As we continue reading the chapter After, one of the things that really stands out to me is how for basically the first time in their lives, Ma and Jack do not agree on everything. As soon as Jack is out of Room, all he wants is to go back to the place where he is comfortable: a small area with Rug and Lamp and Bed and the only other person being Ma. But Ma is basically the opposite. She is enjoying talking with people and conversing and being in an open area. When she was in the police station, and Officer Oh moves to shut the door, Ma speaks very quickly and says “Don’t shut it.” the thought of being stuck in another enclosed are makes her start to freak out a little. Ma and Jack are also in conflict about their clothes. Jack loves them and needs them for the comfort and normalcy that he is losing, but only sees them as a reminder of everything that happened.
It’s also really interesting to me to see the ways that both of them are adjusting. When Ma was taken, she was only 19 during her 20s, she never spent time with people her own age. As a result, some of her habits are still quite teenagery, such as rolling her eyes, which she does quite often. Another way that Ma is readjusting is with her language. The whole time that she was in Room, she had to be very careful around Jack and watch what she is saying. Now that she is around people that are closer to her age, she is back to using common sayings, ones that may not make sense to a five-year-old, such as “I need it like I need a hole in my head.”
Ma is readjusting to a world that she grew up in, but Jack has to adjust to this world that is unlike anything he has ever seen. Jack is used to a daily schedule and not wasting food and specific clothes. Now that they are out of Room, there is not a need for those things anymore, but Jack isn’t quite ready to change. Even when he was in Room, he didn’t like change. When Ma tried to rearrange the furniture, Jack couldn’t accept it. But now he doesn’t really have a choice but to accept it, because they are not going back into confinement. While he may not like the changes at first, he is slowly adjusting. He is sort of getting used to wearing his shoes and getting presents like toys and second lollipops on days that are not Sunday. When his grandma blows him a kiss, he catches it because he thinks that it will make her happy. He is also practising his manners. Although he may not always get the words right, he is trying and that is what matters.
I hadn't noticed how Ma is still a bit like a teenager in the way she acts. She's matured a bit, but now that you point out how she still roll her eyes, she is still a bit like a teenager. It's also interesting how quickly she started speaking like those around her now that she's around people older than five years old. It really shows how much being around Jack all the time affected her speaking patterns. I find it a little weird that she wouldn't have used any of these phrases while in Room, but I suppose explaining them might have gotten messy if she had to explain something in Outside.
ReplyDeleteGood post! I also hadn't noticed Ma's teenager attitude but I totally get what your saying. In regards to Jack wanting to go back to Room and not understanding that that isn't possible, I think it was a necessary closure to visit it again. When he sees how small and dirty it was, he realizes that he was over dramatizing the experience in his head.
ReplyDeleteOne of the saddest parts of Room for me was when Jack wanted to go back and sleep in Bed after their escape because that's where he felt safe and at home. The difference between Ma and Jack's perceived experience during their time in Room is I think one of the things that makes their transition to the real world harder, because they are experiencing it in such different ways.
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