Great Works of literature are pieces that make you feel. They are relatable, not necessarily because we have experienced exactly what the narrator is saying, but rather because we understand what the author is depicting and it strikes a chord inside of us. Whether through beautiful fiction like The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, or through more reality-based nonfiction essays, the piece describes something, perhaps even quite basic, in a way that we have never thought about it before. It is the wording on the pages that captivates and entices, that makes us finish a book, and tell everyone about it, not allowing its words to escape our essence.
For me, one of these Great Works is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. What’s interesting about this novel is that it’s written through the voice of a 9-year old narrator named Oskar. The boy spends pages upon pages trying to uncover more about how exactly his father passed away on 9/11 due to the tragedy in NYC, and tries to reconstruct what his father has left behind. The boy has evidently been left saddened due to such a misfortune, and is a character who cannot stop thinking and thinking about everything around him. Oskar questions the world in ways that most 9-year olds would not, yet it is understandable that the death of his father has had an unresolved, profound impact on him. Interestingly, this book was relatable because of the distinctive manner in which Oskar questions his surroundings, as he tries to make sense of the world he lives in. It is exhilarating, exciting, saddening, confusing and beautiful to follow his story as he pieces together what is left of his father.
One relates to all the moments of discovery this boy experiences, as he learns what it’s like to be human, to think, to live, to love, and to deal with loss. Thus, it is impossible not to feel discouraged when Oskar questions why we have so many thoughts, “What did thinking ever do for me, to what great place did thinking ever bring me? I think and think and think. I’ve thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.” This sensation that he describes of overthinking situations is extremely common in life, and watching a young boy struggle with this makes us sympathize with the narrator that much more. Throughout Oskar’s journey, as he tries to make sense of some artifacts that his father left behind, he also meets a variety of characters that help him learn about love and life. By interacting with all these new people, he gets to see many different lifestyles and makes notable observations, wording them in ways that hit home with so many readers life experiences, “She wants to know if I love her, that’s all anyone wants from anyone else, not love itself but the knowledge that love is there, like new batteries in the flashlight in the emergency kit in the hall closet.” This last quote in particular displays why I adore the work of Jonathan Safran Foer. I am enamored with his ability to capture commonplace occurrences or desires, such as the want to be loved, and phrase them in ways that bring clarity and understanding to our own experiences.
Overall, this piece is evidently one that makes me feel. It is a gut-wrenching novel that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotions, yet it is so worth it. When one finishes reading, they cannot shake the insight, the wording, and the questions that riddled every page, formulated, quite unbelievably, by a 9 year old narrator. It is a beautifully told tale of a boy searching, searching, searching… so relatable because aren’t we all looking for something? For keys, for friends, for lovers, but mainly for ourselves. Therefore, this piece is encaptivating, relatable and beautifully written; all aspects that I believe Great Works must possess to be truly brilliant.
Sources:
Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Boston, MA: Mariner, 2005.