Disconnected Adults

[a_contemplative_life]

I guess my opinion of Lacke comes partly from the book. The stamp collection was much larger than the one stamp left at the end. He had been living by selling it off bit by bit for a long time. Thus he was avoiding engaging with life, with doing anything worthwhile. Also he was involved in a couple of conversations marked by the fact that no one was listening to anyone else. Sure he did form relationships, but failed to really engage with those people. Just existence really. The children actually lived, but the adults merely existed. A very nihilistic view of the real world.

Also from the book Jocke, just before Eli killed him, was dreaming of taking a vacation to the Canary Islands. He didn't want to take any of his 'friends' with him, each for a different reason. His relationships were not that deep.

I always liked the fact that Jocke had just decided to take his vacation with Lacke right before he goes into the underpass. It's like this huge, monumental decision--he's finally going to pull himself up and do something adventurous. Then he makes another key decision--to go into the darkened underpass vs. going around/above...

[Wolfchild]

Also from the book Jocke, just before Eli killed him, was dreaming of taking a vacation to the Canary Islands. He didn't want to take any of his 'friends' with him, each for a different reason. His relationships were not that deep.

Yes. If I consider the novel; the novel portrays Lacke as feeling closer to Jocke than Jocke feels to him. When Jocke is formulating his travel plans, he settles on Lacke as a traveling companion only through a process of elimination. This makes Lacke's quest to find vengeance for Jocke in the novel seem even more out of place.

[gattoparde59]

I think that with Lacke, he only wanted the things that he had lost. When he loses his friend Jocke, that is all that matters to him. He lashes out at Virginia and pushes her away. He can't see what he still has. All he can see is what he thinks was taken away. Then when Virginia is being taken away as well, that grabs his attention. His fantasy about selling the stamp and moving away with her was available to him the whole time. For this also, it is only when it is being taken away that he values it.

When I view the Lacke character in this light, he seems to me to be a rather well-developed character. His main flaw is fully developed, on display, and drives his plot thread forward. It is what leads him to be in Eli's bathroom, and ultimately what drives her from Blackeberg.

Sorry, I guess I have a different definition of "well developed." Seems like more of a one note, one dimensional character in service to the plot.

[gkmoberg1]

I am curious to see how characters such as Mr Avila contrast in how they are defined in the book vs the film. I have only read in the book up to where his character is introduced. In the movie he seems to be just another distracted adult. For example, he is reading the newspaper while Oskar is lifting weights - there's no attempt by Avila to build a connection.

I continue to find it incredulous that following the skating incident that Oskar's life seems to go on as before, in terms of parental and school oversight. Okay, he bashes a kid so hard he's off to the E.R.... and there's no follow through by the adults (other than the immediate reaction by his mother and the non-reaction by his father). I find it hard to imagine there would not have been a parent/teacher conference over this. ... Now, yes, the story is from Oskar's point of view, so I can accept that this would be omitted from the film; however the incident simply disappears.

[a_contemplative_life]

In the novel, Oskar had a habit of intercepting bad news letters from the school.

[gkmoberg1]

Yeh, that's pretty clever. I never thought to do that...

[Leftover Ghost]

I am curious to see how characters such as Mr Avila contrast in how they are defined in the book vs the film. I have only read in the book up to where his character is introduced. In the movie he seems to be just another distracted adult. For example, he is reading the newspaper while Oskar is lifting weights - there's no attempt by Avila to build a connection.

Did you notice that in the movie, in the scene where Oskar is asking Mr. Avila if he can participate in the after school weight-lifting program, there's a GULF oil sticker stuck on the doorframe (close to Avila's left shoulder). Subtle, huh?

I looked at the scene again, and it's almost as if Oskar is waiting for Mr. Avila to ask him to come into the office. Poor Oskar!

[crazychristina]

There's something in the book about Tomas' mother standing up for him no matter what he did. Oskar didn't want his mum to ring her about what had happened to him (Oskar) because his mother would lose the ensuing argument, and then take it out on Oskar. The bullies had bullies for parents. He had wimps for parents. Getting them involved only made matters worse for him.

[lombano]

I am curious to see how characters such as Mr Avila contrast in how they are defined in the book vs the film. I have only read in the book up to where his character is introduced. In the movie he seems to be just another distracted adult. For example, he is reading the newspaper while Oskar is lifting weights - there's no attempt by Avila to build a connection.

Still, he's better than the parents. He doesn't have the same level of duty towards Oskar, and at crucial oments there are bigger things distracting him.

I continue to find it incredulous that following the skating incident that Oskar's life seems to go on as before, in terms of parental and school oversight. Okay, he bashes a kid so hard he's off to the E.R.... and there's no follow through by the adults (other than the immediate reaction by his mother and the non-reaction by his father).

This for me is the most damning part about the parents. Oskar leaves another kid permanently deaf in one ear and they do nothing at all. The appropriate reaction isn't worrying about what others will say about you.