I really like how JSF describes his relationship with Oskar. He seems to feel the same way about Oskar as he would a real person. He wants to protects him, but at the same time knows he is the one that dictates the route of the story.
MJ: When you’re writing about a small child, do you develop protective feelings the way you would with a real child?
JSF: Definitely, and that was one of the things that was painful about the book. I knew I couldn’t give him what he wanted. I felt protective of him, but I was also creating the harms that befell him. It was a relationship that I felt deeply.
http://motherjones.com/media/2005/05/jonathan-safran-foer
That line "I knew I couldn't give him what he wanted" reminds me a lot of Stranger than Fiction... Although here it is as if JSF already thinks of Oscar as a person, and is having trouble coming to terms with the fact that things are not going to work out for him. Oh how endearing!
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