Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Oskar's innocent autism
When I first heard we were reading this book I wasn't especially looking forward to it. I have already read a number of books written from an autistic perspective, and I assumed this one would be no different. However, I do feel that in this story Oskar's autism is used in a smarter way than in similar novels. He wears his autism lightly and it gives him a sort of innocence. He repeatedly refers to others as "mental retards" (p 7) which led me to believe he wasn't quite aware of his own state of mental well-being. I suppose that when Oskar says this he is referring to people with severe and visible mental illness, but it is still interesting that he would continuously use that phrase. It makes me wonder whether he knows that he is different, or specifically autistic. What do you guys think?
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He certainly knows he is different, but at such a young age he isn't likely to have an immediate negative reaction to phrases like "mental retard". Instead, he likely sees his difference as an advantage: incredible intelligence with no drawbacks, as social structure hasn't developed much at only nine years.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as we saw with the limo drive, Oskar is very social and definitely more so than other characters that I have read books through an autistic perspective. I think the fact that he has a very high functioning form of autism it leaves room for the humor and witty human interaction the author includes.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree, I personally don't think he actually knows exactly that he has autism, but I do think he knows he is "different" and that he is unique. He also embraces the fact that he has a different way of thinking, but sometimes thinks dangerously about himself and that makes me question what he does know and understand about his condition.
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