I've also been really impressed with the games Ma and Jack play together, ranging from word sandwiches to "Parrot" to rhyming games and guessing song lyrics. As a result of his confinement, Jack has turned out to be an intensely creative child since he has few actual toys or other kids to play with and there really isn't anything else for him to do. Ma feels stifled by this situation and gets sick of playing all the time, but Jack seems to largely enjoy himself. Even though he's never even seen grass or smelled fresh air, Jack is content as a giant-killer and a coal miner, he "plays Icarus with his wings melting" and has a box spaceship, and is constantly imagining things and keeping himself entertained. I think Jack's imagination is incredible and gives him a sense of excitement and optimism that makes sense as we realize Jack is actually attached to Room and likes it, in sharp contrast with Ma. In fact this point seems to have caused the most tension so far between Ma and Jack: Ma's criticism of Room. Jack describes himself as "nearly growling" as he rebukes Ma's statement of Room being stinky and it takes a lot of convincing from Ma to get Jack to listen to her escape plan because nothing about the outside world is immediately appealing to Jack. While Ma can't wait to leave Room and only associates it with pain, it's literally all Jack knows. I think their closeness is really the heart of the novel right now and it will be interesting to see if they can maintain their close relationship while they escape, since Jack is already struggling to trust Ma quite as much and realize that she doesn't know everything. He's started to say "I hate her" and Ma has been forced to push Jack past everything he's comfortable with. I can't help but wonder if Jack will have some jealousy problems if they're able to escape, since Ma will want to see other people and Jack won't be used to having to share her attention. At the same time they are so completely devoted to each other and have undergone so much together it's hard to imagine anything ruining their bond. It's basically a pretty emotionally intense situation right now and i'm definitely in suspense for what will happen with their escape plan.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Ma and Jack
So far in Room, one of the things that has really stuck out to me is the relationship between Ma and Jack and how important it is for both of their survivals. They've literally never been away from each other for five years, and as a result they are extremely close. While we can see it is tough for Ma to interact with a five-year-old 24/7, it's also clear through her protectiveness of Jack (especially in regards to Old Nick) that Jack is her whole world now and pretty much the only thing keeping her alive. Jack notices after his 5th birthday that he and Ma have been fighting more, but after the power goes off and Ma starts confiding more in Jack, I think we see their relationship become even closer. During the power outage both of them are scared for how they will keep eating when they have no food, and they have to run around to keep warm and they have no water. While Ma takes this as extreme punishment, Jack replies that a real punishment would be being separated from Ma: "Like if there were two Rooms, if he put me in one and you in the other one."
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I agree that Jack's relationship to Ma is probably the hardest part of the novel for us to understand, as we have always interacted with a variety of people in a variety of ways. The fact that Jack doesn't even believe in other humans means that his relationship with Ma is way closer than any relationship than we would ever experience, because Ma is truly the only companionship that Jack has ever known. Also, Ma has had no encounters with people besides Jack and Old Nick, which would partially explain her strong relationship with Jack, but because she knows there is more outside of Room makes her less satisfied with their situation.
ReplyDeleteMa's parenting is actually so impressive if you think about it. Unless she's Gone, she has to be on 24/7, taking care of a five year old child. I can barely babysit for one for three hours! Her ability to teach and educate Jack, even in this confined space, is actually incredible. Ma and Jack's relationship though, is definitely hard to understand. They're really close (understatement of the century) because Jack has no one else to be close with, and Ma is definitely not emotionally close to Old Nick, considering the chilling things he has, and continues to do to her. It does worry me that if they escape Room, neither of them are going to be able to properly make bonds with others. I'm worried that Jack is going to cling to Ma, and Ma is going to slowly weaken her bond with Jack as she gets to explore the outside world again.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to think ahead to how Ma and Jack's relationship will change once they inevitably escape from Room. Part of me is so concerned for their physical safety at present that its easy to think that everything will magically be okay once they get out, but it's so true that in addition to adjusting to the outside world, Jack will also have to adjust to *Ma in the outside world* and the inevitable changes that she will undergo. I have difficulty imagining that Jack will ever become *less* important to Ma, but I can certainly foresee some jealousy or possessive behaviors on Jack's part, and I think you're totally right that this change may affect their relationship for the worse.
ReplyDeleteThis moment, where Jack alludes to separation from Ma as the most extreme form of punishment imaginable, is touching, and a good reflection of the dynamic you're describing here. And the feeling is mutual, as Ma describes herself as having no will to live before Jack comes along, whereas he gives meaning to her existence (which has been reduced to meaninglessness by Nick and her confinement).
ReplyDeleteThis is all vital to keep in mind as we assess the "Great Escape" and try to get our heads around just what an enormously difficult and risky undertaking it is. Ma is literally thinking she might never see Jack again, but at least there's a chance he'll be safe, and he goes into a panic when he realizes he'll have to carry out the plot on his own (literally never having spoken to our touched or really even seen another person aside from Ma).