Signification Processes In The Room Essay Example
Signification Processes In The Room Essay Example

Signification Processes In The Room Essay Example

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  • Pages: 9 (2319 words)
  • Published: May 8, 2022
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In Emma Donoghue's novel, the concept of the "room" is extensively examined, as well as elucidated by five-year-old Jack. Both Ma and her son utilize various symbols within the room. Jack refers to the sun as "God's yellow face," while the moon is likened to God's silver face and is associated with significant events.

In this passage, Ma imparts a valuable lesson to her son Jack, highlighting their shared faith. Despite the challenging circumstances they face within the room, it is their unwavering faith that sustains Ma. She draws on her knowledge gained from reading a book by Shack which emphasizes the importance of loving and accepting God. The tooth mentioned symbolizes Ma's decaying tooth, which regularly falls out during breakfast due to the lack of proper dental care. To preserve this tooth, Jack p

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laces it in a sock and secretly takes it with him when they escape to his grandparents' house. However, upon learning about his mother's suicide attempt, Jack decides to swallow the tooth.

He is in a state of panic when his mother returns, as he has just realized that he has swallowed and lost his tooth forever. Jack has multiple nightmares in his room, including visions of vampire germs, the roof of the house lifting up and the sky rushing in, a rocket, cows and trees crashing down on his head. Additionally, he dreams of receiving poo in the mail and someone breaking his bones. Dr.

Clay claims that Jack's age prevented him from comprehending his surroundings. He also likens Jack's brain to a spring cleaning. The wardrobe is a crucial component of the room, serving as storage for the mother's clothes an

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a hiding place for Jack when Old Nick pays a visit. It symbolizes both the mother's protection and the concept of space. Since he has spent his entire life sleeping in the wardrobe under a blanket, Jack has no knowledge of Old Nick's appearance. When Old Nick departs, Jack tests the warmth of the bed.

To Ma, the wardrobe serves as a protective shield for Jack, shielding him from the horrors inflicted by Nick. Within the wardrobe, there are various items such as a tooth, clothes, and a painting of Jack, all of which serve as reminders of his mother's presence when she is with Nick. The wardrobe symbolizes a sense of space for Jack. Rather than being a confined space, it acts as a hiding place that Jack uses to seek solace and escape. Lastly, the sun, referred to as "the Gods yellow face," symbolizes Jack and Ma's faith while they remain in the room.

The sun symbolizes the mother's faith in raising the boy and her belief that they will eventually find freedom. Ma teaches the boy that the gods control everything and are responsible for creating the world around them. The wardrobe represents the strained relationship between Jack and Old Nick, with neither of them being able to see each other. However, the wardrobe serves as a connection for the mother when she is away. The tooth serves as a reminder of the hardships they are facing. The setting of the book in just one room limits the boy's interaction with the outside world. Without exposure, one cannot truly understand real life.

Both internal and external factors, such as community, environment, and media, influence the

identity of this boy. In the novel, Jack explores his living space and forms a close relationship with his mother to discover his identity. Additionally, his exposure to television plays a role in shaping who he is. Jack gains an understanding of his own identity through the challenges he faces, which is evident in his strong bond with his mother and connection to his room. Initially, it is Jack's close attachment to his mother that facilitates the discovery of his identity.

The quotation highlights the boy questioning his place in humankind and if he is included. Dr. Clay confirms that he is indeed part of the human race, including herself. However, the boy realizes that while he is a human, he is also an individual with his unique identity alongside his mother.

Jack acknowledges his individuality while recognizing the vital role his mother plays in shaping his personality and emotional coping mechanisms. He understands his dependence on her, as indicated by the quote "you know who you belong to jack? Yourself," Jack counters, "he's wrong; actually I belong to ma." This demonstrates the mother's nurturing and educational role in helping the boy comprehend the world. Furthermore, Jack is highly inquisitive and perceptive, behaving like any typical young child, exemplified by his remark "if I was made of cake I'd eat myself before somebody else could."

The text is somewhat confusing but appears to praise someone's intelligence and desire for cake. The mother has raised Jack well and considers him a hero, referring to him as various characters such as Prince Jacker Jack, Samson, and Superman. Jack is amazed by how wonderful he is and attributes it to

his upbringing. Bravery is important in the situation involving the mother and the boy.

Ma pressures Jack to remove them from the room, as she believes Old Nick will come to harm them. She tells him, "I’m your mother...which means sometimes I have to make choices for both of us." She doesn't care if Jack understands, but she manipulates him into feeling guilty. Jack pretends to be dead and Old Nick wraps him in a rug as if to bury him. This is his first experience of the outside world, and he manages to escape and seek help. This ultimately saves his mother from the torment she has endured.

It is true that Jack is a hero. At the end, Jack cuts his hair and still finds strength, showing that his power comes from within and not from his hair. Despite being a child, Jack faces trauma that could even affect an adult and require therapy. To prevent this trauma from overwhelming him, Jack sometimes becomes obsessed and tries to bring order to his life when it seems chaotic.

The structure of life inside the room influences Jack's behavior outside the room. He has a habit of counting his teeth repeatedly, stating, "I count my teeth five times, I get twenty every time but still have to do it again". He follows a specific order of counting from right to left and left to right, finding solace in the consistency even though external things constantly change. Jack is drawn to small things and has a preference for the number five because he has five fingers on each hand and toes on each leg. However, he dislikes the number

nine. After speaking with Dr. Clay, Jack asks his mother if he can turn the doorknob five times, recognizing that spending time away from her allows him to assert his will and prepare for the real world. In the outside world, Jack lives with his grandmother, which proves challenging as she doesn't behave like his mother, who used to bathe with him.

