‘‘Extremely Loud and Incredible Close’’ is a movie which is whimsical and succeeds in exhibiting the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder. The portrayed character who is thought to be suffering from the mental disorder is simply boy Oskar Schell who is only 9 years old. Despite the fact that Oskar was not diagnosed as suffering from Autism, he exhibits features and attributes that suggest he is autistic. This instigates him to be subjected to a test for Asperger’s Syndrome. Nonetheless, the tests were unconvincing. All through Oskar’s quest and endeavors to envisage and understand his father’s message, the occurrence and journey succeeds in displaying the unique and wonderful world that he perceives (Ebert, 2018).
Communication and interactions
The most notable neurotypical aspect displayed by Oskar in the entire movie, which is also often common aspect in children, is his way of interaction and communication with the public. Oskar was typically loose and didn’t mind his tongue, he reiterated by uttering anything that was on his mind, even if the utterance did not align with the set standards of the society. A good example is when he wakes up at the middle of the night and go to his mother’s room to inquire on the whereabouts of his dad. On this incidence, he feels quite dismayed and this makes him wish that the mom could have been the one attending the World Trade Centre on the 11 th of September. The exclaimed words by Oskar carried austerity and cruelty, despite the fact that he did not deliberate utter them to hurt the mother. Linda, her mother, on the other hand, obviously feels hurt as a result. On other instances, Oskar uses wannabe and vulgar kind of language. This is seen when conversing with other characters such as Stan and the doorman. During his stay at the building, Oskar engages in a conversation with the doorman whereby he uses phrases like; “dipshiitake,” “Fukasawa” and “succatosh my Balzac.” Oskar uses these words either in combinations or simultaneously.
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Solitude is another notable difference that is exhibited in the case of Oskar. It’s quite clear that most 9 year old kids find it fun walking and playing in groups. However, in the case of Oskar, he opts walking and playing alone. This is a phenomenon that is mostly prevalent in victims of autism. Furthermore, on instances where he is compelled to engage collectively in activities, he prefers interacting with kids who were younger or older than him. Eventually, Oskar admits that he has a problem in expressing and communicating effectively with other kids. Nonetheless, the issue of communication does not exhibit when cogitating and contemplating on his Dad’s final message (Pruett & Povinelli, 2016).
The difference that parades itself in Oskar’s communicating and relating with others succeeds in addressing what people with autism spectrum disorder go through. The fact that Oskar just exclaims what is on his mind simply depicts the characteristics of an autistic child. Autistics people often feel that being blunt is the most appropriate way of interacting with others, albeit not abiding with society set standards. Additionally, the fact that Oskar admits of experiencing problems when conversing with others, explicitly explains what autism is all about. It gives a clear account of how individuals suffering from the disorder experience on day to day basis.
Fascinations and interest
Oskar is not an outcast of the deep fascinations and interests that are displayed by quite a considerable number of autistics. He appears to be more fascinated by numerals and mathematics. This is substantiated by the many arithmetic calculations he performs in the entire setting of the movie. The young boy seems to clench a high intellectual ability. This is evident when he is seen playing the tape recorder that recorded father’s messages that went to be send to his grandfather. By contemplating on the voicemail messages that were recorded as from September 11, Oskar is in a position to tell the exact place at the moment of recording all the six messages. Furthermore, Oskar is in a position to detect his father’s actual walking pace during that moment. Oskar is also able tell the exact position his father was standing before the incidence. Another evidence of fascination is his interest in discovering the eventual message of his father. In the course of getting to establish the final message, he develops a lot of interest which he is unable to pull out his attention from. As a result, he dedicates most of his time in trying to understand the content and actual meaning of the messages by his father. The course of discovering what his father was trying to insinuate emanates to be a powerful interest that leads him to the eventual answer he continuously seeks to discover.
The inclination of Oskar toward numerals as well as arithmetic calculation seems to be quite a definite feature of a considerable number of autistics. This probably because of the passion and burning desire to establish what is going to happen at the end. Autistics are more inclined to calculations because the computation is constant and steady. Furthermore, the overwhelming interest in getting to discover a given thing is a common characteristic of autistics, in the case of Oskar, the robust and rigid determination in wanting to discover his father’s final message is partially caused by autism spectrum disorder
Sensual Issues
Oskar seems to clench a lot of sensitivity to different sensory stimuli. This is evident when he is in hectic places. He appears to be very overwhelmed by high pitch sounds as well as bright lights. Additionally, he shows a lot of discomfort when travelling using public means, such as the subway. Probably, this is because of the high noises, bright lights, smelly conditions and a lot of congestions in these places. He exhibits a high sense of smell, this is substantiated from the fact that he likes to touch and smell different objects, additionally, he rubs objects against his face that render him to appear more calm. The fact he is able to perceive drips of water suggest that he is sensitive to the very small things that happen around him. When he is overwhelmed, he gets dismayed and he provides covering to his ears. Quite a good number of individuals suffering from autism have very sharp senses which render them to high response of stimuli. Oskar as well is not an outcast of this characteristic. He is very sensitive and responds quickly to particular noises and smells.
