Maybelle Patterson

1/22/2020

CAP 10 Honors English

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close​ Test Essay

While 9/11 is a hard topic to handle with compassion and understanding, ​Extremely Loud

and Incredibly Close​, a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, manages wonderfully. The novel

revolves around Oskar, a nine-year-old in New York struggling through the loss of his father in

9/11. The book is told from three viewpoints; Oskar’s, Oskar’s grandfather Thomas Sr., and

Oskar’s grandmother. Thomas Sr. and Oskar’s grandmother grew up together in Dresden, and

are reunited in New York after the infamous Dresden carpet bombing which killed Anna,

Thomas Sr.’s love and Oskar’s grandmother’s sister. While the title of this book works with the

content, the title ​Love, Me​ would also fit the book since there are frequent mentions of letter

writing, a core lesson about love, and Oskar’s coping mechanisms center around other’s feelings

for him.

The title ​Love, Me​ could replace the title ​Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close​ because

there are frequent mentions of letter writing. Every main character in ​Extremely Loud and

Incredibly Close​ writes letters as a coping mechanism. After he loses his father in 9/11, Oskar

becomes extremely depressed, which he refers to as having heavy boots. Though he often feels

as though his heavy boots will never end, but “[writing lots of letters] was one of the only things

that made my boots lighter” (Foer, 11). Oskar writes letters to people he admires, most notably

Stephen Hawking. He uses his valuable stamps, and the experience helps him to recover from his

father’s death. Obviously, a common way to close out a letter is to write “love” followed by a
comma and ones name. ​Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close​’s new title could be ​Love, Oskar​, if

not for the fact that Thomas Sr. and Oskar’s grandma also write letters. Therefore, the title of

Love, Me​ includes every character that writes letters.

In ​Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close​, there is a core lesson about love, namely that

one must always tell one’s loved ones that they are loved. Oskar’s grandma was extremely close

to her sister, Anna, before she died, and the two would lie in bed every night, giggling,

gossiping, and telling stories to each other. Anna would even let Oskar’s grandma in on her

deepest secrets, like her love life, and that she was pregnant. Oskar’s grandma writes him a letter

about the night before the Dresden bombings. She writes, “I had never told her how much I

loved her…/ It was always unnecessary…/ There would be other nights./ And how can you say I

love you to someone you love?/ I rolled onto my side and fell asleep next to her./ Here is the

point of everything I have been trying to tell you./ It’s always neccessary./ I love you,/ Grandma”

(Foer, 314). The next day, Anna was killed still oblivious to Oskar’s grandma’s love. She

regretted this for the rest of her life, and tells it to Oskar to ensure that he doesn’t make the same

mistake. This would fit with the title ​Love, Me​ not only because it is a letter, but because of the

sentiment expressed in it. When one ends a letter with the word “love” it shows your true

feelings toward the other person. Letters could be ended with “thanks”, “yours”, or even a simple

dash, but the author has opted to open their heart to the receiver, and tell them they are cared for.

The title will attempt to do what Oskar’s grandma could not - tell the readers someone loves

them.

Love, Me​ would also fit with the story of ​Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close​ since one

of Oskar’s main coping mechanisms is to ask others if they still love him. The first time Oskar is
ever in a limousine, he is driving to his father’s funeral. The mood in the car is gloomy, and

Oskar’s mom attempts to change the subject by asking Oskar if he had printed extra keys for the

mailwoman. He feels that he is being interrogated and quickly losing his mother’s love. He

implores her not to be mad while he “reached over Grandma and opened and closed the door’s

lock a couple of times. ‘I’m not mad at you,’ she said. ‘Not even a little?’ ‘No.’ ‘Do you still

love me?’” (Foer, 7). Oskar’s mom never stops loving him, but that doesn’t stop his mind from

spiraling into a world where she would trade his life for his father’s. He asks this same question

throughout the book, asking for constant affirmation that he is still loved. The book’s new title,

Love, Me​, could also be read as a plea for affirmation. If read without the comma, the title reads

simply ​Love Me,​ and sounds like a wish from Oskar to his mother. Oskar’s grandmother, too

wishes for love. She spends years married to Thomas Sr. but knows that neither of them really

love each other. In her last letter to Oskar, she writes, “I wanted to be with [Thomas Sr.]/ Or

anyone./ I don’t know if I’ve ever loved your grandfather./ But I’ve loved not being alone”

(Foer, 309). Regardless of her current feelings towards Thomas Sr., Oskar’s grandma wants to

love him. In that way, the new title is cry for her too, towards Thomas Sr. She is asking him

through the title if they can learn to love each other.

A new title for ​Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close​ would be ​Love, Me​. This title would

fit with the content of the book since there are frequent mentions of letter writing, a core lesson

about love, and Oskar’s coping mechanisms center around other’s feelings for him. In the book,

every character longs for love, and seeks it through letter writing. This title would achieve their

goals while also subtly asking the reader if they love this book. One can only hope the answer is

yes.