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This shows a consistent and common use of a letter by using this action as the first thing Oskar shuffled towards when he felt useless and his “boots were heavy”. Foer notes that Oskar “wrote to Stephen Hawking”, almost comparing him to a father figure that Oskar believes he’ll need moving forward. Foer shows a connection that Oskar wants to proceed on having with an intelligent idle that he follows as an inspiration to keep fighting, like Stephen Hawking has done with the many obstacles he’s gone through, including being paralyzed. - Ayden

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Why Write (link)
-Alyssa W

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A Story Of Loss (link)
-Alyssa W

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Oskar explains what helps him cope with his stress: "A few weeks after the worst day, I started writing lots of letters. I didn't know why, but it was one of the only things that made my boots lighter... the first letter I wrote was to Stephen Hawking" (11).  -Ayden A

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This poem connects to many characters in the story who experience a new battle every day, which is coping with their loses through writing. The repetition of the word battle emphasizes the struggles the poet is trying to express. "A battle"; where people line up on opposite sides and kill. Fought for a purpose; an unsolvable dilemma. A battle is so horrific that one cannot forget, and struggles to forgive. Survival is unknown in battle. This poem echoes the feelings Thomas is having after witnessing such formidable loss. He fights a "battle", much like the poet and his battle renders him silent. This poem is a powerful reminder that difficult times or traumatic events do not simply go away with time.  They become a constant "battle", something that will forever be a part of who you are.   Thomas' memories are so vivid that he struggles to let them out through verbal conversation. The grandma too has a battle of her own to face after Thomas leaves her. She begins to write to Oskar. In her letters, she expresses her love for Thomas and the pain resulting from his betrayal. Just like "the invisible ghost" she finds herself constantly being reminded of his presence. The nothing and something places that drew them apart. For both of these characters, and for the poet, this emotional "battle" is one that is fought daily, that is exhausting, and that will forever be an assault on their happiness.

-Alyssa W

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"Each day is a battle
A battle to forget
A battle to forgive
A battle to fight the nightmares
A battle to fight the invisible ghost
A battle to fight to survive
A battle to be happy
A battle to be normal
The battle never ends, it’s a constant war within my head"

Z.T (Zaidoon Treeko)

-Alyssa W

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People have a hard time understanding Oskar's grandpa after he turns silent and Oskar's grandpa explains why he has fallen into a life of silence by writing a letter: "To my unborn child: I haven't always been silent, I used to talk and talk and talk, I couldn't keep my mouth shut, the silence overtook me like cancer" (16). The author symbolizes his grief by using a simile for the silence, comparing it to cancer that "overtook: him, making him seem powerless. He also mentions that he used to always talk like a normal kid, or someone who is developing during their early stages of innocence. This shows us that some event happened that forced him to become silent, whether it was loss or something holding him down. -Ayden A

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Oskar's grandfather writes his experience in the Dresden bombing to "his child" whom he will never be able to speak to. "I saw bodies crackling like embers, laughing, and the remains of masses of people who had tried to escape the firestorm by jumping head first into the lakes and ponds..." (211) The imagery created through his writing exemplifies the horrendous sights he saw that night. This quote portrays how very vivid these images still are in grandfather's mind. They haven't blurred over time or gotten easier to remember. "Bodies crackling like embers" is such a brutal similie and clearly articulates how painful these memories still are and likely will always be for Oskar's grandfather. These horrific descriptions of the events are painful for the reader to even try to imagine, but allow understanding of grandfather's silence. This much emotion is too painful for the grandfather to overcome, but writing is his only avenue of escape.  He hasn't chosen to be silent, he hasn't elected to never speak to his child. It is the harsh impact of his experience. He escaped death, but can never escape what he witnessed. The idea that Thomas can communicate his pain through writing helps build relationships between him other characters who too went through difficulties.   -Alyssa W

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Despite difficulties that come with communicating a traumatic experience, letters help convey emotion caused by a trauma that one may struggle to reveal face to face.

-Alyssa W