As we've seen in the section 'After', people in the book are not done being disgusting. It's safe to say that everyone hates Old Nick, but we also see the media portrayed in a negative light. There are newsmen trying to get pictures, which is bad enough as an invasion of privacy, but the commentators were worse. During the interview that Ma did, the interviewer asked some questions that I really didn't like. She calls their escape a rescue, which we see as not giving Jack the credit he deserves. In fact, all of the questions that are asked before the interview is cut short feel like they're in poor taste.
There's also the case with Ma's dad, the one who held a funeral for her. I think we can all agree that his behavior and opinions on what Jack represents are completely disgusting. While it is technically true that Jack is the product of rape, we also know just how much his arrival saved Ma. Without him, Ma would likely have died, probably of poor hygiene or suicide. Also, we know the lengths Ma went to in order to keep Old Nick from interacting with Jack, effectively preventing Old Nick from taking any sort of parental role in Jack's eyes.
Another thing I noticed was that the lawyer Morris points out that Ma could use her experience to write a book, which seems pushy for someone who's been back in the normal world for less than a week. Ma even says so herself, "You think we should sell ourselves before someone else does." Many people dream of being famous, but we see from this perspective that fame is incompatible with privacy. In one of Ma's talks with Dr. Clay, she says something to the effect that she's been in isolation for so long that people are overwhelming. This fame will likely cause trouble for Jack once he starts his formal schooling, potentially slowing his already delayed education.
So it's not all sunshine and rainbows in Outside. In some ways, their nightmare is just beginning, especially for Jack. But at least they aren't in confinement anymore.
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ReplyDeleteI thought that escaping from Room would be the last of their troubles, and life would be much easier once they escape. I think Ma thought that too, as she seems overwhelmed with how difficult things are for her and Jack. The media's annoying presence can be somewhat expected, but seeing your Dad for the first time in seven years and having him react like that would be awful. I expected Ma to be more upset than she actually was.
ReplyDeleteI agree w you. Most of the people in Outside aren't presenting the most comfortable transition for Ma and Jack. I wrote on my blog about this, but I think the reason for that is this idea that other people are trying to narrativize Jack and Ma in their own ways and Jack has to sort through how he wants to narrativize himself. I think the media is a good example of that, but also Grandpa, because his narrative is just so painful that Jack will have to learn to resist it. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, while I am familiar with how nasty the media can be, I still found myself a little shocked by how negatively the media is portrayed as acting in this situation. I think it could be really telling that the media is portraying them this way while Jack's only serious exposure or connection to Outside when they were still in Room was through the media on TV. I also was thrown a little bit by the lawyer's comment about selling their story before someone else does considering the fact that when researching the book for class, I came across the fact that Donoghue wrote the book inspired by two similar court cases. Is that her attempt at a self-insert?
ReplyDeleteEven though I was expecting this type of conflict after they escaped Room, I was still disappointed and angry at how the world reacted to both Ma and Jack. After spending years being kept in captivity like animals and dehumanized by Old Nick, they're forced to deal with the media dehumanizing them by playing off their trauma for a good, entertaining story (and money). It's like they can't truly catch a break from people trying to use them for their own benefit.
ReplyDeleteThere's the phrase "Getting there is half the fun", and I think of Jack and Ma's return back to society as a *really* f*cked up journey back to society. Except there isn't a single gram of fun within a light year of the journey back to society. There's no denying that getting out of Room was a huge and very significant step in their journey of returning to normal society, but the fact of the matter is that their struggles are just getting started and they've only gotten a snippet of the stuff they'll have to put up with.
ReplyDeleteI was really disappointed in but also impressed by Donoghue's depiction of the media in the novel. Disappointed because it is depressing how realistic that is about the corruptive aspects of our society and impressive because it is really meaningful to think about how terrible our society can be sometimes. This was both my favorite and least favorite aspect of the novel. I also think that Ma's dad's relationship with Jack is realistically depressing. As a parent, he is struggling with the concept of how his daughter has been treated for the last 7 years and Jack is the living evidence of this treatment, so it is understandable that he would struggle with it. Nonetheless, at a certain point, it is essential that he acknowledge Jack's influence on Ma and how he probably kept her alive (I can't remember if this happened or not in the novel).
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