The Room
Book by: Emma Donoghue
Paper by: McKenzie Johnston
Emma Donoghue explains the life of Jack and his Ma who was kidnapped at the age of 19, raped at the age of 21 producing Jack, her son. They are kept under the watch of Old Nick in an 11 foot room with nothing but a skylight and a TV to depict the outside world. The “Room” is told though the eyes of Jack who is 5 at the time. Jack’s time in the room gives him a good basis on life, but after escaping and moving into the hospital with Ma, he learns skills that he could have never learned indoors all of the time, but then his grandmother takes him out of the hospital and into her home to teach him how to live like a normal boy.
In this 11-foot room Jack and his Ma live a perfectly happy life with only the essentials. They have a bed, TV, refrigerator, wardrobe, a couple of toys and books, a tub, and a table to eat at. Jack’s life is not like a normal 5 year old boy at this age. Outside of the room, a 5 year old boy would be entertained 24/7 with all of the latest technology, never having to use their brain. But for Jack, his creativity and sense of imagination is all he had to get through the day. This worked wonders for him, he made his toys from everyday objects, like his pet snake made out of cracked egg shells. He also learned to play by himself, making him highly independent and self-confident. His mind developed a great deal more than the normal 5 year old. At 5, most children are learning how to color inside the lines, maybe their alphabet and manners. Jack’s daily routine involved reading one or more of his 4 books, cooking with his Ma and learning math with flashcards. His brain was given a great amount of time to fully develop without the distraction of technology leading him to being incredibly smart.
After, 5 years for Jack and 7 years for Ma, they made their escape. Once escaping, seeing as how they have been locked in a room for 5 to 7 years they were admitted to a hospital. Jack was then exposed to things that he had never experienced. The only people Jack had ever come into contact with was his Ma and Old Nick. Coming into the world, he was immediately faced with the media, family members, doctors, more kids, animals and more. All of attention was a little over whelming at first but he soon got use to it. He missed the room greatly but was learning new skills from this new environment. Being outside of the room gave him a new opportunity to learn things that he could have never learned inside the room. Dealing with people, working with people, talking to people and interacting with everyone around were hard for him at first but he was catching on quickly.
His Grandmother, took him from the hospital and moved him into her home with her. Jack needed to get away from the hospital due to the fact that his mother was dying. This move outside of the hospital was a good thing for Jack. He was no longer being controlled by the hospital and doctors, which still didn’t allow him to fully experience the world. Jack went to the museum, mall, gas station. He also got to live in a normal house with family. The mall, museum, house and gas station taught him many things; how to socialize, how to listen and abide by rules, how to act in a public place and many more that would make him a great man and citizen later on.
