Newspaper Clipping Importance

[lombano]

I have little doubt that if Oskar had not met Eli, his bullying would have continued into young adulthood. He would have become cold and desensitized to the violence he would soon perpetrate on others. He would be a serial killer today, living out the revenge fantasies fed by the articles. In this way, Eli saved his life and maybe even his soul.

I disagree, despite his fantasies Oskar is very kind by nature, and while I do see him being violent towards his tormentors I don't see him attacking third parties.

[ZWD40]

I disagree, despite his fantasies Oskar is very kind by nature, and while I do see him being violent towards his tormentors I don't see him attacking third parties.

So we are now assuming that Oskar will definitely exact vengeance on the bullies. What we are questioning now, is whether Oskar will commit crimes beyond that, upon "third parties"
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Saying Oskar will not commit crimes on other people due to his "kind by nature" is quite a big assumption
How do we know what the extent of Oskar's kindness is?

There are a multitude facets that bring about the result that is known as "kindness"
[1] Is he someone that looks at the whole? Seeking equilibrium among others?
[2] Is he someone who has a high degree of empathy? Able to place himself in the other's shoes, knowing what it would feel like for the other to feel pain?
[3] Is he someone who has a clear cut distinction between right and wrong?
[4] Is he someone who receives great satisfaction from doing something beneficial to others?
[5] Is he someone who has a strong guilty conscience?

Based on the limited view we have from the novel, the Oskar we know that steals not only for the gain at no expense, but also relishes the success of his conquest. In contrast to that, Tommy and co's biggest(from what we are given) conquest, the cassette tapes, were mostly an adventure. They had no interest in the acquisition of the tapes, but only the success of the conquest.
Oskar's thievery does not display any restraint from all 5. He stole for his satisfaction, and [4]for Eli's, without regard for the losses of the stores that sold knives, candies and toys that he stole from.
Oskar's vengeance upon Jonny displayed [1]equilibrium, [3] right/wrong, however it was Oskar who sought equilibrium and justice for his sake, his benefit, and not others.
Oskar displayed [2]empathy, and [5]guilt only after he has exacted his revenge upon Jonny, and was wondering if he took it too far.



Oskar's only saving grace is that he displays kindness to people in his inner circle.
1) He willingly pays(with the money he earned) for stolen goods knowing that it did not cost the Tommy anything
2) Feels guilty towards his mother, after he slights her

Third party people though, as you mentioned, would not be included here. As long as they are not close to Oskar, they would be potential victims to an Oskar who would grow to be a criminal in the future.



What could stop Oskar from doing harm to others?
We observe that Oskar has a strong sense of justice when it works against him. 1) Oskar feeling like he will get screwed for being able to acquire a set of Goosebumps books at a small price 2) Oskar knowing that retribution is around the corner after he stood his ground and struck Jonny.




What would the reasons be for Oskar to commit more crimes?
1) Oskar recognizes quality. He stole not just any knife; he stole a quality knife. Same for the candies. He didn't pick randomly, he had his preferences. He knew the distinction between the copy and the real Rubik's cube.
2) Should there be other people who wrongs him or things he holds dear, he would have no trouble exacting vengeance upon them, as he had already done so against his tormentors.
---Oskar can, and will commit crimes for gain and for exacting vengeance




How could I say then, that the statement "Oskar's kindness dictates that he will not commit crimes on others" is a big assumption, while I also make the opposite assumption that Oskar isnt "kind" enough to not commit crimes on other people?
Simple, once a person has already taken the first step, the rest follows. The first step is the hardest part. It always is. The rest pale in comparison to the first.
-If you have already stolen "insignificant" goods for gain, chances are, stealing goods of higher value is not far from your future.
-Once you have killed, I imagine the rest would not have the same morality conflict hurdles as the first.
-Once you have consciously decided to hurt someone, hurting another is not impossible.

[rgh]

I have little doubt that if Oskar had not met Eli, his bullying would have continued into young adulthood. He would have become cold and desensitized to the violence he would soon perpetrate on others. He would be a serial killer today, living out the revenge fantasies fed by the articles. In this way, Eli saved his life and maybe even his soul.

I disagree, despite his fantasies Oskar is very kind by nature, and while I do see him being violent towards his tormentors I don't see him attacking third parties.

I think I can agree that as of the time the story is told, Oskar is kind by nature. Yes, he does have some faults, but he is mostly kind. My thoughts of him going down this dark path are based on a couple assumptions.

