Extremely+Loud+and+Incredibly+Close


 * Key Plot Events**
 * Oskar is constantly tormented by his father's death on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center.
 * When going through his father's old possessions, Oskar discovers an envelope with the word "Black" on it, containing a key inside.
 * Oskar then devotes most of all of his time in pursuit of finding all the people with the last name "Black" in New York City in an effort to recover the final message of his father.
 * Oskar concludes that this is a clue to a riddle of some sort, characteristic of his father.
 * Oskar meets several different blacks, some eccentric, some boring, but has no luck.
 * After 8 months of searching he almost gives up when a lady calls him and says that she might be able to help.
 * This leads him to William Black, who was the previous owner of the key, however Mr. Black had no tie to Oskar's father.
 * The Key was William Black's father's and when Black's father died, the son sold the key.
 * The winner of the auction was Oskar's dad, who was buying it for his wife (Oskar's mom).
 * Also included is a side story about Oskar's grandparents.
 * Oskar's grandmother tells Oskar about her life with his grandpa, who left her years ago.
 * Both Grandparents survived the fire-bombing of Dresden in the second World War.
 * It discusses their lives after the war, the joys of marriage, and the tedious and rough parts as well.
 * Oskar makes his own ending for his story and compiles a group of photographs of a "Jumper" from September 11th. He puts them in reverse order and makes the man appear to fall up into the sky.

Key Characters
 * Oskar Schell
 * intelligent 9 year old boy who lost his father in september 11th. He is forced to see a counselor who he does not tolerate. He is very afraid of heights in addition to his multiple phobias. Oskar is very introspective and his thoughts often stray to many different areas, just like children of his age.
 * Mother
 * Oskar's mom has a fairly impersonal relationship with him. She sees another man who she claims is just a friend. This greatly frustrates Oskar and reminds him of how much he misses his father.
 * Father (Thomas Schell)
 * A kind, intuitive individual who passed away in the attacks on September 11th. He used to give riddles to Oskar and he and Oskar would delight in correcting grammatical mistakes in the New York Times. He would tell Oskar fun fictional tales about parks in the city.
 * Grandmother
 * Very protective of Oskar. She watches Oskar from her apartment which is located across the street from Oskar and his mom's apartment. She has had a fairly rough life and tells Oskar about the bond that she felt with his Grandfather. The love story is strange in that it seems very impersonal.
 * Grandfather
 * Leaves Oskar's grandmother but comes back years later to discover that his son is deceased. His overwhelmed and becomes seemingly numb.
 * Mr. Black
 * the "black" that Oskar was searching. Sold his father's vase when his dad passed away.

Setting
 * 2 years after the September 11th Attacks on Manhattan Island in New York City.

Key Symbols
 * the key- Oskar searches for the door that would fit the key that he found in his father's room. He believes it will lead to discovery of his father's last message, but it really takes Oskar on a journey around New York City where he meets new people and comes to accept his current situation.
 * Colored pens - Oskar goes to test out ink and finds a sheet where people test out the various pens. They always write their names or the color of the shade they are using. This parallel shows the fleeting importance of the individual as Oskar draws the parallel to the mere colors.

Key Images
 * Man falling- Oskar repeatedly makes reference to an image (or multiple images) of a falling man. He tends to think of this unidentifiable person as his father as he leaps from one of the towers. Oskar desperately wishes that he could reverse his father's actions and imagines the figure falling upward and surviving by the end of the novel.

Key Themes

Key Structural Elements
 * The novel has a split structure. Many of the chapters focus on Oskar's first person narration and his struggle to find the one person who has the lock fit for his key. The other portion of the novel revolves around Oskar's grandparents and their union and eventual demise. His grandparents' story focuses on the bombing on Dresden while Oskar's focuses on the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Although the two portions of the novel never fully combine, the reader can see a definite parallel between the two. Both portions of the novel share similar ideas and ideals that focus on loneliness and companionship.