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Beginnings and Ends of the three character's
Oskar, Grandma, and Thomas -
First event Grandma: the letter from the man in the Turkish Labor camp
as a child, Grandma receives a letter from a man in a Turkish labor camp. curious, she gets letters from the people she knows to try to understand the personality of the man who sent the letter. this represents a time for Grandma when things were good, one of the spaces in her life that she can look back on fondly. -
First event Thomas: Meeting Anna
A young Thomas meets Anna, and they fall in love at first sight. Thomas walks to her house every day but doesn't find her, only to find her walking to his house one day. the two spend more time together, and they get into a relationship. Thomas admires Anna's father for his intelligence. this is probably the happiest point in Thomas's life. -
Second Event Grandma: bombing of dresdon
While we aren't given as much information about Grandma's experiences of the bombings as we are given about Thomas, it still changes the course of the rest of her life. we know that her family was killed in the attacks and that she eventually moved to Manhattan, New York. -
Second event Thomas: The bombing of Dresden
this is the event that ruins the course of Thomas's life. while Dresden is being bombed, he leaves the shelter and goes to find Anna. he narrowly avoids being bombed himself. he witnesses horrific things like dead bodies, injured people, and the skin of his hand melting off. On the way he is instructed to shoot zoo animals, possibly starting his animal obsession later on. He never found Anna. the PTSD from this event caused him to go mute. -
Third event Thomas: meeting Grandma in America
Thomas is currently mute, and meets Grandma in America. the two bond and Thomas asks for her to pose for him so he can sculpt her. it is revealed that he is only sculpting her because she reminds him of Anna. they move in together. -
Third Event Grandma: meeting Thomas in America
Grandma and Thomas meet in America. Grandma recognizes him from Dresden, and almost immediately asks him to get married, and Thomas requests that she pose for him so that he can sculpt her. they eventually get married and have a child, causing Thomas to leave her and go back to Dresden. -
Fourth event Thomas: going back to Dresden
Grandma gets pregnant, and because of this Thomas wants to leave to go back to Dresden. Thomas refuses to move on from Anna, and his PTSD has him stuck in the past instead of living in the present. It is clear that Thomas regrets his life, as shown in this quote. "If I'd had two lives, I would have spent one of them with her."(Foer 133). Thomas wishes he had more time, or another life, to spend with Grandma, but his trauma will not allow him to move on. -
First Event Oskar: Oskar's dad dies
Oskar's father dies in the 9/11 terrorist attack the day after telling Oskar a story about the 6th borough. His death affects Oskar heavily and is the cause of most of Oskar's actions over the course of the book. -
Fourth Event Grandma: Watching 9/11 on the news
Grandma watches the 9/11 attacks on the news, meaning she also watched her child die. Grandma, whose life is so full of tragedy and misfortune, breaks down. "I brought myself to the ground, which was where I belonged. I hit the floor with my fists. I wanted to break my hands, but when it hurt too much, I stopped. I was too selfish to break my hands for my only child."(Foer 231). She is so traumatized that she wishes she broke her hands, as if sacrificing them would bring her son back. -
Fifth Event Grandma: Thomas returns
Thomas returns from Dresden, and Grandma begrudgingly lets him live in her guest room. Grandma is understandably incredibly angry with Thomas and hesitant to reconnect. but eventually, Thomas gets her forgiveness, and she poses for him so he can sculpt her, just like she did decades ago. -
Second Event Oskar: Finding the Envelope and Key
This kicks off Oskar's mission for the rest of the book. after finding an envelope with the word "Black" on the back with a key inside, Oskar decides to find every person with the last name Black in New York to find the lock for the key. -
Third Event Oskar: Oskar finds Mr. Black
Oskar finds Mr. Black in his expensive apartment and convinces him to help him search for the use of the key after Mr. Black decides that he wants one more adventure and to make sure Oskar stays safe. -
Fourth Event Oskar: meeting Abby Blacks ex-husband
Oskar is disappointed to learn from Abby Black's ex-husband that the key was for his lockbox, and has nothing to do with his father. It becomes most clear at this point that Oskar is only using this adventure to cling to his father's memory, as shown in this quote. "I wished he could remember even more details, like if dad had unbuttoned his shirt's top button, or if he smelled like shaving, or if he whistled 'I Am The Walrus'"(Foer 298). -
Fifth event Thomas: Meeting Oskar
Thomas comes back to America and convinces Grandma to let him live with her as long as he hides from Oskar. he eventually meets Oskar face-to-face after watching him on his adventures for a while, but he doesn't tell him that they are related. He eventually helps them dig up Oskar's father's grave, and he buries the letters he wrote him in his empty coffin, as a symbolic way to let him finally read them. -
Fifth Event Oskar: digging up the coffin
Oskar, refusing to move on from his father's death, goes to his empty coffin with Thomas to dig it up. There is no real reason for this, it is only a result of Oskar's attempts to cope by clinging to the past. After they go home, Oskar reminisces about his father's story of the sixth borough and about how they were all safe that night.