The line “Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living,” (113) is a very powerful sentence written by Oskar’s grandfather. It provides great insight into how he feels and what he thinks. This line shows how Thomas runs from who he is, or rather who he could have been.
When Thomas tries to leave his life behind to start a new one, he finds himself unable to verbally speak with anyone. From his isolation, frustration, and helplessness, Oskar’s grandfather becomes weak in spirit and will. When Anna died bearing his to be first child, Thomas was devastated. He could not look at any other woman without constantly thinking of Anna. Still on page 113, he even says, “I’m thinking of Anna, I would give everything never to think about her again […].” This adds to the strain he feels. Ever since she died, Thomas has run from his identity. He could have been a father to Oskar’s dad, he could have stayed a loyal husband to Oskar’s grandmother, he could have been a supporting father-in-law to Oskar’s mom, and he could have been a loving grandfather to Oskar, but instead he consciously chose to escape all of these lives. And as a result, he finds himself flooded by more emotions of loss. He knows that he is not the same person he would have been had he stayed with Oskar’s grandmother. When he says he can hear his bones straining from all the weight of the lives he is not living, he knows that all the responsibilities and problems are finally catching up with him. That old saying when a person has, “A weight on their shoulders,” seems to be what Thomas is feeling, but to an extreme.
Foer meant for this line to emphasize on how Thomas struggles with who he is and who he could have been. In one portion of the story, found on page 273, Thomas is reading the labels of loved ones lost to the attack on the Twin Towers. While this takes place later on in the novel, after Thomas writes, “Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living,” perhaps Foer wants the audience to recognize the tie between this line and that scene. Connecting these two parts creates a realization of how Thomas may currently feel. Thomas, after reading those labels, may now feel guilty for not living his life the way he wishes to. Now, he may feel the strain of all those who perished in the Twin Towers because he is not living his life while he is alive. All those who died in this attack lost their chances to fix their mistakes and continue being the people they need to be for themselves and their loved ones. Knowing this, Foer may want to draw a link between those who died and Thomas who is not dead, but yet cannot lead a life he is privileged to have.
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5 comments:
Hey, awesome blog :]I love the parallel you made at the end of the post between the quote and the descriptions of loved-ones in the newspaper.
After finishing the book, I thought about Oskar's grandfather vs. Oskar's dad. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Oskar's father may be more alive than Oskar's grandfather. Oskar's grandfather spends his life regetting the words he cannot speak and regretting the son that he cannot reach. Oskar's father, on the other hand, continues to have a very significant impact on his son, even after death. The tapes that Oskar has continue to drive Oskar forward in his attempt to connect with his father. These tapes make Oskar's father much more alive than Oskar's grandfather. Perhaps this proves the idea that no one is truly dead if they can go on living through their loved ones? I don't know, just a thought.
I really like the approach you made with the quote because at first I had a hard time time connecting to that quote. I like how you connected the Twin Towers inncident to your paper becasue now I truly see the strong connection! Good job!
I can see your point of view now that you've said it and I do agree with you. However when I first read the question I thought of all the times the grandfather sat watching other people after he lost his ability to speak. I thought that his bones could feel the weight from the simply because he is watching everyone else lead lives that he could have had but he could not speak so he cannot live a life anywhere close to most of the people he sat and watched. Just a different take on answering the same question.
I wrote my blog on this question as well, and I think you made a lot of good points in here that I didn't mention. The irony of Oskar's grandfather feeling the weight of all the lives he chose to escape from is something I didn't look at before, but it really makes sense. Even though we often believe that leaving a "bad" situation will make us feel better and alleviate a lot of stress, the opposite is often true and we think about it more, carrying around more guilt and emotional baggage. Great blog =)
Hey, I just want to say thanks to all of you for commenting on my blog:) Now, I'm not sure what order this is going to show up in, so I'll just respond to all of you in one massive comment.
elle,
I really like your idea that no one is truly dead if they can go on living though their loved ones. While Oskar's grandfather did not live his life the way he had planned to, maybe now, with Oskar in his life, he has a chance to change. And even if he doesn't, to tie in with your quote, he is at least alive in Oskar's and Oskar's grandmother's memories, maybe even more so there.
kabunky!,
I'm very glad that I could help you understand this quote. I'll admit, when I had first read it in the book, I read right by it, but then when I saw it typed on the paper for our assignments, I just fell in love with it for all that it means.
tator,
You know, I didn't even think of that, and it's so true. Everyday Thomas would sit and watch everyone else leading lives that he knew he could not bring himself to live. Also, like you said, not being able to speak put so much more strain on him because he lost his ability to express himself vocally about his emotions, desires, or just for simple needs. Thanks for pointing that out.
ssnickel,
After I read your comment, I ventured off to read your blog. I really like the way you tie in the connection Oskar and his grandfather share. You're right; they both feel the strain of lives other than their own. This opened up a whole new aspect of the line I didn't even acknowledge until I read your blog, so thanks.
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