However, later in the novel when Oskar visits the Empire State Building he imagines how a terrorist would fly a plane into the building and how he would be able to see the pilot’s face, “who would be a terrorist” (244). There is no further description of the pilot, other than that he is a terrorist and that his eyes would tell Oskar that he hates him (244). Out of context, the terrorist could be of any descent because of the lack of description. In context with the aforementioned anxieties, however, it is safe for the reader to assume that by terrorist, Oskar means an Arabic terrorist and thus becomes another depiction of the “us versus them” mentality.
Furthermore, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’s cast of characters is predominately white. Those that are non-white are mainly minor characters, such as Feliz and Gail. Feliz is either a Mexican or Brazillian woman, Oskar is unsure of her descent (Foer 194), which he meets during his journey to find the lock for his father’s key. Gail is the maid of Ada Black, which he also meets during his journey, and is described as African-American (150). Both of these characters do not contribute much to the overall narrative of the novel, as their interactions are only meaningful for the moment that Oskar meets them. Thus, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close lacks a non-white narrative in regards to 9/11 as a whole. By excluding a narrative from the point of view of a character of colour, Foer limits the novel’s portrayal of 9/11 even more as it already lacks nuance due to the fact that it does not relative to the wider geo-political context of 9/11. Therefore, there is no sense of the multiculturalism that Gray desires. Finally, the novel is mostly set in New York. Oskar’s narrative never leaves the city all throughout his journey, unless you count his school project on Hiroshima. As for the narratives of the grandparents, they do leave New York, namely to Dresden as that is where their traumata lies. Despite the fact that in these two instances the novel does leave the homeland that is the United States and that the US played a part in these two bombings, there is no link between these two historical events and 9/11 due to the aforementioned apolitical nature of their portrayal. Thus the novel does not properly explore “international relations and extraterritorial citizenship” (Rothberg 153). Whereas Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close could be seen as having an innovative structure, even though it does not, The Submission standard and straightforward in its structure. It is consists of 26 untitled chapters and unlike Foer’s novel in which each chapter only has one focalised subject, Waldman’s novel features multiple shifts in focalisation in the duration of a chapter nor does her novel contain any disruptive imagery. While Waldman’s take on focalisation shift ensures the narrative integration that Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close lacks, The Submission’s overall structure does not give way to a departure from the well-established structure of novels prior to 9/11 to a newer, post-9/11 …show more content…
In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, trauma is deeply rooted into the domestic household. The narratives do not move beyond the personal struggles of the Schell family: Oskar and the loss of his father, and the grandparents and their difficulty to come to terms with what happened to them in Dresden. The novel is apolitical in its descriptions of historical events which, together with a lack of engagement in the trauma of others and a lack of narrative integration and counter-narratives, further encourage the domesticated approach to trauma. The Submission is able to move beyond domestication due to its subject matter, a design contest for the official 9/11 memorial which is won by a Muslim American, the counter-narrative provided by the characters of colour, and its direct approach to the political situation post-9/11 in regards to racial prejudice and general fear. Authors can still choose to omit the wider geo-political framework around 9/11, but by doing so they not only risk that domesticated or personal trauma as the master narrative of 9/11 becomes even more solidified, but also not telling the full story of 9/11 and its affects in all its nuances. Thus The Submission can be considered the type of novel that Gray and Rothberg desire in 9/11
Furthermore, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’s cast of characters is predominately white. Those that are non-white are mainly minor characters, such as Feliz and Gail. Feliz is either a Mexican or Brazillian woman, Oskar is unsure of her descent (Foer 194), which he meets during his journey to find the lock for his father’s key. Gail is the maid of Ada Black, which he also meets during his journey, and is described as African-American (150). Both of these characters do not contribute much to the overall narrative of the novel, as their interactions are only meaningful for the moment that Oskar meets them. Thus, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close lacks a non-white narrative in regards to 9/11 as a whole. By excluding a narrative from the point of view of a character of colour, Foer limits the novel’s portrayal of 9/11 even more as it already lacks nuance due to the fact that it does not relative to the wider geo-political context of 9/11. Therefore, there is no sense of the multiculturalism that Gray desires. Finally, the novel is mostly set in New York. Oskar’s narrative never leaves the city all throughout his journey, unless you count his school project on Hiroshima. As for the narratives of the grandparents, they do leave New York, namely to Dresden as that is where their traumata lies. Despite the fact that in these two instances the novel does leave the homeland that is the United States and that the US played a part in these two bombings, there is no link between these two historical events and 9/11 due to the aforementioned apolitical nature of their portrayal. Thus the novel does not properly explore “international relations and extraterritorial citizenship” (Rothberg 153). Whereas Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close could be seen as having an innovative structure, even though it does not, The Submission standard and straightforward in its structure. It is consists of 26 untitled chapters and unlike Foer’s novel in which each chapter only has one focalised subject, Waldman’s novel features multiple shifts in focalisation in the duration of a chapter nor does her novel contain any disruptive imagery. While Waldman’s take on focalisation shift ensures the narrative integration that Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close lacks, The Submission’s overall structure does not give way to a departure from the well-established structure of novels prior to 9/11 to a newer, post-9/11 …show more content…
In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, trauma is deeply rooted into the domestic household. The narratives do not move beyond the personal struggles of the Schell family: Oskar and the loss of his father, and the grandparents and their difficulty to come to terms with what happened to them in Dresden. The novel is apolitical in its descriptions of historical events which, together with a lack of engagement in the trauma of others and a lack of narrative integration and counter-narratives, further encourage the domesticated approach to trauma. The Submission is able to move beyond domestication due to its subject matter, a design contest for the official 9/11 memorial which is won by a Muslim American, the counter-narrative provided by the characters of colour, and its direct approach to the political situation post-9/11 in regards to racial prejudice and general fear. Authors can still choose to omit the wider geo-political framework around 9/11, but by doing so they not only risk that domesticated or personal trauma as the master narrative of 9/11 becomes even more solidified, but also not telling the full story of 9/11 and its affects in all its nuances. Thus The Submission can be considered the type of novel that Gray and Rothberg desire in 9/11