The article connects to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close because they both discuss how the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center affected the families of the victims. In the article, Trisha Scudder, whose brother died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, states, “It’s still unbelievable — it still seems like a nightmare”. Her statement correlates to how Oskar continuously talks about 9/11 as “the worst day” (11). By relating the 9/11 attacks as “a nightmare” and “the worst day”, readers are able to see how traumatized the relatives of victims are even years after the attacks. During the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the recitation of the names of those who died “became an extraordinarily powerful drama, a kind of epic poem that forcefully and relentlessly conveyed vivid memories of the dead, and touched upon the implications of children growing up without a parent, of the emptiness of a home without a companion, of years of shared dreams and poignant hopes destroyed”. The children in the article who grew up without a parent at home because of 9/11 relates to Oskar growing up without his dad. The emptiness of having no companion at home relates to Oskar’s mom trying to cope with her husband not being around anymore throughout the novel. Oskar struggles with not having his dad and explains, “Every time I left the apartment to go searching for the lock, I became a little lighter, because I was getting closer to Dad. But I also became a little heavier, because I was getting farther from Mom." (52). As Oskar grows up without an important father figure, he attempts to get closer with his dad through the quest of finding the lock to the key. Trying to cope without her husband, Oskar’s attends a group for people that lost family members. However, Oskar's mother feels that she will not ever truly recover from the loss of her husband and states: “I’ll never fall in love again”(325), but she is trying; talking to others about this traumatic event aids her in moving on with her life. From the New York Times article, Christina Rancke, after her father died in the South tower attack, explains “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him”. Much like Oskar, Rancke is a child trying to deal with their father's death, and neither of them can stop thinking about their lost loved ones. In today's society, this is important because it shows the difficulty of losing a loved one and the struggles of moving on in life. No matter how hard someone tries, he or she will always remember that certain traumatic event, whether it be a terrorist attack, car accident, or any type of other incidents resulting in death of a loved one. Every year on 9/11, people will continue to remember their lost loved ones as well as the firefighters, police force, and heroes who helped the victims.
Sources:
McFadden, Robert D. "After 10 Years, Names and Memories Echo." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/12/nyregion/september-11-anniversary.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.
Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Boston, MA: Mariner, 2005. Print.
McFadden, Robert D. "After 10 Years, Names and Memories Echo." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/12/nyregion/september-11-anniversary.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.
Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Boston, MA: Mariner, 2005. Print.