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In Jonathan Safran Foer's Here We Aren T, So Quickly

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Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Here we Aren’t, so Quickly” is a unique piece of writing that manages to describe an entire life in a matter of pages. Rather than using strict ages, the passage of time is shown through important milestones in the narrator’s life such as marriages, deaths, and births. By examining these events the reader can detect three distinct time periods in his life: youth, middle age, and old age. There are subtle changes in the protagonist during each time period, which showcase his maturation and provide evidence of his character growth. The story begins with the narrator as a young individual, describing his ineptitude as certain social encounters and his quirks rather than any deep character flaw. He does not yet the maturity to recognize any severe deficits he may possess. The focus is solely on him, using only “I” as the only pronoun. University of Chicago professor Benjamin Wright states “Here, the child is not interested in having other people, or in being possessed by them, being somebody on his own” (Wright 126). By this he means that children are more focused on individuality than any form of plurality. This explains the why the narrator initially refers only to himself. The reader is then …show more content…

In his youth, the narrator is relatively carefree. He is in good health, and focused on enjoying life. He begins the story concerned only for himself, and overtime begins using “we”. The death of his father leads him toward middle age, and the birth of his son completes this transition. He longs for the days of his youth, and has a regretful attitude. His son marries, and the narrator and his wife age further, and the transition into old age is complete with the death of the narrator’s father-in-law. Between these events we can see large shifts in attitudes and ideas, as well as health and well-being. These factors provide clear character evolution within the

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