Had he not met Eli, I assume that the bullying would continue through the end of his education, and probably escalate. This would isolate him further from society and help his hatred of the bullies grow. I also assume that this hatred could extend to those who should have helped him, but chose to ignore the problem. It doesn't really matter whether they actually ignored the situation and simply didn't know, for Oskar, it would be the same. As he becomes more isolated, I could also see him losing his ability to empathize with others, as even those who are not directly mean to him do not exactly welcome him. This, along with his morbid fascination with the killings and acting out some of his aggressions, led me to think this was a possible future for him (without Eli). By the way, you know that there is a precedence for serial killers to start with small animals. What happened to our cats? (I don't really think Oskar killed the cats, there is no evidence, but just throwing it out there)

For someone like Oskar, who just can't seem to fit in, a very real possibility could be suicide. Of course, both of these scenarios assume that he doesn't find someone else who accepts him (in time), that nobody helps him deal with the situation, and that the situation simply doesn't improve.

[crazychristina]

An interesting parallel is Severus Snape from the Harry Potter franchise. Bullied at school, an interest in the Dark Arts, he eventually allied himself with Voldemort, lord of darkness, in order to be accepted. Don't forget that Eli was attracted to him initially because he was violent, sharing something with her. Perhaps he would have ended up a henchman of some crime boss. He doesn't seem sufficiently interested in manipulating people to actually be the boss. That's more in Connie's line.

[lombano]

I see Oskar as extremely restrained when he hits back - the violence here is pure self-defence and his reaction in offering the sock shows quite a lot of innate kindness and generosity. This is not a one-off; despite Eli's rudeness and perceived hostility, he reacts positively (lending the cube, etc) as soon as she's less apparently hostile. We never see any instance of unprovoked violence from him, either, nor of any actual (rather than imagined) cruelty. This is not a serial killer in the making.

[TheVoxHumanus]

I see Oskar as extremely restrained when he hits back - the violence here is pure self-defence and his reaction in offering the sock shows quite a lot of innate kindness and generosity. This is not a one-off; despite Eli's rudeness and perceived hostility, he reacts positively (lending the cube, etc) as soon as she's less apparently hostile. We never see any instance of unprovoked violence from him, either, nor of any actual (rather than imagined) cruelty. This is not a serial killer in the making.

Totally agree. Here's why.

He fantasizes about being powerful, but he's unable to actually translate the fantasies into action. When he does get the courage to hit back, he has to do it with an object -- adding a layer of insulation between himself and his target.

When he confronts Lacke, he's doing it with his knife (again, adding a layer of insulation) but as soon as it hits home that this whole situation is real with real consequences he freaks out and drops the knife (in disgust?). He's repulsed by real violence. I don't think Oskar having never met Eli would've actually translated his violent fantasies into real action. He didn't torture animals or engage in any real violence. He just stole things and stabbed trees.

[a_contemplative_life]

I doubt it would take Oskar long to return to normal once the pressure of the bullying ended.

[rgh]

I doubt it would take Oskar long to return to normal once the pressure of the bullying ended.

I guess my question would be how long would the bullying have continued? Bullying during the formative teen years can be even more damaging than what he has experienced up to this point. He might not become a serial killer, but he would be damaged.

(I'm not on a crusade against Oskar, by the way, the possibilities are just interesting and tragic... Or maybe I'm still angry at him for making Eli come in uninvited. Kidding)

[ZWD40]

Totally agree. Here's why.

He fantasizes about being powerful, but he's unable to actually translate the fantasies into action. When he does get the courage to hit back, he has to do it with an object -- adding a layer of insulation between himself and his target.

When he confronts Lacke, he's doing it with his knife (again, adding a layer of insulation) but as soon as it hits home that this whole situation is real with real consequences he freaks out and drops the knife (in disgust?). He's repulsed by real violence. I don't think Oskar having never met Eli would've actually translated his violent fantasies into real action. He didn't torture animals or engage in any real violence. He just stole things and stabbed trees.

That is not surprising.

I imagine it takes a special kind of criminal to maim or kill someone, on command, without the use of any medium. Oskar hiding behind these media does not mean he is incapable of harming anyone, mortally or otherwise.

I do not know the exact figures, but I imagine that the number of attacks which led to death/injuries with the aid of a weapon dwarfs the number of deaths/injuries of confrontations without a weapon.







As for the confrontation with Lacke, that is a whole new other discussion. Yes, it requires discussion because Oskar's decision(or lack thereof) does not prove anything.
Yes, it shows Oskar's good nature if you take it at face value. But what was the cause behind it? Knowing the answer to that will change our perception of Oskar's "decision"
Im hoping we could start a discussion on that, if such a discussion has not yet taken place

[TheVoxHumanus]

I could easily make the argument that the length of the object contributed to his decision to use it. It's not a "close" weapon.