Jonathan Yardley

Writing is an effective way for people to cope with tragedy. In Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, three characters, Oskar Schell, his grandmother, and his grandfather are each experiencing grief and are trying to cope with their personal tragedies. Written after the events of September 11th, readers of this novel are exposed to a melancholic yet intricate story about dealing with any sort of tragedy. The first main character in the novel is Oskar Schell, a…

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer, tells the story of a young boy with, what readers can assume, Autism whose Father was killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Oskar, the young boy that the novel is centered around, finds a key in his Father’s closet and makes it his mission to find out what this key, the last ‘clue’ his father left him, opens. Oskar is dedicated to his mission as he walks all the way to Staten Island, the Empire State…

from seasonal and occasional depression. However, almost every person has experienced the guttural feeling of grief. Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, is a mastermind at depicting grief through the eyes of others. Oskar, a nine year old boy who lost the most important person in his life to 9/11, has been trying to find a reason to keep living. Jonathan Foer details Oskar’s journey of depression and emotional growth to show the harsh reality of dealing with…

Foer’s novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close contains important themes that must always be remembered. In case of an emergency, this novel must always be kept on hand. After the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, many people lost loved ones and had to cope with their losses. Similar to after a zombie apocalypse, people will be distraught after losing loved ones, and must find ways to grief and accept their losses. The social, cultural, and historical content within Foer’s novel must…

the confines of metaphor. It is not an uncommon literary technique for authors to use an autistic character as a comparison to discuss the fact that no one is communicating their wants and needs. In his novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer takes this common trope and pushes it one step further. With no semblance of chronology, the novel chronicles three generations of Schells as they navigate through difficult times, including the Bombing of Dresden and the Attack on…

As the sun rises, the moon falls; everything becomes bright. Yet soon, the moon decides to rise again, taking away the light, and only providing darkness. This idea can be translated to the roles of sadness and happiness in a person’s life. In order to better understand the moon and sun analogy, imagine this. Two items are placed on a balance labeled, ‘Human Emotion’. Those two weighted items are each labeled ‘Sadness’ and ‘Happiness’. The scale begins to wildly tip back and forth, never coming…

A child's greatest gift in life can only be he bond of love shared between the parents and child. Johnathan Safran Foer, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close". This book is about a boy named Oskar who's dad was in one of the Twin Yowers during 9/11 and didn't survive. Oskar and his dad do reconnaissance expeditions and Oskar found a clue to the expedition his dad gave him before he died. Oskar was determined to solve it so he could possibly connect with his dad once more. Oskar ran into a couple…

to oneself. As humans (and seagulls) we cannot hope to move forward without leaving what holds us down behind us. In Richard Bach’s novel Jonathan Livingston Seagull, forgiveness is weaved throughout the tale of a seagull, daring to go beyond the norm, facing the consequences for the pursuit of happiness. Despite his banishment from the rest of the flock, Jonathan begins the discoverence of the secrets of flying by himself until he hits his maximum flying ability. Shortly after, he is brought to…

A frivolous lawsuit is a lawsuit that is filed by a party or attorney who is aware they are without merit, because of a lack of supporting legal argument or factual basis for the claims (Legal). Sometimes, this lawsuit is pointed at an entire organization because of an injury or problem caused by something they provide to consumers. Sometimes, they actually win. A number of economic resources that go into these lawsuits, being time and money, is outrageous (Post). There is a multitude of other…

had a lasting impact on the dynamic of families and individuals across the nation. As the unbelievable occurred, people struggled to find ways to overcome the situations they had been faced with. In his novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer emphasizes this through elements in his writing such as characterization, graphic images, a detailed setting, and the use of multiple narrative strands. These effectively create the story of nine year old Oskar and his journey to…