Oskar's Invention

Oskar's tragic loss of his father seems to leave Oskar hopeless and alone. Through out the novel, Oskar struggles in the absence of the connection he once had with his father. Because that relationship played such a strong role in his life, when it suddenly ended with his father passing away, oskar seemed to feel entirely isolated in his own head. If there was an invention that could recapture the connection between Oskar and his father and also allow it to once again exist then that would potentially heal Oskar’s internal loneliness.


Oskar looked to his father for stories, inspiration, and approval, but most of all he looked to his father for answers. It was the questions oskar asked and the manner in which his father answered them that facilitated the intensely strong connection between the two. And so an invention that I think could provide Oskar with tremendous help in not only with his attempt to cope with loss but also his everyday day life would be an imaginary box that would create and deal out letters with the answers to the questions oskar writes to it. This could spark new connection between Oskar and such an influential friend he used to have.


His desperate need for this connection seems to dominate his life and is quite evident in the novel. His conviction to find the lock that fits in the key is one example of this, as well as his secret and exclusive possession of the phone voice mail of his father's last words. The ability for oskar to ask his father questions would undoubtedly help oskar in many facets of his life.