Comparison Between 'Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close'

Extremely Loud and Incredibly close is a fictional book written by Jonathan Safran Foer. This book is predominantly set in Manhattan after September 11, 2001. The book often jumps back to the day or weeks before, ask Oskar calls it, “The worst day:” the day Thomas Schell, Oskar’s dad, dies. In the chapters where grandpa is the narrator, the book jumps back to when he was in Dresden as a teenager. While grandma is the narrator, the story seems to be rooted in New York. Granda also recalls experiences in Dresden. As mentioned above, the narrators are Oskar, Oskar’s grandpa, and Oskar’s grandma. The switches between narrators are clearly depicted in each chapter. The grammar and voice used in each chapter helps to distinguish who the narrator
Oskar’s narration is very precise. He speaks as if he has no filter. He does not hold back any of his thoughts, and says everything that is on his mind. Oskar uses large words, most of which are scientific. He also slips in some French phrases while he is talking. Oskar often mentions his feelings. He goes into detail about every aspect of what has upset him, or made him angry. When he is the narrator, you can easily distinguish him by the way he punctuates his conversations. He talks through large paragraphs, rather than beginning a new paragraph when a new person starts to talk. Some of Oskar’s phrases that he often says are, “Raison d’etre,” “...which I know about, but wish I didn’t,” “heavy boots,” “extremely,” “incredibly,” and “I’m OK.” When Thomas, Oskar’s grandpa, narrates, he expresses himself through writing. Thomas is filled with so much regret that his words can not convey his grief. Thomas’s accounts in the book are not linear, and usually start with a title of, “Letters to my unborn son.” This expresses his vast sense of regret. Since Oskar’s grandpa uses written language to express himself, he has loads of notebooks that have common phrases that he points to, because he can not speak. These phrases are infused throughout the book while he is narrating. Some of the phrases Thomas uses are “Do you know what time it is?” and “I’m sorry, I don’t speak.” These phrases are written on one whole blank page. He can also be characterized by his long paragraphs, and his grammatical errors while telling an intense part of a story. There is this sense that he has not been able to say some things for years, so when he starts talking, it is practically impossible to shut him