Oskar Schell 1

Running head: OSKAR SCHELL AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Oskar Schell and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Márcio Padilha

Lewis-Clark State College

ENGL 305 – Rossiter

Fall/2010
 Oskar Schell and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Foer explored how different

people deal with grief. In order to make this premise viscerally emotional, he

constructed a family comprised of grandma and grandpa, their grandson and

his mom, addressing how they are dealing with the loss of dad who was a

9/11 World Trade Center victim. In this paradigm, not only did Foer explore

the nature of the relationship each character had with one another, but also

the relationship each character had with the deceased dad. Making his

argument more poignant, Foer developed the story around Oskar who,

playing the role of binding element between all characters, displays

symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Characterized in the person of a nine-year-old boy who belongs to an

affluent metropolitan family, Oskar is an intelligent and educated self-

described “inventor, jewelry designer, jewelry fabricator, amateur

entomologist, Francophile, vegan, origamist, pacifist, percussionist, amateur

astronomer, computer consultant, amateur archeologist, collector of: rare

coins, butterflies that died natural deaths, miniature cacti, Beatles

memorabilia, semiprecious stones and other things (Foer, 2005, p. 99).”

Nevertheless, this seemingly high-functioning child, overwhelmed by the

sudden and unexpected death of his father, reports signs closely related with

post-traumatic stress disorder.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder which causes the

 Oskar Schell 3

individual to relive “a traumatic experience, including feeling the anxiety and

discomfort of the original event” (Nathan, Gorman, & Salkind, 1999, p. 152).

Unlike other anxiety disorders, “post-traumatic stress disorder rests on a

clearer causal sequence in which a person is first exposed to a traumatic

event, feels frightened because of the threat to personal integrity and then

develops the disorder” (Evans, et al., p. 167). Its symptoms are typically

clustered in three categories: intrusive, avoidance and hyperarousal.

Intrusive symptoms stem out of thoughts and recollections of a traumatic

event in such an uncontrollable manner that interference in everyday life is

inevitable. In this scenario, flashbacks are normally so vivid that one reacts

as if the trauma is being experienced once again. Next, avoidance symptoms

severely affect several aspects of one’s everyday life in that the

development of close emotional ties with other individuals, as well as any

remembrance of the trauma, will be skirted as means suppress one’s

emotions. Lastly, hyperarousal symptoms will include an explosive reaction

to anything related to the trauma, causing one to be on the edge and

irritable, experiencing difficulty concentrating, insomnia and a constant fear

that danger is near. In addition to these criteria, symptoms must be present

for at least one month, being accompanied by a significant degree of

impairment in functioning at home, work or school(Nathan, Gorman, &

Salkind, 1999, p. 153).

A superficial examination of Oskar’s life depiction throughout

Extremely Close & Incredibly Loud can mislead the reader into assuming
that, in light of his age, Oskar merely has an outrageously fertile

imagination. Nevertheless, as the narrative progresses, evidence of a

complex web of intrusive symptoms, such as the inventive “teakettle that

reads in dad’s voice… (Foer, 2005, p. 1),” manifests throughout the boy’s

daily life. As the plot furthers, the severity of Oskar’s problems becomes

more evident when he states that, in order to stop “inventing,” he wishes

that he knew exactly how his father had died (Foer, 2005, p. 257). Thus,

while acknowledging an avoidance pattern congruent with severance of

emotional ties with the outside world, Oskar also discloses experiencing

hyperarousal issues in that the “average person falls asleep in seven

minutes(Foer, 2005, p. 36),” but he could not sleep for hours. Additionally,

Oskar’s recurrent thoughts about the four and one half minutes which

transpired between the time he got home and the time his father called

(Foer, 2005, p. 68) as well as his sustained phobia of riding elevators (Foer,

2005, p. 68) and of “suspension bridges, germs, airplanes, fireworks, Arab

people in the subway… Arab people in restaurants and coffee shops and

other public places, scaffolding, sewers and subway grades, bags without

owners, shoes, people with mustaches, smoke, knots, tall buildings, turbans”

(Foer, 2005, p. 36) align as symptomatic indicators of post-traumatic stress

disorder.

The onset and duration of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms

infer different diagnoses. Symptomology manifested immediately following

the traumatic event which lasts no longer than three months typifies an
 Oskar Schell 5

acute post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. Nevertheless, if such

symptoms, with onset immediately following the traumatic event, last for

longer than three months following the traumatic event, the pertinent

diagnosis is chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. On the other hand, if the

symptoms manifest six months or more after the traumatic event, the

disorder is referred to as delayed post-traumatic stress disorder (Nathan,

Gorman, & Salkind, 1999, p. 153).

Oskar’s assertion of his self is complex and, at times, contradictory,

leaving the reader to wonder as to how much of his narrative is actually

realistic for a child at his stage of development. While reporting difficulty in

doing certain things one year after his father’s dying (Foer, 2005, p. 36),

Oskar later refutes knowing why he needs therapeutic help (Foer, 2005, p.

200) while, nonetheless, consciously recognizing, to himself and others, his

awareness of being burdened with “heavy boots” throughout the story (Foer,

2005, pp. 2, 35, 38, 39, 86, 104, 159, 197, 200, 240, 242, 251, 252, 302).

Therefore, whereas the intricacy of his vivid accounts might superficially

suggest a mere overactive imagination, Oskar’s creative allegory actually

brings about the existential qualms of a child who has started on a path of

self-injury as means to cope with the dictates of a depressive state of being.

Many symptoms of depression overlap with the symptoms of post-

traumatic stress disorder in that both may cause trouble sleeping, keeping

focused, lack of interest and greater irritability (United States Department of

Veteran's Affairs, 2010). Scientific studies further suggest an approximate

co-occurrence rate of 48% between depression and post-traumatic stress

(Tull, 2008). Furthermore, post-traumatic stress disorder and self-injury also

frequently co-occur. People with post-traumatic stress disorder in particular

may use deliberate self-harm as a way of getting back in touch with the

present moment, also referred to as "grounding," as hurting oneself may

"shock" the body back into the present moment, ending the flashback or

dissociation (Tull, 2009). Although “alone, post-traumatic stress disorder is

not a fatal disorder” (Lubit, 2010), it frequently leads to conduct disorder

which is “is one of the most difficult and intractable mental health problems

in children and adolescents” (Tynan, 2010). Conduct disorder, as per the

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, involves a number of

problematic behaviors which include oppositional and defiant behaviors

(Foer, 2005, p. 172) and antisocial activities such as lying (Foer, 2005, p. 6),

running away (Foer, 2005, p. 35), physical violence (Foer, 2005, p. 146) and

sexually coercive behaviors (Foer, 2005, p. 99).

In the continuum of post-traumatic stress disorder, the ability to

develop and maintain positively rewarding relationships constitutes an

essential factor in suppressing one’s negative self-concept (Lanham &

Charette, 2010). Comparatively, Oskar’s stories affectively narrate as much

of his trauma as of his therapeutic process, which, in turn, serve as an

indication of the other characters’ acknowledgement of his problems.

Despite his lack of perception, Oskar is subjected, both actively and

passively, to a lot of care, love, attention and protection (Foer, 2005, pp. 69,
 Oskar Schell 7

279, 291). Furthermore, Oskar’s adventure throughout New York in search of

the mysterious lock (Foer, 2005, p. 52) is cathartic in that it progressively

forces him to face his fears and, in dealing with them, to improve his own

self-concept gradually. Lastly, Oskar’s ensuing relationship with the renter-

turned-to-grandpa symbolizes the depth of void left by his dad’s death.

Whereas Oskar’s portrayal of the relationship he had with his dad was ideal,

the relationship his dad had had with grandpa was nothing, but a void which

is all Oskar now has. Together, nonetheless, grandson and grandpa can grow

into a relationship which will nullify each other’s void.

Bibliography

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2006). Facts for

Families: Conduct Disorders. Retrieved 10 18, 2010, from American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
http://www.aacap.org/galleries/FactsForFamilies/33_conduct_disorder.p
df

Evans, D. L., Foa, E. B., Gur, R. E., Hendin, H., O'Brien, C. P., Seligman, M. E.,
et al. (n.d.).

Foer, J. S. (2005). Extremely Loud & Incredibly Closer. New York: Houghton
Mifflin Company.

Lanham, S. L., & Charette, M. M. (2010). Verterans and Families' Guide to

Recovering from PTSD. Retrieved 10 18, 2010, from PTSD Guidebook:
Negative Self-Concept: http://www.ptsdhealing.net/ptsd
%20book/ptsdEsteem.htm

Lubit, R. H. (2010, 10 05). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Children.

Retrieved 10 18, 2010, from www.emecine.com:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/918844-overview

Nathan, P. E., Gorman, J. M., & Salkind, N. J. (1999). Treating Mental

Disorders: A Guide to What Works. New York: Oxford University Press.

National Center for PTSD. (2010, 05 15). Relationships and PTSD. Retrieved
10 18, 2010, from National Center for PTSD: Relationships and PTSD:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/ptsd-and-relationships.asp

The Morefocus Media Network . (n.d.). Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress

Disorder (PTSD). Retrieved 10 18, 2010, from Psychiatry
Disorders.com: http://www.psychiatric-
disorders.com/articles/ptsd/overview/depression-and-anxiety.php

Tull, M. (2008, 11 06). PTSD and Depression: Relationship between PTSD and
Depression. Retrieved 10 18, 2010, from About.com:
http://ptsd.about.com/od/relatedconditions/a/depressionPTSD.htm

Tull, M. (2009, 05 27). PTSD, Cutting, and Other Forms of Self-Injury.

Retrieved 10 18, 2010, from www.About.com:
http://ptsd.about.com/od/relatedconditions/a/DSHandPTSD.htm
 Oskar Schell 9

Tynan, W. D. (2010, 01 22). Conduct Disorder. Retrieved 10 18, 2010, from

www.emedicine.com: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/918213-
overview

United States Department of Veteran's Affairs. (2010, 06 30). Depression,

Trauma, and PTSD. Retrieved 10 18, 2010, from Depression, Trauma,
and PTSD - National Center for PTSD:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/depression-and-trauma.asp

WebMd. (2010). PTSD and Depression - Overview. Retrieved 10 18, 2010,

from WebMd - Better Information, Better Health:
http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/tc/ptsd-and-depression-overview