Oskar Schell, a child who presumably has Asperger’s
syndrome, thinks in a very different way than most human beings. I found it difficult to relate to the manner in which he views life until page 35,
when Oskar is talking about the stages he and his mother are living through after
the loss of his father on September 11. He says, referring to his mother, “I
wanted to tell her she shouldn’t be playing Scrabble yet. Or looking at the
mirror. Or turning the stereo any louder than what you needed just to hear it.
It wasn’t fair to dad, and it wasn’t fair to me. But I buried it all inside
me.” This passage made me realize that grief is a universal feeling, and while
Oskar may not express his grief in the same way as other children would, the
absence of his father takes a remarkable toll on him. Contrary to what we may
assume from his apathetic behavior the day of his father’s funeral, he still
does not feel ready to move on. It shows that while we may not all act the
same, we have more in common underneath our physical actions than would be
initially expected.
It does push the ideology of everybody being the same underneath. However, that's when I stopped being interested in the books because people with autism (not asperger's, you might want to edit that) actually do think and feel differently than most people. I'm not saying we don't share similar emotions, but if the author continues to try to make Oskar more relatable, I think the quality of the book will plunge. If it's supposed to be an emotion piece about coping with a tragic family death, then it wouldn't be a good idea to make Oskar autistic. Perhaps the author can pull it off, but I'm doubtful.
ReplyDeleteOriginally I thought that he was autistic, but I did some research online and I saw that many other readers said he had Asperger's, which is on the autism spectrum, but is "characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interest" which I agreed fit Oskar's description. But because we are only in the beginning of the book, I don't think there is any way to be sure.
DeleteYes, people with autism do think and feel differently than most people, but that doesn't eliminate our ability to relate to Oskar... I don't feel like the author is stretching to make him seem more relatable. He shares the same raw emotions as we all do, but just reacts to those emotions differently. When coping with a tragic family death raw emotion is overwhelming, and no one knows quite how to deal with it, autistic or not. So I think the author's choice to make Oskar autistic was a great one, because it displays how tragedy brings out the core similarities in us all.
DeleteJenae that is a money CCQC. I agree completely with the idea that Oskar's dad was his best and if not his only friend, and the road ahead is going to be long and frustrating, especially the way he is playing the game with the "Black Key"
ReplyDeleteOskar' dad was everything that held him together. He started lying after his fathers death. I agree with Jack with the road ahead is going to be long because of the way he is trying to match the black key.
ReplyDeleteOskar' dad was everything that held him together. He started lying after his fathers death. I agree with Jack with the road ahead is going to be long because of the way he is trying to match the black key.
ReplyDeleteNae this was a outstanding piece of writing. I agree with the idea of how everyone copes with grief differently, but in the end are all feeling the same general emotion. Even though Oskar's way of dealing with stress is unique, he is still heavily impacted by the death of his father.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the loss of his father is going to have a major impact on Oskar's life since it seemed that his father was the only person who truly understood him. I also agree that even though people deal with grief in different ways, everyone feels grief.
ReplyDelete