Mr. Black’s wisdom and advice acquired from past experiences helps Oskar to accept the loss of his father and to move past the mental barrier that is hindering his journey.
Mr. Black shares his and wisdom knowledge with Oskar from over 100 years of social and life experience to help him on his journey. Oskar’s uses this wisdom and knowledge to cope with the loss of his father. His father played such an important role in his life that after hedied he began feeling depressed and he isolated himself from society, leading Mr. Black to tell him that “So many people enter and leave your life! Hundreds of thousands a of people! You have to keep the door open so they can come in! But it also means you have to let them go!” (153). Mr. Black’s advice …show more content…
Black is able to help Oskar on his journey by telling him about his past experiences of loss and how friendship can be used to make it easier. As Mr. Black is telling Oskar about his wife Oskar asks “Where's your wife now?” (154), Mr. Black responds by saying “‘she died twenty-four years ago!’ ‘Oops.’ ‘It’s OK!’ ‘You don't feel bad I asked about her?’ ‘No! Thinking about her is the next best thing!’” (154). Mr. Black is telling Oskar that just because you lost someone you loved doesn't mean you grieve every time you think about them, in fact you should be joyful of all the good times and memories you had with this person. These good times and memories should serve as motivation for Oskar to fulfill his life and complete his journey. The conversation between the two eventually turns into a deeper connection because of the similar experiences shared in their lives. Oskar’s loss of his father is similar to Mr. Black’s loss of his wife, but they cope with the loss in different ways. Oskar avoids other people and doesn’t go out of his way to make new friends and Mr. Black copes by staying in his apartment. The connection between the two results in them helping each other. Oskar sees Mr. Black as a possible father/grandfather figure and a role when he says “I was keeping a list in my head of things I could do to be more like him” (154). Oskar’s feelings toward Mr. Black are similar to the feeling he had toward his father in result, filling the hole in him after the death