Morrison Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

While reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I felt what Oskar called having "heavy boots" throughout, making me feel like I was somehow connected to this character in an emotional way. The way Oskar started this journey, with only hopes of understanding his father's life more, ended with meeting countless people, learning their stories, and feeling sympathy for them in ways it felt like he denied giving himself. Though this journey seems to entrap him even more in the memory of that day, he hopes it could still somehow help him go on with his life. And though it was not exactly his father's intention, it seemed to break him out of his lingering "trauma" by allowing time to start moving for him again. Oskar was trapped in the past of his fathers death, possibly feeling as if it were his fault or wondering if anything could have made a difference. Towards the end of the book, he admits to inventing possible ways his father could have died and later says if he knew exactly how it happened, he wouldn't feel so heavy. Oskar seeks closure but he has no idea how to find it so he assures, and almost tricks himself to believe that the key must hold some deeper meaning. For time to begin moving again, he needs to force himself to move from it without losing the memory of his father in the process. While reminiscing about her life, Oskar's grandmother says, "you cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness." (Foer)  I feel like this quote alone describes Oskar's situation. In order to overcome your negative emotions, I feel is means you first have to accept it and deal with it instead of acting like something doesn't affect you. Once you reach this level, maybe you can start to experience happiness again and move on. While Oskar didn't want to forget his dad, he tried to alleviate the pain by seeking answers, failing to realize it was trapping him in a never ending cycle of feeling "heavy