Pretty early in Room, we see Ma and Jack talking about fairytales. Jack knows every story by heart, but still insists that Ma read them or recite them. These fairytales definitely serve as a form of entertainment for Jack. However, as we get deeper into the book, the role of the fairytales grow.
The mermaid story on the bottom of page 67 really stood out to me as a fairytale that has multiple roles. It really clicked that it had multiple roles after connecting the story to the previous pages, where Ma has just told Jack that there is a world outside of Room. Ma seemed really stressed out about talking about the outside.
“It’s a real store.” Ma rubs her eye.
“How--?”
“OK, OK, OK.”
Why is she shouting?
“Listen, what we see on TV is… pictures of real things.”
That’s the most astonishing thing I’ve ever heard.
Ma’s got her hand over her mouth. (59)
“OK, OK, OK.”
Why is she shouting?
“Listen, what we see on TV is… pictures of real things.”
That’s the most astonishing thing I’ve ever heard.
Ma’s got her hand over her mouth. (59)
Ma definitely didn’t mean to spill the beans about the outside, and ultimately ends up taking painkillers, getting into bed, and being “Gone” the next day. Telling Jack about the outside made Ma really sad. Later on, when Jack is asking her about the outside, she seems sad to be talking about it as well.
“Hmm,” says Ma, reading over my shoulder, “I think the kinds means kids in general.”
“What’s in general?”
“Lots of kids.”
“Lots of kids.”
I try and see them, the lots, all playing together. “Actual human ones?”
Ma doesn’t say anything for a minute, and then, “Yeah,” very quiet. (65)
In both cases, Ma sort of recoils and gets sad at any mention of the outside. Having lived in an 11x11 foot room for seven years, talking about the outside probably brings back so many memories and feelings-- which makes her sad-- so using the mermaid story to tell about her situation to Jack is a way to stay a bit distanced from the subject as well as communicate to Jack on a level he understands.
We see her using fairytales to communicate with Jack in a way her understands later in the book too. This is when she’s gotten better at talking about the outside. However, she uses fairytales to the describe plans for escaping to Jack because he has a hard time processing the scary things Ma is asking of him. Ma uses the fairytales to instill the bravery that Jack needs within him and to give him the idea that this could be done because people did it in the fairytales.
Now that they’re out of the room, I wonder what role the fairytales will play.
I think fairy tales play an especially interesting role considering that Jack has such a vague idea of what's "real" and what isn't: he seems to see a distinction between books and TV, but he also treats the book characters as real people/friends, so it's hard to tell. also, it seems like we've already seen one possible result of these fairytales as Ma uses them to try and inspire Jack to be more heroic during there escape.
ReplyDeleteBecause Jack is only five years old, and because he's never interacted with another human besides Ma, we might expect that he would have trouble grasping other people's emotions. However, I think that your post really highlights how Jack has a pretty high EQ (emotional quotient) and is pretty good at understanding how people (or at least Ma) feel based on their behaviors. Overall, very good post!
ReplyDeleteThis is an aspect of the novel I really hadn't thought much about, but I like the point you're making. In "Dying", we see Jack taking the lessons he's learned from fairy tales and applying them to his Great Escape, so perhaps these stories will continue to play a large role in his conception of reality. When everything else is changing, fairy tales might remain a source of comfort and guidance for him.
ReplyDeleteFairy tales have done a lot for Jack in Room, and have already started to help him outside of Room. You pose the question of the roles fairy tales will play outside of Room, but Alice in Wonderland has already given him a connection to the outside at the end of Dying. I imagine that, as we read on, fairy tales will play the role of being something that Jack can use to connect himself to the outside world.
ReplyDeleteoh yeah! I totally forgot about that scene with the police officers. Fairy tales there play a crucial role in helping to save Ma.
DeleteI feel like there being an outside of Room is kind of a fairytale in itself to Jack. He dismisses it until he sees the airplane, because it completely flips what he knows to be true on its head. For him, an entire world outside of Room means that everything he knows is wrong and he has to completely start over building his view of the world.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I also found the fairytales aspect of the book really intriguing. I think that Ma uses it as a way for herself to keep in touch with the real world, and also bring Jack into it slowly without telling him straight out what is happening. In many of the more realistic fairytales she tells Jack, I kind of saw an "unlying" aspect which i thought was interesting.
ReplyDeleteI love the way in which Jack is able to relate the actions of fairytale characters to his own life. When he is wrapped up in Rug he is able to imagine himself as some of the characters. At one point he tells himself "be nimble be quick", just like GingerJack had to be to run away in the story. Jack is very intelligent and the stories give him a way to show that intelligence.
ReplyDeleteWow great post! The fairytales in the book were very intriguing. We see Ma using fairytales to communicate with Jack in a way he understands after they leave Room and I think this helps him adapt to the outside world.
ReplyDelete