Chapter 14

"He came to my door, 'Grandma?' I didn't want to betray her, I turned off the lights, what was I so afraid of? 'Grandma?' He started crying, my grandson was crying. 'Please. I really need help. If you're in there, please come out.' I turned on the light, why wasn't I more afraid? 'Please.' I opened the door and we faced each other, I faced myself, 'Are you the renter?'  I went back into the room and got this daybook from the closet, this book that is nearly out of pages, I brought it to him and wrote, 'I don't speak. I'm sorry.' I was so grateful to have him looking at me, he asked me who I was, I didn't know what to tell him, I invited him into the room, he asked me if I was a stranger, I didn't know what to tell him, he was still crying, I didn't know how to hold him, I'm running out of room" (280).

I thought this quote was really sad, because it really makes you see this situation from the Grandfather's perspective. We wondered why he had such a hard time just telling Oskar that he was his grandfather, but this quote makes it clear. He left the grandma for 40 years, and is trying to improve their newfound relationship, but realizes that if Oskar finds out, it might jeopardize this. I think the repetitiveness of the last line is really powerful, the way the grandpa keeps repeating that he doesn't know what to tell Oskar, or know what to do. I just really felt for the grandfather in this quote, especially when he says Oskar was crying.