Jonathan Safran Foer creates a world not unlike our own in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. He includes real and recognizable locations and historical events surrounding his characters. Nevertheless, his world exists on a slightly different plane of reality, in which the fantastical and whimsical is possible. Write an essay about the fantastic in the novel, in three parts:

Part 1) Write a paragraph about the alternate history of New York City as related by Thomas Schell, Jr., on the night before he died. What augmentation does Dad make to the municipality of New York? How does the narrative end? What supposed proof does Dad offer Oskar by way of corroboration for his story?

Part 2) Discuss how Thomas Schell, Sr. is affected by his experience in Dresden after he arrives in the United States. What does he begin to lose over the course of several weeks? How does he adapt to this loss and how does this affect his life? What does this say about the lingering grief and guilt Thomas holds?

Part 3) Discuss A.R. Black's card catalog. What is he attempting to achieve by creating this catalog? How does it make the world more understandable to him? What patterns and trends has he discovered since beginning it?

Essay Topic 2

Oskar Schell is a complex character, one that embodies both manic gregariousness and deep and unrelenting personal anguish. Write an essay about how those two facets of Oskar's personality in three parts:

Part 1) How would you describe Oskar's outward personality in the everyday world? Write a paragraph analyzing his relationship with those around him, focusing on his school life, his family life, and the way he interacts with the various Blacks he tracks down over the course of the novel.

Part 2) What does Oskar do in the privacy of his bedroom that indicates he is hiding some deep and unhealed pain in the wake of his father's death? How does this pain explode in a confrontation with his mother midway through the novel? What anger is he harboring toward her?

Part 3) Discuss the moment Oskar has with the limo driver, Gerald Thompson, on his way to his father's burial. How does the presentation of this interaction from both Oskar and Grandma's point of view reveal what is happening below the surface? How is Oskar's gregariousness a mask for his innate pain?

Essay Topic 3

Oskar Schell is a fearful child, and his fears can fall into two camps that are real and imagined. Write an essay discussing these two types of fear and how they manifest themselves in the novel. For example, how do Dr. Fein and Jimmy represent a very real, concrete adversity to Oskar? What genuine concerns for his life do they present? Conversely, discuss the imagined dangers that haunt Oskar throughout the novel. From where do these fears derive and how do they affect his daily life?

(see the answer keys)

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