Other autistic characteristics that are displayed by Oskar is the fear of visiting new places. Apparently, Oskar is afraid of experiencing new things. This seen when Oskar visits a new place, the young boy tends to carry a tambourine along with him. The tambourine keeps reminding him of his father’s message. Oskar draws his courage from the tambourine by simply shaking it. For instance, when Oskar approaches a surrounding that tends to make him develop fear, he simply shakes the tambourine and the fear is immediately dismissed. To help discharge his fears further, oskar throws fits, wails and screams, he also clinches back and forth, and even goes further to crush things around him. The enclosure in a room is also a definite characteristic that is prevalent to autistics, Oskar exhibit this by opting to stay in closed, small and dark rooms, he does this to relive himself the overload that comes from a lot of sensitivity and response to stimuli. Also, he is troubled by lies and liars. He finds it very hard to tell a lie, and this makes him blunt out what is on his mind basing on his perception and depiction of reality that he fully clenches on. Autistic people do not see the importance of being deceitful and disguising things. Oskar exhibits a very sharp memory and a very a high mental capability. This is evident from the fact that he remembers a lump sum and quite a good number of turn of events when describing his father’s messages to his grandfather. Finally, Oskar punishes himself when he has not accomplished certain things. Such punishments constitute pinching himself which leaves him with big scars. It is also should be noted that, among other things, pinching oneself is a form of destructive behavior that is prevalent on autism victims
The relationship that exists between Oskar and his parents is a clear indication of the success that the movie clenches in the sense that, despite his condition, his family is very supportive. The family has created a rigid and robust attachment to each other. His parents endorse his differences and show him incredible love and care. It is implausible to watch the amazing linkage Oskar has with his parents and the amount of support they offer to him. Initially, the relationship that existed between Oskar and his Father could not be denied, this was from the fact that his father was in position of understanding him better than any other person. This is depicted by the messages left to him by his father. The messages impacted Oskar’s life a significant way by educating him all through his journey. Actually the messages were very inspiring. On the other hand, Linda, Oskar’s Mother was very inclined and devoted on discharging her duty. As a mother, she was very hopeful and did not hesitate to provide the needed support to the boy. This is evident when Oskar embarks on searching for the lock when his mother said “I got into your room and tried to contemplate and think just as you do, I needed to understand.” Linda tries to understand the thinking nature and capability of her son, which she eventually accepts and finds it beautiful. There is nothing rewarding to a parent than sitting back and attempting to contemplate and think the same way as their daughter or son, especially when the child is considered to have a disorder. It is thus deeply incredible and amazing to watch Linda fully dedicate and devote her life to her son (Codde, 2007).
In a nutshell, the real Oskar who is portrayed in the novel is the result of a crippling emotional loss. His father’s demise contributes immensely towards his psychological torture. The task and obligation of uncovering the lock comes with a possible technique to survive the blow that arises as a result of parting with the most important people in life. Even though he doesn’t comprehend it, every individual that he comes across in his adventure helps him combat his psychological hardship. This is evident from the declaration of shay that the key and the lock were the answer and solution of all the upheavals Oskar Schell went through. However, when he finds the key, he is dismayed. Generally, the individuals that Oskar meets and the adventure he is obliged to pursue, are the chief helpers for his psychological conditions. The movie is interesting and very successful, in that, it succeeds in exhibiting the most important features of autism without having to offer exaggerations. The movie demonstrates quite a good number of the characteristics that autistics have and go through in their daily lives.
References
Codde, P. (2007). Philomela Revisited: Traumatic Iconicity in Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Studies In American Fiction , 35 (2), 241-254. doi: 10.1353/saf.2007.0000
Ebert, R. (2018). Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Movie Review (2012) | Roger Ebert. Retrieved from https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/extremely-loud-and-incredibly-close-2012
Pruett, J., & Povinelli, D. (2016). Commentary - Autism Spectrum Disorder: Spectrum or Cluster?. Autism Research , 9 (12), 1237-1240. doi: 10.1002/aur.1650