During the course of one week, the boy experiences injury and recovery, which leads to a development of conscience. The boy finds dissatisfaction in his grandma's act of giving two coins to a poor man but keeping one for herself, and he also desires to have six toys instead of five. Despite these challenges, the boy gains confidence knowing that his ma is still with him, allowing him to adjust to life outside. This adaptation enables him to learn how to manipulate his circumstances in different ways. Despite being a child, he displays an adept understanding of practical skills, causing a reversal in roles once his ma returns.

The boy has a desire to return to his room and see what it's like. Despite his mother's fear, she tells him that the decision is being made for both of them. She had previously promised Jack that they would go back to see the room, so she takes him there.

Jack has undergone significant changes since his fifth birthday. He now understands that the world is much larger than he originally believed. Reflecting on this, he thinks, "Yesterday I thought all the strange things happened, but today there is so much more." He realizes that he can exist independently from his mother because they are separate individuals.

Contemplating this realization, he ponders, "I am not a tree; I am a boy," which makes him aware of how the world perceives him as an individual.

Outside of Room was where Jack was born and raised. However, at the age of five, he experiences shock when discovering another world exists beyond the room.

Jack and his mother devised a plan to flee the room that was under the control of Old Nick, the kidnapper. Their strategy involved Jack feigning death, allowing him the opportunity to escape when Old Nick attempted to bury him. Following their successful escape, Jack's new reality starkly contrasted with what he had known before. He contemplated whether other people also inhabited this unfamiliar world. Now, he bore the responsibility of acclimating himself to various novel environments such as playgrounds, shopping malls, hospitals, and apartments.

Jack saw the premises that typical people took for granted as a mere introduction to life. However, after spending a couple of weeks outside of the room, he experienced significant personal development. He conveyed his emotional feelings about the room, asserting that it was not where he naturally belonged, but rather a temporary situation. Nonetheless, he was ready to progress forward.

Donoghue (2010) recounts that during his youth, he possessed a profound inquisitiveness about the world and attained perceptive comprehension through his philosophical contemplation. He symbolically identifies himself as an uneatable cake but admits to not fully comprehending the significance of this statement at the time. Jack clung onto a delicate hope for his mother.

His mother's emphasis on being his mother was highlighted by the challenges she faced in the room while raising Jack. Despite the controlled movement

of the room, she paid close attention to molding her son into a hero. She describes Jack's emergence as a wonderful event and credits the room environment for shaping him into a courageous individual.

Jack's mother provided a strong demonstration to him by instructing him to remove both of them from the room. Despite feeling scared, Jack did his best to feign death. Jack was hidden inside a rug that Old Nick had used during a burial. He encounters a passing pickup truck where he receives assistance.

He successfully rescued his mother after she had been imprisoned for seven years. Later in the novel, Jack decides to cut his hair and is shocked by a revelation. He discovers that cutting his hair did not change him, unlike Samson who lost his strength after shaving his hair. However, Jack's exceptional intelligence remained unaffected. His courage did not rely on his hair. Despite being a child, he copes with his intense trauma, which was described as something that could drive an adult to seek therapy.

His life in the room greatly impacts his life in the new environment, evident in his habit of consistently counting his teeth. Dr. Clay played a crucial role in helping Jack and his mother adapt to the unfamiliar society they found themselves in.

Jack, influenced by Old Nick in his earlier life, had a peculiar habit of counting his teeth five times daily. His behavior caused concern among others. He had an affinity for the number five, considering it his favorite because he had five fingers on both hands and feet. Currently residing with his grandparents, Jack struggled to adjust to their different way of living

compared to what he was accustomed to with his mother. However, he eventually learned to adapt and handle various situations. Eventually, Jack's mother was discharged from the Clinic and returned home. Upon her return, Jack immediately approached her and insisted on revisiting the room.

He realizes that he could live alone away from his mother and grandparents. He still compares the previous room that he lived with his mother and the new one where he is not only a son but also a grandson and a nephew.

According to Donoghue, (2010), psychologists find themselves wondering how a child like Jack would develop in his current circumstances. How would Jack and his Mother articulate to the new environment?

According to the second part of the book, Jack and his mother were termed as freaks. They were like a lost tribe of two.

The Christian framework played an important role in rebuilding both Jack and his mother's moral attitude towards the new environment. Although Jack's mother attempted to change his behavior, she was unable to comprehend how his behavior and thinking developed at such a young age. She contemplated how Jack's limited experiences influenced him so quickly. Jack possessed knowledge on various subjects. His mother had a positive view of the church, which provided her with a mystical belief in how to interact with others. As a result, both Jack and his mother consistently expressed gratitude to Jesus.

In the first part of the book, Jack's mother exhibits superhero character traits. However, in the second part, she undergoes psychological mentoring in order to adapt to the new world and live without fear, just like other human beings (Donoghue, 2010). Readers want

Jack's mother to maintain her status as a super mother, even with a flawed relationship with her son. As she navigates her way in the outside world, it would be ideal for her to experience the joy and impact of a mother's love, ultimately representing the best and simplest happy ending.

Reference

  1. Donoghue, E. (2010). Room: A novel. Little, Brown.
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