Question

I knew i could never let mom hear the messages, because protecting her is one of my most important raisons d’etre, so what i did was i took dad's emergency money from on top of his dresser, and i went to radio shack on amsterdam. it was on a tv there that i saw that the first building had fallen. i bought the exact same phone and ran home and recorded our greeting from the first phone onto it. —extremely loud and incredibly close, jonathan safran foer what inference does the narrator make? ✔ his mother loves his father. what assumption might the narrator have that supports this inference?

Answer 1

The narrator makes the inference that his mother loves his father based on the action of protecting her from distressing messages during a challenging time.

Step-by-step explanation:

The narrator's decision to shield his mother from distressing messages and the subsequent action of replicating the phone's greeting at Radio Shack suggest an inference about the strong emotional bond between the narrator's parents. By prioritizing his mother's well-being and going to great lengths to spare her from upsetting news, the narrator implies a belief in the deep love and connection between his parents.

The assumption supporting this inference is rooted in the narrator's actions, specifically the understanding that protecting his mother is one of his most important reasons for existence (raison d'être). This assumption reflects a profound sense of responsibility and care, indicating that the narrator perceives a loving relationship between his parents. The act of preserving his mother from the distressing messages reveals an assumption that exposing her to such information would be emotionally detrimental due to the love and significance attributed to their relationship.

Jonathan Safran Foer, through this narrative choice, explores themes of love, family, and protection in the face of adversity. The narrator's actions underscore the emotional complexities within the family dynamic, emphasizing the lengths one may go to shield loved ones from pain, thereby supporting the inference of the mother's love for the father.