How Ma is affected by Room
Two words: Room's wack.
That being said, we get a lot of insight into Jack's thoughts and how he deals with transitioning from living in a eleven by eleven room for 5 years to the wide and open space of Outside. While it's obviously a difficult and perplexing transition for Jack, we can see glimpses of how difficult and traumatic the transition is for Ma. Most obviously, she freaks out at any door-related sounds: whenever a door is opened or shut without her knowing, it's clear that it's an unpleasant sound for her. It's clear that their both in the psychiatric hospital for a reason, and we can see Dr. Clay being very patient with them, expecting that they will need a long time to recover. Another problem that becomes obvious is "separation anxiety" that both Ma and Jack do and will face. When Ma gets defensive the first time the term is brought up, she says something along the lines of "Me and Jack will never be apart", which is a problem in itself. Obviously her circumstances are quite extreme, but for them to fully transition into a normal and independent lifestyle this bridge needs to be spanned.
On the flip-side, there are many, many ways that getting out of Room is for the better. When she goes outside for the first time, she stops to smell everything, and we can infer that it gives her pleasure. It's also clear that Ma talks much more freely now, and much more like a normal person. For 5 years of her life she's had to screen everything she said to keep Jack's innocence, but now she can bring up things like Alzheimer's and other normal everyday concepts without breaking an illusion that isn't there anymore. I think that the remainder of the novel will focus on Ma's (not Jack's) path to recovery and I think that's a good thing, since Dr. Clay explicitly says that he has hope for a clean full recovery for Jack.
That being said, we get a lot of insight into Jack's thoughts and how he deals with transitioning from living in a eleven by eleven room for 5 years to the wide and open space of Outside. While it's obviously a difficult and perplexing transition for Jack, we can see glimpses of how difficult and traumatic the transition is for Ma. Most obviously, she freaks out at any door-related sounds: whenever a door is opened or shut without her knowing, it's clear that it's an unpleasant sound for her. It's clear that their both in the psychiatric hospital for a reason, and we can see Dr. Clay being very patient with them, expecting that they will need a long time to recover. Another problem that becomes obvious is "separation anxiety" that both Ma and Jack do and will face. When Ma gets defensive the first time the term is brought up, she says something along the lines of "Me and Jack will never be apart", which is a problem in itself. Obviously her circumstances are quite extreme, but for them to fully transition into a normal and independent lifestyle this bridge needs to be spanned.
On the flip-side, there are many, many ways that getting out of Room is for the better. When she goes outside for the first time, she stops to smell everything, and we can infer that it gives her pleasure. It's also clear that Ma talks much more freely now, and much more like a normal person. For 5 years of her life she's had to screen everything she said to keep Jack's innocence, but now she can bring up things like Alzheimer's and other normal everyday concepts without breaking an illusion that isn't there anymore. I think that the remainder of the novel will focus on Ma's (not Jack's) path to recovery and I think that's a good thing, since Dr. Clay explicitly says that he has hope for a clean full recovery for Jack.
Nice post! It was easy as a reader to focus on escape during the first part of the novel but now that Ma and Jack are free, the extent of the obstacles they're facing is becoming ever more clear. I'd add a few things to your list of issues Ma is dealing with: she can't sleep well, she has to adjust to her family having drastically changed, she still has bad teeth and a bad wrist, she has to guide Jack through this transition, she feels pressure to justify her actions in Room, and longer term she doesn't have an obvious means of making an income.
ReplyDeleteI think the media and other people they encounter only make the transition harder for Jack and (especially) Ma. The rude questions asked during Ma's interview and her dad's reaction to Jack all seem to be taking a toll on Ma.
ReplyDeleteNice post. My favorite detail in here is how Ma begins to talk. She really does let loose in ways that we haven't seen her do before. That makes me a little concerned for Jack, who's only really known a temperate, all-knowing mother. Ma's behavior now might concern him a little even though she's just reentering the ways she used to talk to adults before she was captured. I'm not sure whose recovery will get more focus in the rest of the novel, I think both will be complex ordeals for both characters. But the final ordeal I think will be separating from one another in some way.
ReplyDeleteIt’s been really interesting to see how Donoghue characterizes Ma’s trauma through Jack’s eyes. Clearly, often Jack knows something is wrong, but he doesn’t have the words to describe what is happening, so we have to piece it together for ourselves. I can’t imagine how difficult this transition is for Ma, she’s been looking forward to being outside for years, but I don’t think she predicted that when she finally makes it out she will face a lot of challenges and issues she hadn’t even considered (such as PTSD, having to stay in a clinic, her father not liking her son, and so on).
ReplyDeleteJack and Ma's confinement in Room reminded me of a messed up version of solitary confinement. Solitary confinement on its own is already absolutely devastating to the human psyche, so I can't even begin to imagine the kind of effects Room would have on a person. The fact of the matter is that the media and people they're forced to interact with are only the tip of the iceberg of the problems they'll have to face after Room.
ReplyDeleteMa's trauma is a huge obstacle for her and is something that I suspect will take a long time for her to recover from. The transition from Room to Outside cannot take place overnight; Ma has been trapped in Room for seven years now and has adapted her lifestyle to Room. Now in Outside, she will have to change her behavior and habits. There's no telling how many subtle things (like doors opening and closing) there are which can shock Ma.
ReplyDelete