As Jack grows, though, Ma has to find a way to tell him about the world outside of Room while protecting his innocence. In "Unlying" we see Ma telling him stories that are supposed to teach him about the real world. First she tells Jack the mermaid story, which seems to be Ma's fantasy about what she hopes will happen. From that story it's already clear that Ma is kidnapped and taken to a place where she feels extremely uncomfortable.
After the mermaid story, Ma begins telling stories about what her life was really like before she was captured. In the second half of "Unlying" Ma tells a few stories. She tells Jack about her childhood and about his grandparents and his uncle. Jack then starts to believe that there is a world beyond Room because he realizes that the air that enters when Old Nick opens the door is fresher than the stagnant air inside of Room. Ma also tells the story of how she ended up in Room, explaining that she was on her way to the library during her college days when Old Nick abducted her. This doesn't surprise me because it is quite clear that Ma has had some education based on the way she teaches Jack. It also matches up with the mermaid story in that Ma was forcefully taken away from her home and locked up in an inescapable prison like the mermaid. This story also confirms our suspicions that Old Nick gave Ma Jack to keep her happy. Before Jack came along, Ma really did just sit around in Room all day, feeling depressed.
I can't wait to read more about Ma's background and am looking forward to finding out about how Jack responds to her stories.
I believe that Ma wants the best for Jack no matter what the situation. this is why she continues to educate him and prevent his brain from rotting by watching too much TV. She, however, wanted to protect Jack form learning the truth about the horribleness of his situation. Who knows what kind of problems that would cause. But with her stories she is able to reference their lives without making it seem like they are actually in a similar situation - at least to Jack who can't comprehend his place in the world just yet.
ReplyDeleteMa does an excellent job of mothering a child like Jack who has never been exposed to the outside world. He views the outside world and that's only through television. For Ma, it is a hard job to be living in the way that she is while raising a child who is eager to find out more information. I agree with you, I can't wait to learn about Ma's background!
ReplyDeleteI admire Ma for devling into her past. I know Jack can't entirely help it, but his reactions to her stories are a bit irritating to me. I just want to tell him "listen to you mom!! this stuff is hard for her to talk about!!" But of course he's only 5. He's unlikely to pick up on these cues. For a 5 year old he is actually quite adept at reading his mother's emotions for the most part, except when she's talking about the outside.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Siena, now that he (kind of) knows more about the outside world and his mother, it is getting a little annoying reading his reactions and at times his refusal to accept that what Ma is telling him is true. I completely understand where he's coming from, though, but I feel like it's going to get worse when he learns more about Ma because he's going to have an incredible amount of information to take in. Also, so far I think this book has been good, but I'm a lot more interested now that we've learned more about Ma, and hopefully we'll get the complete picture soon!
ReplyDeleteIn some ways, I disagree with some people saying that Jack should be more accepting of Ma suddenly throwing this giant burden on him. In a matter of days, Ma turns Jack's world upside down, and then asks him to escape, despite his constant refusals. Why does Ma suddenly feel like she has to tell Jack all of this stuff? If she had wanted him to understand, perhaps she should have somehow explained their situation more clearly as Jack was growing up, instead of hiding it from him completely. For a five year old to have his world turned around and then not believe or not be happy with these new facts is completely understandable, and the fact that Jack is taking it as well as he does surprises me, and again points to his maturity beyond his actual age of 5.
ReplyDeleteYeah it's sorta strange that she hasn't been trying to tell Jack what is going on this entire time, but I think it was more for his safety. If Ma did try to let him know, Jack might just be constantly trying to go outside and might end up in serious trouble with Old Nick, at least this way he's not pestering everyone trying to leave. But I do feel like there should be a way that his world didn't need to be completely messed up tho.
DeleteIn some ways, I disagree with some people saying that Jack should be more accepting of Ma suddenly throwing this giant burden on him. In a matter of days, Ma turns Jack's world upside down, and then asks him to escape, despite his constant refusals. Why does Ma suddenly feel like she has to tell Jack all of this stuff? If she had wanted him to understand, perhaps she should have somehow explained their situation more clearly as Jack was growing up, instead of hiding it from him completely. For a five year old to have his world turned around and then not believe or not be happy with these new facts is completely understandable, and the fact that Jack is taking it as well as he does surprises me, and again points to his maturity beyond his actual age of 5.
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