One of my favorite aspects of this book is the fact that for his age Oskar is so developed. He is extremely mature, eccentric and creative, far above what is expected of normal 9-year-olds. I feel that this may affect readers opinions of the book because they may question how believable the plot is. While it is rather questionable that someone of Oskar’s age could be so advanced, I do think that his compulsiveness with certain things may stem from dealing with the traumatic situation of losing his father. Some of his symptoms actually reminded me of the article that we recently read on Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, in which victims who have been through extremely traumatic or stressful situations develop characteristics that may not be typical of those who have not experienced a traumatic event.
I particularly enjoy this book because I think it is intriguing that the plot is based off of an event that occurred fairly recently, one that I can remember well. Although I do like books with fictional plots such as White Noise, I think that having an event that actually happened makes the novel more relatable. I also think it is interesting that Foer decides to focus on how one child deals with the traumatic aftermaths of 9/11 when it was something that affected an entire nation. However, I do think that there are many elements of community throughout the novel, such as the story that Oskar’s father tells him about the Sixth Borough, implying that although the borough has been separated from the rest of society, it is still connected with the rest of the city. I think that examples such as this are Foer’s way of relaying the message to readers that although this novel focuses mainly on the struggles of the protagonist, there is still a sense of unity and community throughout the book.
Thanks for bringing up the Sixth Borough story. The story is loaded with meaning, and we’ll need to talk about it in class, and how it relates to the novel’s themes of community, loss, and memory.