Everything is Illuminated

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Everything is Illuminated

• by Jonathan Safran Foer
• OR Presentation by Mrs HR

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Author Jonathan Safran Foer

• born February 21, 
• 1977 in Washington, 
• DC
• begins writing at 
• Princeton University 
• under J.C. Oates
• very modern writer (uses non-linear plots, poetic
  devices, stream of consciousness, etc.)

so far has written Everything is
Illuminated Extremely Loud and Incredibly
Close Eating Animals Tree of Codes
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Everything is Illuminated Plot

• Climax Jonathan, Alex, and Grandfather may -or
  may not- have found 
• Trachimbrod
• Rising Action 
• Jonathan learns more and more about his family's
  past
• Exposition Readers meet Jonathan and Alex as the
  two begin writing letters back and forth

Falling Action The two return home - Jonathan
to his writing and Alex to his abusive father and
guilt- ridden grandfather Resolution Alex's
Grandfather commits suicide Alex is able to
express his feelings and take his brother and
mother away    
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Literary Elements in the Novel

• Dynamic character Alex
• At the beginning of
• the novel Alex is
• fearful for his
• brother, lies to
• Make himself
• appear cooler, 
• and holds on
• to some slightly
• racist ideas about Jewish people.
• At the end of the novel, all this changes.

Textual evidence "My many friends dub me Alex...
 I am always elsewhere with friends  disseminatin
g  so  much currency  and performing so
many things that can spleen a mother...I  have
many, many girls, believe me, and they all have
different names for me"
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Literary Elements in the Novel

• Motif Collecting
• Throughout the novel the characters collect
• thingsmemories
• of their families'
• pasts, guilt from
• actions they 
• once took, and 
• items that
• Represent the
• lost lives of other 
• people.

Textual evidence "'Excellent, Didl said, pulling
Volume IV of the Book of Recurrent  Dreams...
Most  excellent!  It  won't be long  before
another  volume is  complete!... But  first we
must review last week's entries..."
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Literary Elements in the Novel

• Internal conflict Believe the stories of his
  family's past?
• Jonathan is writing
• the memoirs of his
• family in
• Trachimbrod,
• but it is unclear
• whether these stories
• actually happened or
• not.  He is conflicted
• inside about whether or not he should believe
  this history.

Textual evidence No hateful words were ever
spoken, and no  hands raised. More  than that, no
angry  words were ever  spoken, and  nothing
was  denied. But more  than that, no unloving
words were ever spoken.... Love me, because love
doesn't exist, and I have tried everything that
does. 
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Themes in Everything is Illuminated

• People's identities are shaped by both who they
  come from and who
• they choose to be.
• What happens in the
• past directly affects
• what happens
• in the present and
• what will 
• happen in the future.
• Friendships can overcome 
• backgrounds, languages, 
• and beliefs.

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Evaluation of Everything is Illuminated

• My Rating
• Recommend? YES! (Especially
• for students who like interesting
• plots and poetic writing)
• Why I love this book  It blurs the
• line between what we think is real
• and what may not have happened
• as we've been told it has.  It's
• written with thought and beautiful
• word choice.  It makes me both
• laugh and cry.  It reminds me of
• my own family, whose history may
• not be as we say it is.