In "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," the author Jonathan Safran Foer presents a poignant image of collective grief. He suggests that when individuals shed tears, they contribute to a shared reservoir of sadness, symbolizing how personal sorrow connects people in a broader emotional landscape. Each night's tears, when combined, influence the state of this reservoir, emphasizing a communal aspect of human experience.

This metaphor illustrates the weight of collective emotions on a larger scale. The weatherman's ability to report on the water level symbolizes how society can gauge the emotional state of a place like New York, particularly during times of loss or despair. It serves as a reminder that individual pain can reflect and shape the communal atmosphere, making it possible to measure the universal experience of sorrow through something as tangible as rising water levels.