Directions: For this mini essay Please answer the study question I have provided and after you complete this please chose one Motif from below to write about. Please make sure to focus on the
postmodern aspects of the novel in this mini essay.
Study Question:
Some would say that Oskar exhibits symptoms of Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome. If you are familiar with this spectrum disorder, say what characteristics you would associate with Oskar’s
behavior and thinking. Then speculate as to what an autistic character (especially as a narrator) adds to the vision of this novel and its larger themes.
Put another way, how might an autistic
character’s perspective be considered a Postmodern view of reality? (Or, how might aspects of his behavior reflect Postmodern elements?) Be as specific as you can. Draw on your theoretical
and introductory readings.
Following are some important elements in the novel, including some key motifs, refrains, and issues. (A motif is a recurrent element in a text. It may occur in multiple forms. It may be an
indirect or figurative way of conveying something complex and elusive.) You should think deeply about each one, noting when they are introduced, when and why they reappear, how they
morph, and how they are (re)contextualized. Think of each one as a placeholder for certain themes and ideas that the novel is preoccupied with. What do they convey, both literally and
figuratively, directly and indirectly? Why are they there? Why are they emphasized? What is Foer trying to say? What is postmodern about his sensibility or perspective?
You may be able to identify additional motifs on your own that carry similar weight. Consider how some motifs with specific, contextual meanings suggested in a particular passage may also
suggest larger ideas or themes developed throughout the novel if viewed in a larger context.
Dresden, Hiroshima, 9/ll
Graphics
Parables
Ways to undo, reverse, retell, redeem, or reframe a narrative of death and loss
Facts vs. inventions, hypotheses, fictions
Bruises, burns, scars
Black and white
Nothing/something
Literary allusions, refrains, intertexts
Hamlet, Yorick, Shakespeare
Writing
Letters, codes, texts, numbers, answering machine messages, and more (especially delayed or abortive messages)
Muteness, silence, white space
Deconstruction and reconstruction: buildings, families, father/son bonds, more
Quests and totems
Locks and keys, keyholes, doors, doorknobs
Parallels and correspondences and patterns: why are they significant?
Beatles’ songs
“What if…?,” What about…?”
Questions
Falling and rising
Birds
The Sixth Borough
Art, sculpture, jewelry
Autism
Guilt
Inventions
Stephen Hawking
EmpireStateBuilding, viewing machines, elevators, etc.
Unfinished things
Maybe
Fire, St.Elmo’s Fire, etc.
Displacement, substitution
Absence/presence
