images in book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I am very interested in the images in this novel. When I read page forty-four, I did not really understand the dialogue between the Oskar and the woman. The images after that page well explained what they were talking about and why he felt it was strange to write the word black in red pen. And this is important to the following text. So I think those images are very necessary in the text.

What I am interested in is that : Do Americans like to write their names when they test a pen? Then woman makes Oskar look at the paper filled with first names and family names and colors’ name. People who buy pens from her write those names on the paper to test pens. In my country, people seldom write their names on the test paper. Some one will recognize them from their names. Although it doesn’t matter whether others know where they buy pens, they still feel kind of upset.

Why Americans and Chinese are different at this point? I guess that because American names are not as many as Chinese. People cannot recognize others just by their names. Almost in my each class there are two or more students with the same first name. 

Setting

The story happens a year after his dad passed away on the fifth floor of an apartment in New York City. He found a key in the apartment in which he lived. And the key starts the whole story. He tries to find out what this key used for.  

Border and Gap

Border: 1. Why does the novel start the way it does?The author rambles for several pages at the beginning of the novel. He seems to try to write a journal. He just talks about what he is thinking at the moment. Some seem to have no relation with the whole story. In these pages, he tells readers who he is and his relationship with his father. He starts with a question which can draw attention from readers.

2. Why he use French in the novel? I think it doesn’t matter if he writes in English.

3. Page nine, I do not understand the massage and where the massage comes from.

Gap:

1. Page five, “Succotash my Balzac, dipshiitake.” These words are very strange.

2. Page 16-17. The author does not divide the writing into paragraphs. I guess it is because he is too upset to talk.

3. Page 19-27. He writes only one sentence on each page. I think he wants to show his grief.