A Study of Universal Grief in “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” Modern psychology describes five stages of grief that people go through when faced with tragic circumstances. The five stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. This system was designed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler as part of their collaborations on death, dying and mourning. The fact that these stages are experienced by so many people shows that grief is a universal process. The term universal means that people all over the world and at all times in history share the same feelings and psychological experiences. Although people experience loss uniquely, they experience the grieving process in the same way, and the five stages are a universal process for coping with loss. Oskar Schell, the nine-year-old protagonist of Jonathan Safran Foer's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," is the central character in an exploration of the stages of grief. After Oskar's father, Thomas, is killed in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, the boy goes on a transformative journey through New York City, searching for clues to a lock and a way to bring back a better world. out of horror. Parts of the novel's plot, as well as certain characters, are representative of the five stages of grief, and we will see that Oskar takes the necessary and universal journey through the grieving process and emerges a more understanding person in the end. and healer. Denial and anger are the first two stages of the grieving process. Denial is the step in the process that delays the emotions that accompany grief. Denial is first demonstrated by how Oskar and his mother, when his father Thomas does not come home...... middle of paper ...... the grieving process is painful and n There is no set time limit. For some it may take a short time, for others a lifetime, but the steps are undeniable. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance are natural steps to coming to terms with tragedy. The process is universal, meaning people from all walks of life go through the same process. Several characters in "Extremely Strong and Incredibly Close" are presented as being at different stages of the process, but all are moving toward the final stage of acceptance. Oskar Schell goes through the entire process over the course of the story, and although the scars of a parent's tragic death never fully heal, the grieving process, in its logical progression, is also a healing process. Oskar accepts that his father is gone forever, but the memory lives on and the boy can begin to rebuild his shattered life..