Finally a hero

At the end of the Dying chapter, Jack and Ma have finally been able to escape Room. I think this is the part where Jack finally becomes a hero. The biggest part of this is the absolute courage he exhibits in overcoming his fears of the unknown Outside. Ma is the one who comes up with the  plan, inspired by Jack, but Jack is the one who actually has to do all the hard work. Of course it would be wrong to discredit Ma, but Jack probably had it harder emotionally and psychologically. Jack was almost unable to even remember the 9 step plan to escape. Then he has to go through the trauma of having to experience the wide open world for the first time. He has no idea what to expect, and everything that he sees scares him. And when he misses the first part of the plan, he freaks out, because he has no idea if anything will even go right anymore. The most he can do is just try to follow up with the rest of the plan, if possible. And when he is found out by Old Nick, all he knows to do is run. He is extremely lucky that there is another man there that has some sense of the bad situation that is occurring. Then the dog bites him, and he has no idea what that means. He thinks that the dog is a vampire and wants to drink his blood.

I think that the most amazing thing, however, that Jack did was talk to the police officer. Jack has no concept at all of other people except for his mother. The fact that he was even able to communicate with them in a semi-intelligent way, allowing the cops to save his mother, is incredible to me. His focus on rejoining with his mother and following through with the plan is what pushed him through the talking.

But then he learned that they will never be going back to Room. To completely leave behind everything you have ever known and loved, without a reason that you can truly comprehend is awful. I feel bad for Jack in his loss of his life up until this point. He will definitely have a difficult time adapting to his new situation.

Discovering the 3rd dimension

Up to very recently in Room, Jack has only known or believed in two realities. There is his reality, which is Room and contains his Ma, Bed, Wardrobe, Table, Eggsnake, etc. Then there is also the TV reality. He thought that everything that didn't exist in Room could only ever exist in TV. There was no outside, there was no world that he could explore and learn about and have a real life in. There was only Room. But as he turned 5, he started to ask questions like kids do. He wanted to know more about how and why things were. Unfortunately for him, Ma started to give him answers he couldn't quite comprehend. Ma started to tell him that there was an outside world. One that if they ever got out of Room he would be able to experience. He could find his long lost family and maybe even live normally someday. This is what Ma really wants for him.

The thing that truly allows Jack to understand that Outside was real was an airplane passing over the skylight. Before that he would absolutely deny any possibility that Outside could exist. Then Ma started coming up with plans to escape. At first Jack plays along, saying that he will want to escape. But then he learned that Ma might not be able to come. Then he flat out doesn't want to escape anymore. This is completely understandable. He will be in a world that is larger than anything he could imagine. He will be out there with nothing that is familiar to him. No Ma to take care of him, and tell him what to do. None of the comforts that he has known for his entire life. Everything will be new and scary to him. This could put him into shock. The world is essentially infinitely larger than the small room he knew, and he will have no way of knowing how to navigate it. He has never talked to somebody that wasn't his mother, but will need to in order to rescue her. I can only imagine that Jack is going to have a real tough time if and/or when he escapes

the unsung hero

The book Room is really quite creepy. These two people are trapped in a small room with minimal things to keep them occupied. This probably qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment. Another thing thats odd, is that there are only three characters so far. One of which is an innocent boy who doesn't understand his world, another of which is the crazy man keeping two people locked in a room while he is out experiencing the world, and the last of which is probably one the most unfortunate people in the world. This last one, Ma, was captured and brought to this small room to be what can be seen as a sex slave for her captor, old Nick. She also has her 5 year old son who is beginning to question and ponder the world around him which has been kept secret from him for all his life.

I think that Ma is in one of the most unfortunate positions possible. She has no idea how to explain the outside world to Jack, but she is realizing that she has to. I think it might have been easier for her if she just told Jack the truth from the beginning, but she may have kept that from him to protect him from being too curious and possible interacting with old nick, exposing him to bad influences. She has to deal with the same stuff day in day out, trying to keep Jack entertained and provide him with what little education she can. Remarkably, she has done a great job with this so far. jack knows how to read and write, and is beginning to learn how to count. Given the circumstances I am amazed. Ma, so far is the true hero. The suffering hero that does not get the recognition she deserves for the troubles that she has.

Ma should be nominated for mother of forever for her dedication to Jack. She puts up with everything that is thrown at her just for the safety and well-being of Jack. All the abuse, the boredom, she might even be clinically depressed. I know i would go bonkers, but Ma has a drive that cannot be replaced. I can only hope things get better for her as the story progresses.