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Hyperbole
Definition of Idiom
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the words in the phrase. For... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on a literal interpretation of the... read full definition
An idiom is a phrase that conveys a figurative meaning that is difficult or impossible to understand based solely on... read full definition
Chapter 9, “Happiness, Happiness”
Explanation and Analysis—Heavy Boots:
Oskar's recurring phrase "heavy boots" is an idiom he invents to express the sensation of profound sadness and grief. Unlike a conventional idiom shared by a culture, "heavy boots" belongs entirely to Oskar's personal lexicon. The image is tactile and immediate. Sorrow becomes a physical burden, as if invisible weight is dragging him down with every step.
In one early example, Oskar recalls reading A Brief History of Time before his father died and feeling "incredibly heavy boots" when confronted with the vast insignificance of human life. The metaphor fuses emotional pain with physical heaviness, making the reader feel the drag of existential despair. Later, in the aftermath of his father's death, he reflects:
I didn’t understand why I needed help, because it seemed to me that you should wear heavy boots when your dad dies, and if you aren’t wearing heavy boots, then you need help.
Here, "heavy boots" becomes a moral measure of grief, an index of whether one is properly honoring a loss.
Throughout the novel, Oskar uses the phrase whenever he encounters moments of disappointment or rejection. When Mr. Black doesn't have a card for his father, Oskar says it gave him "heavy, heavy boots," repeating the word to intensify the emotional weight. The idiom also carries faint echoes of wartime imagery and soldiers' boots, linking Oskar's personal grief to the historical traumas that haunt his family.
Related Themes:
