I think that the elephant is an extremely important symbol in this book. There are many similarities between the elephant and Oskar, such as having an incredibly strong memory creating an inability to forget. They also both seemingly have the inability to cry. Where elephants are suspected to be physically unable, Oskar simply chooses not to.
The elephant is first discussed by Oskar and Abby Black in the chapter The Only Animal. Oskar sees a picture of an elephant's eye on Abby's apartment wall, and tells her that he loves it, but clarifies to the reader that he wasn't just saying this because he wanted her to like him. I think he makes this clarification because he wants the reader to realize that he felt a real significant connection to the picture.
In a way, I think that Oskar can really relate to the elephant. He explains that elephants have memories much stronger than humans, which I suspect is where the phrase "elephants never forget" comes from. The theme of "never forget" not only applies to Oskar's struggles with his fathers passing, but also was and is the theme for the 9/11 memorial campaign. When explaining that elephants have strong memories, Oskar talks about the scientist who is doing research on elephants by playing recorded "calls" from other elephants, to see how they react. He talks about how the scientist would play the calls of a dead loved one, and the elephants would remember. I thought that this was significant because of the way Oskar is so attached to the recordings left by his dead father. I also found it important that Oskar could not remember how the elephants reacted. In my mind this is because Oskar does not quite know how he is handling the passing of his father.
Although he doesn't remember how the elephants reacted, he knows that they didn't cry. Oskar doesn't see real emotion as an option. He would symbolize his emotions with phrases such as "heavy boots." When Abby argues that the elephant is crying, Oskar dismisses it by saying that the photo was "manipulated in Photoshop", but he takes a photo of it just in case. I think that this is representative of Oskar's inner battle, of whether or not he can show emotion. He dismisses the idea that elephants can cry, because he wants not crying to seem justifiable, but he takes a picture of the crying elephant, because he wants crying to be an option for him in the future.
I think that Oskar feels that he and the elephant have a mutual understanding, and in a way, Oskar feels sympathy for the elephant. Oskar knows what it is like to have the blessing of strong memory, but also the curse of not being able to forget.
Tim, I think this a very interesting post. I didn’t pick up on all of the similarities that you just pointed out when I did my first reading of the chapter. I especially liked the idea of never forgetting in regards to the 9/11 memorial campaign and Oskar’s overall feelings about his father. This is a prime example of his state of melancholia.
ReplyDeleteAs I reflect on your examples and comparisons I would add that Oskar mentions to Abby that elephants carry their dead with them. They do not bury their loved ones bones but carry them with the herd. This is potentially significant because Oskar had such a hard time with the fact that his family buried an empty coffin for his father. He exclaimed his distaste for the entire ceremony. He vents to readers that his father was everywhere except inside the coffin. He says he was the in air and in the lungs of every single person who breathed outside the day of September 11, 2001. As an audience we can look at Oskar’s dislike of the ceremony in two different ways. Oskar, like the elephants can’t /doesn’t want to bury his father so he continually carries his lasting memory, his bones – the key, with him. Or because there was no physical body Oskar cannot have the closure he needs from the funeral, like his mother and therefore is forced to act like the elephants by carrying around the memory of his father like his physical bones.