The dynamic between Ma and Jack has changed from the beginning of the book to the end of Monday's reading (Undying p. 122). There is a side of Ma that emerges which Jack has never seen before, and through his storytelling, we see that he is noticing the changes and doesn't really like it.
Ma starts to reveal more about what's really going and tries to explain the things Jack doesn't quite fully understand like why she hates Old Nick but has to "fake thank" him. Each day is a new challenge for Ma to try to keep Jack in this bubble of Room she's created, but as he's getting older, she's running out of time and answers to his ceaseless questions. Jack even notices that Ma is telling him more than usual when he asks, "How did he make it?" referring to how Old Nick built Room, because he "think[s] she's not going to tell [him] but then she actually does (85).
There are also some changes in Ma's behavior in "Unlying" that allude to some sort of rebellion against Old Nick. Jack wakes up to Ma pounding Floor and she tells him that she needs to hit something and that she would love to break everything, and he explicitly says he doesn't "like her like this" (89). This fire in Ma is not her regular behavior in terms of what Jack has grown up with, and he doesn't like unfamiliarity. Ma also becomes more vulnerable with Jack in the scene on page 92 when she tells him that she's scared, and his response to her fear is very strong, "'You can't be scared.' I'm nearly shouting. 'Bad idea'." The world or Room as he knows it is changing before his very eyes, and he doesn't want that to happen, and this shows when he's uncooperative when Ma is trying to tell him her backstory. Jack hates the idea that Ma had a life before him, a name that wasn't Ma, and people that she knows that he doesn't. There is a thought from Jack that especially stood out to me on page 105, "I'd rather she was Gone for the day than all not-Ma like this." Jack's discomfort with finding out that Ma wants to leave room is blatantly apparent, because he even prefers her to be Gone rather than different. Ma being Gone is a really scary thing for a 5-year-old kid, because he's basically alone for the day and he knows that.
When Ma starts planning the big escape, Jack doesn't want anything to do with it, because he's scared and he also doesn't really want to leave Room. "Selfish" is not the right word for what Ma wants Jack to do, but it feels that way to Jack, even though she is doing this for their best interest. He tells her that maybe he will do the whole plan when he turns six, but Ma knows that time is running out and she pushes him to be her "superhero" (113). This scene reminded me a lot of Grant asking Jefferson to eat some of the stew for Miss Emma's sake, because heroes do things for others. Ma needs Jack to be strong for them, because he is essential to their plan if they want to escape. At the end of the chapter, Ma is very firm with Jack, "'I'm your mother.' Ma's nearly roaring. 'That means sometimes I have to choose for both of us'" (115). Jack hates this and even expresses that he wishes he got boxing gloves so he could be allowed to hit her. Ma is typically more passive and gentle with Jack, so this new side of her that is drawing the line right there reveals her desperation to get out. Things are quickly changing in Room, and the new dynamic between Ma and Jack indicates that he is not fully willing to accept all the changes.
Great Post!
ReplyDeleteThe dynamic between Ma and Jack has definitely shifted. Ma is much less passive with Jack and instead starts forcing him to do very uncomfortable and scary things for, in her mind, the greater good. Jack doesn't necessarily agree, so that begs the question; is this plan fair to Jack? Does it even matter if it is?
It may seem unfair to Jack since he seems happy in Room with Ma and all the games he can play, but at the same time, he has grown up only knowing Room while his Ma has experienced the real world. Thus, his reluctance to leave makes sense, but his Ma knows that their lives could be so much better outside of Room and that they don’t deserve to be treated the way they were inside of it. Also, Jack is still a child, and his Ma has authority over him. She also loves him very much, but whatever the intentions were, I think that Ma made the right decision to leave Room with Jack and make him do these uncomfortable things in the process whether he wanted to or not.
DeleteI think that although there is a strong connection between Ma and Jack, they differ in their thoughts on Room. While Ma says Room is getting too small, Jack stands on top of his chair and spins around, saying "Room's not small. Look" (113). Jack even growls at Ma when she says that room is stinky. I think this is where Ma's importance of stories such as The Gingerbread Man and Jack the Giant Killer come into play to convince Jack to "the big escape".
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