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Jordan Keig May 24, 2013 AP English Lang Kelley 6 Parallel Work Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer and an excerpt from the novel The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks are similar in that they both explore the theme of relationships. The Notebook depicts a whirlwind romance in which two soul mates are drawn together by fate. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a more complex novel with a multitude of themes, one being the unusually loveless and forced relationship between the protagonist's grandparents. The relationships portrayed in these two pieces represent two extremes. In this excerpt from The Notebook, the author expresses the idealist love of two soul mates who are both equally happy and completely fulfilled. This fairy tale vision of love is the polar opposite of the relationship between the grandparents in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. In this novel, because the couple forms a relationship under odd circumstances, they develop a rules-based relationship that avoids the intimacy found in the excerpt from The Notebook. Although most people strive for the same type of love depicted in the excerpt from The Notebook, the bizarre relationship described in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is closer to the reality of most relationships. In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close the author explores the complex relationship of the grandma and grandpa through letters placed throughout the novel. This writing style is different because instead of telling the story all at once, the story stays fragmented and mysterious much like the actual partnership between the grandparents. The grandparents have a marriage that was sparked from a common love for another

Keig 2 person, not each other. Both the grandmother and grandfather were deeply in love with Anna, the grandmother's sister. When these two characters are reunited after years apart, they are drawn towards each other and decide to elope to avert loneliness, not because they are in love. These two people try to find passion between them but no matter what they do there isn't a spark. The grandpa says he loves the way she laughs but "the truth is" he is not in love with her (Foer 135). Their relationship is supported by a strange system of rules and regulations such as "something" and "nothing" spaces. These rules help to keep their relationship stay sturdy while avoiding intimacy at the same time. Their marriage is incredibly bizarre at first glance but contains more truth than the reader can first see. The excerpt from The Notebook is a letter written from the main character, Noah to the girl he loves, Allie. In this letter he expresses to her his love and the emotions he felt when they broke up. The most significant line of the passage is when he states that he is not "bitter" because he knows that their love was "real" (Sparks). This shows that their relationship was filled with passion and love. Noah goes on to say that he is a "better man" because of their relationship proving that their love has significantly changed his life (Sparks). The love that is depicted through this letter is what every person dreams to have. This story reflects an idealistic romance that is nice to read about, but extremely difficult to attain. The emotion in this letter expresses the belief that soul mates do exist and that true love is not just a figment of the imagination. Although this letter is a confession of deep love, it pushes farther away from the reality of a real relationship. These two pieces both deal with the nature love and express it through the format of letters. The use of the letter in The Notebook is to show the reader exactly what Noah

Keig 3 was thinking and express the intimacy of their relationship. The use of letters in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close helped to keep the marriage of the grandparents mysterious and confusing to the reader. Although both of these works express some kind of love story, they represent completely different ideas of a marriage. The Notebook is the story that everyone wants to believe is true. It is the story that everyone wants to experience and what people want to believe is reality. However, the marriage between the grandparents in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close more accurately portrays most relationships. The grandmother explains to Oskar that they had to make rules. Then she goes on to say that "there is nothing wrong with compromising" (Foer 175). The grandma and grandpa had to make rules in order for their relationship to function and although the marriage depicted in this novel is an extreme case, it reflects the idea that most partnerships end up with odd rules to ensure that it doesn't fail. One may not want to admit it but many marriages stay together for necessity. There is a gap that humanity is compelled to fill with another person, and many times relationships settle because they are simply good enough. The partnership of Oskar's grandparents comes closer to depicting this reality than the fairy tale romance described in this excerpt from The Notebook. Every person dreams of finding their soul mate. Every little girl fantasizes about walking down the isle and meeting the love of her life at the end. Everybody strives for eternal love and happiness. But, in many cases this search for love can be forced and can end up pushing the couple to the other end of the spectrum. The optimist believes that true love is out there for everyone and if one tries hard enough they can find it. However, the journey towards love is complex and becomes more and more twisted over time. In

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the end, many find themselves living in a restricted relationship that doesn't match their picture of true love.

Works Cited: Sparks, Nicholas. "A Letter from Yesterday." The Notebook. New York: Warner, 1996. 146-47. Print. Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Boston, MA: Mariner, 2005. Print.

Excerpt from The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

My dearest Allie, I don't know what to say anymore except that I couldn't sleep last night because I knew that it is over between us. It is a different feeling for me, on that I never expected, but looking back, I suppose it couldn't have ended another way. You and I were different. We came from different worlds, and yet you were the one who taught me the value of love. You showed me what it was like to care for another, and I am a better man because of it. I don't want you to ever forget that. I am not bitter because of what has happened. On the contrary. I am secure in knowing that what we had was real, and I am happy we were able to come together for even a short period of time. And if, in some distant place in the future, we see each other in our new lives, I will smile at you with joy, and remember how we spent a summer beneath the trees, learning from each other and growing in love. And maybe, fir a brief moment, you'll feel it too, and you'll smile back, and savor the memories we will always sure together. I love you, Allie Noah