[Name of the Writer]

[Name of Instructor]

[Subject]

[Date]

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Introduction

The novel Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close features closely on how the deaths of close and beloved ones affect the life of its character. From the themes of life and death, and tones of tragedy and comedy, it drives the reader through how the protagonist of the play copes with his impending grief and tries overcoming his depression in various ways.

Imagination and day dreaming come out as one of the effective tools of suppressing the scar that has inflicted on the hero's mind. Though he finds some comfort in writing letters to unknown people and in his hyper active imagination, it eventually is the symbolic significance of Yorick's skull that subsequently helps him in trying to cope with the reality of life.

Discussion

Playing Yorick's role has profound significance to the novel as a whole as it bears close resemblance to the feelings, attitude and the behavior of the 9-year-old narrator in the novel, Oskar Schell. Yorick's skull as such helps Oskar in dealing and trying to reconcile with the idea of death. The skull in a way represents the death of his father and also deals with the concept that everyone has to die in general.

The nature of the grief being born by the protagonist of the novel and his grandparents in view of the deaths of their loved ones becomes one of the closest focuses of the author in the novel. The novel highlights and explores the grief that besets its characters through incidents like the Sept 11 attacks and the firebombing of Dresden during World War 2.

Oskar who had to bear the loss of his father in 9/11 attacks takes on the role of a very sensitive character that appears grief stricken throughout the novel. His mother proves to be of a little help to him as he turns out be ignored by her, thus leaving him all alone to deal with his sadness. Plagued with depression and sleeplessness, the hero of the novel finds great difficulty in coping with his pain.

In a bid, to distract himself from his grief and to account for being neglected by his mother, one of his endeavors is to strive for the attention of the people. In this attempt, he is seen writing letters to people including scientists whom he doesn't know. This very much resembles a jester or a clown in regards that a clown too is seen vying for people's attention.

Yorick's skull connects to the text on account of generating memories in Oskar. These are the happy and joyous moments he enjoyed with his father. It is also a reminder to him that everyone like his father must die. Death is imminent and is an integral part of human lives.

Yorick's Skull is one of the physical objects in the novel that has a close resemblance to the structure and plot of the novel in many ways. It represents death and something that was once living. The part belonged to what was once a ...