On the other hand, because this behavior is compulsive, he may be suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It is not uncommon for individuals oppressed by the disorder to have impulsive thoughts about hurting oneself as well as others, a theme that is somewhat common for Oskar throughout the novel. Lastly, it is not uncommon for these impulsive thoughts to cause an individual to be ridden with anxiety; he often seems anxious when he gives himself the bruises. it is also fairly common for depression and anxiety to go hand in hand. Either way, it is obvious that Oskar is overwhelmed by his own thoughts, almost smothered by them. In very simplified terms, those who suffer from panic and anxiety have too full of a plate. It comes from feedback in the brain that says "this is too much", causing a fight or flight response, and panic. But unlike most, he never gives up, despite all of that. He continues to suffer through the stress in an attempt to make things make sense; to try and find anything at all that could bring closure to his father's departure. Lastly, all of these symptoms and possible disorders could be tied to one thing that many suffered from after the events of 9/11: Post-Tramatic Stress Disorder. Even some who didn't lose a loved one are plagued by this illness; my sister lived so close to the buildings that concrete broke through her window, a likely cause of her PTSD.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
What about the bruises?
Ok, so this is kind of weird for a first blog. However, it seems that Oskar gives himself bruises at times when he feels the most upset, the most anxious, etc. I don't know if this is one of the things "which I know about" for Oskar, or if it's compulsive behavior, but it isn't uncommon for people who are depressed to cause themselves harm. Such as with cutting yourself (which is different, I guess), the brain releases endorphins when you harm yourself. Hence, perhaps this is something that makes Oskar feel better when he is upset, whether he is aware of it or not.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
I agree with you that Oskar's bruises are a result of his anxiety in his situtation. But it seems that Oskar replaces giving himself bruises with expressing his feelings. This could be so that his obsessive thoughts plague only him and bother no one else, such as his mother. In this sense, the bruises are his expression of sadness, stress, or anxiety. Do you think this contributes to Foer's theme that words are insignificant in the grand scheme of things?
I agree with your blog when you say that the bruises are a product of Oskar's anxiety and OCD. I also wanted to further note that Oskar does say at one point that if he feels the urge to cry he will give himself a bruise. He is trapping all his feelings inside and repressing his emotions which would cause his mental health to futher decline as you stated. When his mother sees all his bruises which he describes as being all over you can just imagine how much he is keeping inside him, and how his state of mine is. But I guess technically we understand his feelings through Foer's style of writing. Ha im rambling, but KUDOS AAA
I’m sorry to hear about your sister. Has she since recovered?
Natalie Marie’s point about an emotional or thematic purpose to the bruises could be valid. It seems more likely in a literary work for themes and symbols to be manifested in details like the bruises. However, I like your perspective on the possible biological reasons and mental disorders explaining such activity. It hadn’t occurred to me as I was reading. Even though I think that a symbolic purpose might be a more likely explanation than a disorder, this book is so far from “normal” that I wouldn’t put it past Foer to include an OCD or PTSD affected character. I was wondering, though, where you sourced or learned your information on psychology from. In particular, I was wondering about the threat of an OCD person to his or herself and others. I would say, Tripleaye, that you made a very good post.
I, too, thought your explanation for Oskar's bruises was well expressed and from a different perspective than I've heard so far. Do you think this obsessive behavior comes from the lack of control Oskar is feeling over his life?
What I meant in my comment on your post was that the bruises were his representation of his emotional stress, whether from mental disorders or other complications in his life. In that sense, the bruises are replacing the words he could tell his therapist or his mother. So in such a way, Foer is commenting on the ability to understand a person without words, thus indicating their insignificance.
Could Oskar be bipolar?
Post a Comment