Cunning and Cleverness Quotes in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

A great game that Dad and I would sometimes play on Sundays was Reconnaissance Expedition. (1.20)

When Dad was alive, he's often organize little scavenger hunts for Oskar, like this one, where he'd have to find certain items in Central Park. Oskar thinks his Dad might have still left clues for him even after he died, like the key in the vase.

Quote #2

There was nothing, which would have been unfortunate, unless nothing was a clue. Was nothing a clue? (1.21)

Because the Reconnaissance Expeditions didn't have rules or many clues, it forced Oskar to think creatively and enjoy the process. His father probably knew how Oskar always liked having a logical answer, and the Expeditions were a way to get him to think out of the box.

Quote #3

I did some research on the Internet about the locks of New York, and I found out a lot of useful information. (3.19)

For someone as inquisitive as Oskar, you can imagine what a treasure-trove of facts the Internet is for him. When he researches locks, he gets preoccupied with numbers and facts. It's this quality, along with Oskar's difficulty in social situations, that's one of the reasons some people think that Foer created Oskar as someone with Asperger's syndrome.