Part 2: Oskar is an elephant.

As Oskar continues his search for “Black”, he meets Abby Black. On her wall, she has a painting (?) of an elephant that is crying. I found this part particularly touching because of his in depth knowledge of how elephants communicate and how it morbidly connects to his recent loss pertaining to his father. On page 96, he acknowledges that when the call of a dead elephant is played, its herd recognizes it and approaches the speaker. I realized this mirrors, in a way, what Oskar himself is going through. He played the “treasure hunt” game with his father, which was a major part of their relationship. After his father died, Oskar discovers the envelope labeled “black” with a key inside. He is following this last “communication” from his father as way of trying to reconnect with him. He also goes on to say that humans are the only ones who bury their dead, while elephants only gather the bones. Oskar is playing the role of an elephant even more so, as he is on his quest to collect all of the “treasures” left behind by his father. These remnants of his father are more of his “bones” then his actual corpse will ever be, because they embody the spirit of the relationship between him and his son.