An English class blog. Observations on heroism. Remarks on literature.

Friday, April 17, 2015

thoughts on Ma and Jacks future

So now that Ma and Jack are out, the difficulty of their situation in a sense becomes more complex. Not only is returning to the Outside an enormous change for Ma—especially considering the fact that it has been seven years since she was “put” and many things may have changed in that time; it is an unimaginable thing for Jack.

It might almost be a tempting dynamic for Ma to automatically lose some of that closeness she felt to Jack when they were both confined alone together in Room. She now has a whole array of other people who love her and want to place demands on her time, and it would be easy enough for Jack to feel incredibly jealous of her attention. 

In a similar strain, Jack is going to need a lot of help, support, and constant supervision to function in this entirely new world. This, I imagine, will demand most if not all of Ma’s energies. I kind of feel for her here, because—although I never doubt that her love for Jack is sincere and extremely strong—she had a life before Room that she must be desperate to return to, and taking care of a frightened dysfunctional five-year-old is certainly not part of that.


I hope that Jack and Ma can retain the closeness of their relationship outside of Room. But I also hope for Ma’s sake that she can find happiness for herself—beyond simply caring for Jack.

1 comment:

  1. Considering Jack and Ma's future is going to be interesting. Because not only is Jack now in a world that he didn't know to exist, but it is also a world that Ma once inhabited. Meaning that Ma has a place in the Outside, but also has friends, family, etc... that now will occupy her time and attention. So for Jack it's no longer Ma and Him vs. the World, but it may soon just be Jack vs. the World.

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