Isolation is a human condition that exists worldwide. People have the power to distance themselves or be distanced by others. Some of symptoms found in people that have isolation include “living alone, having a small social network, infrequent participation in social activities, and feelings of loneliness” which some of the characters have . It is difficult, much like the protagonists in Heart of Darkness and Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud, to overcome isolation caused by oneself as it may be an unconscious action. Without realizing, the protagonists of these novels develop techniques to aid them in defeat solidarity. These characters find comfort in turning to familiar surroundings, searching for human contact, and finally, focusing
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As Oskar traveled around New York in search for the lock, he “shook his tambourine the whole time,” because it helped him “remember that even though I was going through different neighbourhoods, I was still me” (Foer 88). Oskar, when distant from his familiar surroundings, feels scared and alone. To help him feel comfortable, he plays his tambourine as the sound of the tambourine calms him down while reminding him of home. After the death of his father, he goes to his father’s closet because “even though Dad’s coffin’s was empty, his closet was full” (36). Oskar uses the familiarity of his father’s closet, the smell of his “shaving” and the smoothness of “his white T-shirts,” to connect with his father again (36). Mr. Black, Oskars’ older friend, has his hearing aid off for a “long, long time” and this leads him to a lonely life (165). Once Oskar turns on Mr. Blacks’ hearing aid, all the sounds made Mr. Black cry “not out of happiness … but not out of sadness either” (168). Mr. Black turned off his hearing aid when his wife died, and so when Oskar turned it on, the sadness of his wife’s death returned but also, the happiness of his wife’s life. Familiarity is used in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close to help cope with …show more content…
Oskar, at the end of the book, looks through his book and finds the pictures of a person falling out of a building. He then imagines it’s his father and “reversed the order,” which now looked like the man is going back into the building (325). Oskar imagines that the man, his father, goes backwards until he reaches his house, “he would walk backward to my room … We would have been safe.” (326) Oskar uses this analogy to cope with his father’s death and make him feel as if his father was still with him. Oskar also uses his inventions as a coping technique to help with fathers’ death. Many of his inventions are about safety including “a skyscraper that moved up and down while the its elevator stayed in place” so that if “a plane hits you below, the building could take you to the ground, and everyone would be safe” (3). Oskar believes that if his father had this invention, he would be alive today. Oskar uses positive thoughts to help him cope with his
As Oskar traveled around New York in search for the lock, he “shook his tambourine the whole time,” because it helped him “remember that even though I was going through different neighbourhoods, I was still me” (Foer 88). Oskar, when distant from his familiar surroundings, feels scared and alone. To help him feel comfortable, he plays his tambourine as the sound of the tambourine calms him down while reminding him of home. After the death of his father, he goes to his father’s closet because “even though Dad’s coffin’s was empty, his closet was full” (36). Oskar uses the familiarity of his father’s closet, the smell of his “shaving” and the smoothness of “his white T-shirts,” to connect with his father again (36). Mr. Black, Oskars’ older friend, has his hearing aid off for a “long, long time” and this leads him to a lonely life (165). Once Oskar turns on Mr. Blacks’ hearing aid, all the sounds made Mr. Black cry “not out of happiness … but not out of sadness either” (168). Mr. Black turned off his hearing aid when his wife died, and so when Oskar turned it on, the sadness of his wife’s death returned but also, the happiness of his wife’s life. Familiarity is used in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close to help cope with …show more content…
Oskar, at the end of the book, looks through his book and finds the pictures of a person falling out of a building. He then imagines it’s his father and “reversed the order,” which now looked like the man is going back into the building (325). Oskar imagines that the man, his father, goes backwards until he reaches his house, “he would walk backward to my room … We would have been safe.” (326) Oskar uses this analogy to cope with his father’s death and make him feel as if his father was still with him. Oskar also uses his inventions as a coping technique to help with fathers’ death. Many of his inventions are about safety including “a skyscraper that moved up and down while the its elevator stayed in place” so that if “a plane hits you below, the building could take you to the ground, and everyone would be safe” (3). Oskar believes that if his father had this invention, he would be alive today. Oskar uses positive thoughts to help him cope with his