It's Not Over?
When I started reading Room, I assumed that the entire book would be a detailed description of Ma’s and Jack’s lives and escape. I was kind of shocked when I found that they had escaped from Old Nick and there was still half of the book left. The decision to talk about how Ma and Jack adjust to the outside world was very interesting to me and I ended up liking it a lot. I thought that Jack would have a hero’s journey that would end in him returning home to rescue Ma, but with Donoghue’s continuation of the story, it seems Jack’s journey continues. The scenes with them in the clinic add to Jack’s growth. His internal journey began when Ma started telling him about Outside and what it was really like. Now that he is experiencing it, he continues on his path to integrate into normal society like Ma used to. Ma also is beginning a mental hero’s journey by readjusting to her drastically changed life and coping with her trauma.
Jack had his physical journey to Outside by going through the trials that Plan B presented (pretending to be dead, running, and talking to people), but now he is learning about normal life. We see him struggle to understand common idioms and actions (like smoking and blowing kisses), but he ends up learning them pretty quickly. Jack also has physical health issues such as not being able to eat a lot and go outside without protective clothing.
Ma’s mental journey is much different from Jack’s because she had a life before being kidnaped that she needs to resume. However, a lot of things have changed over seven years. She gained some family members and learned that her father held a funeral for her and left because he gave up. He is also not very fond of Jack which Ma is extremely offended by (me too sis). Ma also has to have regular meetings with Dr. Clay to talk about her mental state. She has a problem with people seemingly questioning her methods of parenting and often yells at people who make casual comments (like the Play Doh thing).
Jack had his physical journey to Outside by going through the trials that Plan B presented (pretending to be dead, running, and talking to people), but now he is learning about normal life. We see him struggle to understand common idioms and actions (like smoking and blowing kisses), but he ends up learning them pretty quickly. Jack also has physical health issues such as not being able to eat a lot and go outside without protective clothing.
Ma’s mental journey is much different from Jack’s because she had a life before being kidnaped that she needs to resume. However, a lot of things have changed over seven years. She gained some family members and learned that her father held a funeral for her and left because he gave up. He is also not very fond of Jack which Ma is extremely offended by (me too sis). Ma also has to have regular meetings with Dr. Clay to talk about her mental state. She has a problem with people seemingly questioning her methods of parenting and often yells at people who make casual comments (like the Play Doh thing).
Ma's strong reactions to people's "casual comments" are striking to me, too--she's clearly ultra-sensitive to the idea that the tough choices she's had to make in this very unconventional parenting situation might be questioned by people who have no idea what she was dealing with. Once again, I see here a more extreme version of a common aspect of parenting: believe it or not, random people are (in my opinion and experience) way too comfortable offering unsolicited commentary and 'advice' to new parents, and it's easy to feel "judged" by random strangers when you're just out with your kids. Ma is justified in taking exception to such smugness, even more so than average parents, since she's faced such monumental challenges and improvised so well under insane conditions. I bristle too when people make these comments! I've just read the first two parts of this book, and I KNOW they have NO IDEA.
ReplyDeleteI also found it interesting how such a large portion of the book is devoted to Jack and Ma's life after escaping. This seems to fit Campbell's hero's journey structure, though; even after the main conflict with Old Nick seems to be over, he has to put them through one more trial before the book closes: getting used to a normal life.
ReplyDeleteI also assumed that this book would be entirely about Ma's and Jack's experiences inside Room and perhaps end when they escaped (or didn't; I kind of guessed they would be thwarted in their attempts and Nick would kill them). I assumed this because I thought the atmosphere the descriptions of Room gave the reader were too dissimilar to the ones that could be created by Outside. However, I was wrong, this book is still somewhat uncomfortable and fascinating to read. Seeing Jack and Ma go through growth in Outside which is arguably just as disturbing as their trials in Room.
ReplyDeleteI also expected Room to end with Ma and Jack escaping but I think the it accomplishes more by showing how Ma and Jack have to acclimate to the real world. It also completely changes the tone of the book. If the time spent in Room had been longer and there had been more build-up to the escape and then the book ended with the escape I think it would have a much more triumphant tone. I think the way it is gives a more appropriate tone for what happened to Ma.
ReplyDeleteI too was glad that the book didn’t end after Ma and Jack escapes Room. It would have been like any other story when they just highlight the big victory and then the end. Luckily, we get to see their second journey into Outside. I do agree that Jack is not well physically compared to other kids his age but he is sure smarter than all of them as pointed out by several people. Then there’s Ma. There are several times in the clinic where I thought where Ma was just being a bit too aggressive, but I can’t blame her. She has been through a lot so she might be on edge sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI also was surprised that Room wasn't over following their escape. But I think Donahue gives more strength and agency to her characters in not ending it at their escape. In essence, Ma's life prior to her abduction was cut off, or at least paused, and she has to come to terms that it now must continue. Though the ordeal is over, the trauma, fears and anxieties are now even more exacerbated. In my opinion, Donahue does well by not ending the book after the Great Escape. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI think that by not ending the book with the escape, Donahue is able to do what the media never does, which is to show us what it's like once everything that the media cares about is over. They can't go back to a normal life, and that is often lost with the media coverage of these things. Overall, I'm happy we get to see these things, and it gives us some perspective without having to go through the horrors of such a situation ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you – I was surprised how much of the book was left when the broke Ma out of Room. I like this choice though, because I think the mass media tends to focus on all the flashy escape stuff anyways, but we rarely see the actual recovery process of the victims of kidnappings. The news usually dies down within a few weeks, and we don’t see the long-lasting effects of imprisonment.
ReplyDeleteI agree on how interesting it is that the majority of the novel is about Ma's and jacks life outside of the room. But I think, similarly to As I Lay Dying, it's a criticism of the traditional hero journey, and focuses a lot on what occurs after the journey occurs, and how consequences aren't escapable and that the idea of a happy ending isn't so clear cut as it's often put out to be.
ReplyDeleteI think it's much more realistic that their heroes' journeys don't end after "The Great Escape" (although, don't get me wrong, I thought Room would end by them getting out, too). Like you said, the book becomes a much more Ma-and-Jack-focused, psychological journey that way. If Room had ended before "After", I think too much of the story would have been focused on Old Nick and the thriller-like aspect of the premise. This way, the story is centered around the wonderful relationship between Jack and Ma - which, I think, would've been the way Ma wanted it.
ReplyDeleteThe way that the escape plan moves took me by surprise. I thought the escape would be slow and steady, methodical, and broken down to its most detailed components. In a way it was, but it also seemed rushed and blazed past the slow and steady approached I expected. But that seemed all the most realistic. I think the brilliance of the novel is the bare realism of it, pushing against the idea that all is good after the escape.
ReplyDeleteI think a very common element of the Hero's Journey is that even if you make The Return Home successfully, the act of going on the Journey has changed you in such a way that it is impossible to go exactly back to the way things were before. This is obviously true for Jack (because he no longer calls Room "home"), but it is also true for Ma, because of the physical (bad teeth, broken wrist, etc.) and interpersonal changes (Steppa, the media, etc., etc.) she has experienced.
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