"What if the water that came out of the shower was treated with a chemical that responded to a combination of things, like your heart-beat, and your body treatment, and your brain waves, so that your skin changed color according to your mood? If you were extremely excited your skin would turn green, and if you were angry you'd turn red, obviously, and if you felt like shiitake you'd turn brown, and if you were blue you'd turn blue." (163) This quote shows Oskar inventing something that would help him see other people's feelings and other people to see his feelings. He turns something that's unseen to something that you can see.
This is linked to Oskar's obsession with the color white.
Oskar went to a art store and found a doodling pad where people tried out different pens and he noticed that everyone would write the name of the color pen they were using with it and this led him to find his dads name on the pad.
In addition to this he notices that sometimes people would write the name of a colour that they were not using, such as writing "black" with a green pen. Later there is an entire page devoted to the word "purple" written in green pen. This is interesting because as much of the book is about miscommunications this could be another, smaller, miscommunication, and one that is more obvious than the ones Oskar experiences as the story unfolds.
Alot of times Oskar talks about colors, and in one specific part of the book his mind wanders and he has the idea of a mood ring.(Or something like that) Oskar goes on to explain all the color moods and attitudes. Reading this I wonder: If those colors mean certian things, does white mean all of them?
*White (Moonstone To Mist~Ivory/Opal)- Meditative, Philosophical, Constant, Temperate, Cooled, Settled, Restrained, Indifferent, Bored, Unenthusiastic, Confused, Frustrated, Strained, Stunned/Shocked
doesnt it fit for Oskar, white. Philosophical, indifferent, confused, frustrated i feel like those words describe him. I wonder if he knows what white symbolizes and wanted to represent his inside with his outside. I feel like thats something he would do.
*Sheofmermaids. "Mood Ring Colors Chart." Web log post. Blogspot. 6 Mar. 07. Web. 5 Nov. 09. .
I think that Oskar feels that white is a certain place or thing of bliss. This is his definition. White can change ever so easily just by a little drop of a color, which is kind of how Oskar is. He is constantly changing from acting like a boy and an adult.