You never really know when you'll see someone for the last time. Especially those you love the most and are close to. You cannot set a date or time for the day someone dies. Who knows when your last goodbye will be. In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Johnathan Foer focuses on the trauma of families affected by the deaths of 9/11 and the Dresden attack. In particular, Oskar Schell, who is nine years old in the book, mourns the death of his father, Thomas Schell Jr., who died during that tragic day. He finds a lock his father left behind with the word "black" written on it and is determined to find out what it leads to. The book varies depending on the range of human emotions that come into play and presents the model of what the psychological lens and the new critical lens follow. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay “Every time I left the apartment to go get the lock, I became a little lighter, because I got closer to Dad. But I also became a little heavier, because I was moving away from Mom” (Foer 52). In Oskar's rapid search, he temporarily distracts himself from harsh reality; His father never comes home. The two shared an extremely warm relationship, exemplified by a common love for understanding puzzles. He considered his father his closest companion, which is why he coped with this misfortune particularly hard. Therefore, Oskar began to invent new methods to determine the cause of his father's death. His pain manifests as a proportion of self-inflicted pain. He often presents himself as having heavy boots. In bad times, his boots become heavier. When he does things he loves, like sitting in his dad's closet, his boots become lighter. The boots symbolize his depression following the death of his father. The fact that Oskar refers to these feelings as "boots" illustrates Oskar's reluctance to face his emotions head on. In the end, Oskar finds peace with his father's death. Oskar's mother, Linda, also loved and supported her child in the best way possible as she was also grieving the death of her husband. The moment she realized that Oskar was planning to go on an adventure to find the lock, her mother said to her, “I came into your room and tried to think like you. I wanted to understand” ( Foer 168). Linda suffers in silence over the death of her husband. Her hidden emotions and crying are portrayed as an act of neglect towards Oskar. He begins to feel distance and says things to her that she regrets. “If I could have chosen, I would have chosen you” ( Foer 171). The author got rid of his words describing Oskar as a confused and distraught child. In the novel, the author uses the symbolism of the deliberate inclusion of blank pages. Foer also included a few sections of deliberately compacted writings. These strategies were used by the writer as visual symbolism to convey meaning and relationship with the characters. Foer establishes an association between content and images using extra-print material. In the book, Foer makes a strong connection between the writings and the images and uses the methods to create an effectively moving story. These writings and images connect to demonstrate that these two strengths can coexist pleasantly in works of writing. The story setting is fully traveled from the earliest starting point and the network in which Oskar is fully represented. History repeats itself.