in his dad. He thought that his dad was the best person in the world. He was smart, logic, and creative. Yes, everyone thinks this about his or her dad for the most part. But for Oskar, he is lost in a sea of questions without him. After losing his dad to the 9/11 terrorist attack, Oskar fights confusion and anger in determination to find closure.
 
I think that Oskar wants to find closure in completing a game that he and his dad had started before 9/11, and left unfinished. In this game his dad, Thomas, would give Oskar clues and he would have to bring objects to his dad that fit the description. His dad told him when he won. But this game had been going on especially long. Oskar searched day after day. Any questions he had for his dad, Thomas answered with questions. But Oskar never came close. Now, after his dad died, Oskar finds a key that he thinks may be the winner to the game. First though, he must find what the key is for, and who it belongs to.
 
Oskar travels to boroughs in search of anyone who might have been in acquaintance to his father. Yet, he is met with disappointment. Without his dad there to tell him yes or no, leaves Oskar completely lost and frustrated. He constantly reminds himself when someone doesn't supply him with a satisfactory answer, dad would've known. Oskar loves challenges and thought provoking tasks, but internally he is angry that he was left to figure this out alone. His dad was all Oskar ever wanted to be- but now he is gone. I think that Oskar wants to finish this game as a last sense of connection to his father. To prove himself worthy of one last approval.

I love my dad. He is not a professor, yet I feel like he knows all the answers that would be important to me. I can't imagine losing him, or his dad-jokes, or how he calls my classmates "kitty cats" on school trips. But it's not just him. I couldn't imagine losing anyone dearly close to me. But I feel that if I had, I would want to find a way to make it up to them. I would have to take some path to find closure. Oskar's, unfortunately, happens to be a long difficult odyssey of which he has to conquer on his own.