I read the first chapter of when Dad was still alive, and I got incredibly heavy boots about how relatively insignificant life is, and how, compared to the universe and compared to time, it didn't even matter if I existed at all.
In Jonathan Safran Foer's novel "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," the narrator explores profound feelings of insignificance in the face of the vastness of the universe and the relentless flow of time. The weight of existence becomes a heavy burden, as the character grapples with the thought that one's presence or absence might not impact the grand scheme of things.
This contemplation on life's meaning highlights the struggles of the character,...
