It is altogether a more fruitful or at least less lengthy search than those of his grandparents. It is also more proactive than his mother's search, which begins with denial.
The key is also symbolic of the new connections that Oskar forms in his search. In searching, the void is filled not so much by the final achievement as also by the accomplishments along the way. In addition to learning more about his family in general while also making new friends in the process, Oskar makes closer connections with his living relatives. In this way, his father's memory serves to reaffirm life rather than the tragedy of death. Contrary to what Oskar and his grandmother initially believe, neither life nor death is meaningless. Both convey a deeper meaning to life as something to be lived as fully as possible.
Ironically, Oskar's final discovery of the key's purpose is only a small part of what the journey gave him. He not only made new connections, but also strengthened existing connections with his family. He no longer needed to feel lonely, because he was surrounded by family who experienced similar losses and pain as himself, although each felt the emotion in a unique way. While the story then began with a tragic event, the author leads the reader to a glorious, hopeful, and even joyful conclusion.
In addition to being a symbol of connection, the key in the novel also connects people in a very concrete sense. Like tragedy, the key signifies different things for the different people in the novel. It is initially and most closely connected to Oskar's demised father. In Oskar's search, however, the key becomes much more to many more people. It transcended its initial purpose to yield to Oskar's journey something more than he expected.
Oskar's initial purpose was to become closer to the remaining idea of his father. It began as an individual journey. Ultimately, however, the journey became collective. The key was inserted...
The lock then is symbolic of the fulfillment of the key's ultimate purpose, and the completion of the journey.
Oskar Schell eventually joins his voice not only with the other first-person narrators, but also with all his family members. He is no longer expected to carry the burden of his father's death alone. In the end, the idea of his father becomes a collective family celebration rather than individual mourning. While the sorrow remains, and probably will for life, it is a sorrow without regret. It is tempered by the memory of a life that was meaningful to many people. In this way, Oskar was able to come to terms with his grief and move on. He would never forget his father, and he would never regret the journey that led him to the purpose of the key and the purpose of his life.
In considering the theme of loss, the novel does not seek to deny the tragedy of death or the difficulty of living after a loved one has passed. Indeed, through the reaction of Oskar's mother and grandfather, the fact of unbearable pain is addressed in a very concrete way. What the novel does accomplish however is to suggest that there are alternatives. It is unnecessary to submit the whole of one's life to the grief of loss. Instead, loss can be transformed into a celebration of what was and what is to come.
The essay attempted to explore the imagery of the key and lock as these relate to the sense of loss, search, and fulfillment experienced by the various characters. Although following different pathways, each character finds the ultimate fulfillment of connection and rediscovery as explicated by the lock. The key is symbolic of incompletion. This sense of the incomplete is what initially drives Oskar, and eventually the other characters to embark on their individual journeys of discovery. When the lock is found, relationships are discovered as well as rediscovered. Connections, events and lives are locked in place.
