"'He used to say things like that.' 'Like what?' 'Oh, like nothing is so-and-so. Or everything is so-and-so. Or obviously.' She laughed. 'He was always very definitive.'" (43)
"Dad used to teach my physics with crayons on paper tablecloths while we waited for our pancakes. He would have been able to explain anything." (147)
"10. Walt; 9. Lindy; 8. Alicia; Grandma said, "I hope you never love anything as much as I love you." Over. 7. Farley; 6. The Minch/Toothpaste (tied); 5. Stan; I could hear her kissing her fingers and then blowing. 4. Buckminster; 3. Mom; I blew her a kiss back. 2. Grandma; "Over and out," one of us said. -1. Dad."
This quote shows indirect characterization in the way that Oskar loves his dad more than anything else. It must mean that Oskar's dad was very important to him and was a very prominent part of his life. Also that the dad had a good relationship with his son.
It also demonstrates Oskar's differing rationality at his young age, in the way that he tends to list things out and plan ahead logically. (Related links?)
"Nothing is beautiful and true." She smiled, but in a way that wasn't just happy, and said "You sound just like Dad." Talking as if something has happened to his dad or in the past tense.
Oskar seems to have a deeper connection with his father when he referred to how he was moving back and forth between the strength of relationship with his mom or dad
"So do you have a card for my dad?" "Thomas Schell, right!" "Right." He went to the S drawer and pulled it halfway out. His fingers ran through the cards like the fingers of someone much younger than 103. "Sorry! Nothing!" "Could you double-check?" His fingers ran through the cards again. He shook his head. "Sorry!"
"I started thinking: if Dad were boiled down to one word, what would that word be? Jeweler? Atheist? Is copyeditor one word?" (160) This quote shows the reader that Oskar feels as if he doesn't completely understand what kind of person his father was.
"He wrote 'Maybe he saw what happened and ran in to save somebody.' 'He would have. That's what he was like.' 'He was a good person?' 'He was the best person...' (256)
Oskar is very close to his father. On page 171 he says "If I could have chosen, I would have chosen you!" to his mother talking about the death of his father. Obviously he took it back and apologised, but he still let's you know that he cared more for his father, or maybe he just misses him a lot.
Opening up to strangers because Oskar's dad liked for him to talk to strangers about their excursions.
Oskar's father seems to compensate for his lack of a father by being a brilliant dad for Oskar.