Oskar needed to stretch out those eight minutes. Although he knew his father had died, his father’s legacy was still providing all the light and vitality in his life. Going on adventures and exploring was one of the few things that made sense to Oskar, and furthermore, it was made him and his father so close. He felt that if he continued to explore and go on adventures, then his father and his spirit would stay alive in him.
Oskar says that if people tell him their stories, he’d feel better, but he doesn’t want to feel better, he just want the lock that fits the key. Why doesn’t he want to feel better? Oskar is afraid to feel better because, in order for him to recover, he has to accept that his father is dead. Oskar struggles with understanding why something like 9/11 would happen, as well as struggles to accept that his best friend, his dad, is gone. Additionally, the pain he holds is already overwhelming for him, so to accept his father’s death, would result in increased challenges and then eventually growth. Oskar does not want to take on the next step, which is acceptance. Acceptance is extraordinarily difficult, but only with acceptance is he able to recover and internalize the events that took place.
What are Oskar’s anxiety-related symptoms? How does …show more content…
He starts by riding the elevator when he has to for some reason. When he goes on his adventure with the renter, the renter is unable to walk for long distances, so Oskar compromises and takes the subway with him. The renter also assisted Oskar in facing his fear against bridges, by writing notes for Oskar to read on the bridge. As Oskar tackles more and more of his fears, he begins to realize how silly some his fears were. This gives him the strength to tackle his larger fears surrounding his father later in the film. Oskar faces his fears mostly as a means of continuing his exhibition to find the truth surrounding the key. If Oskar was unable to face his fears, then the journey would have most likely fallen short and Oskar would never have met the gentleman that the key belonged to.
Oskar said that the renter had “a hysterical disorder brought about by a singularly traumatic event.” What was the event? What were the symptoms? What would we call the disorder today? The renter was born in Germany and lived in Germany throughout World War II. During the war, his family was killed in the bombing of Dresden. This traumatic event induced selective mutism in the renter, causing him to no longer speak. The renter never spoke during the film, but instead only wrote down what needed to be said on a piece of paper. Furthermore, his hands were marked with either “yes” or “no” for him to respond to simple yes or no