Rediscovering the World
I think the only way to remotely relate to Jack’s experience
of discovering the outside world is going to a country with a completely
different culture. But even then, Jack’s disorientation with the outside world
and confusion is to another level. Every object is new or different. The
colors, sounds, smells, textures, architecture, designs. Social behavior is
also odd. Traditions, rituals, rules, politeness, they’re all seemingly different.
But in the same way there is a familiarity to all the new things. The way that
kids all learn in the same way by relating a known object with the unknown, for
example, Jack calling the juice pulp germs.
Of course, once again, Jack’s disorientation with the world
is way in the extreme. His extreme lack of information about the world calls
for a whole new level of adjustment and processing of his surroundings, especially
his inexperience with the literal outside world. My boy didn’t know what grass
was and that part just broke my heart a little. But it’s been a joy to see from
Jack’s eyes as he’s been processing the new world around him. It reminded me
heavily of my childhood, and it was refreshing to see how his detachment led to
the various humorous but also heartwarming observations.
Reading this book, I was wonderstruck at how realistic Jack’s
narration is. Think of how difficult it must’ve been for Donoghue to defamiliarize
herself, and then rediscover the world through Jack’s eyes. I’m trying it as I
write as a fun little exercise, and it’s very interesting and also ridiculously
hard.
The sound of wind against my window. The quiet hum from my
laptop. The high-pitched buzz from my light. (Yeah I’m not as good at this as I
thought I would be)
What are some things that you would think Jack would notice
right where you are right now?
Interesting exercise! My cat is sitting next to me right now, and even though Jack knows what animals are, he'd probably be excited by the way his fur feels and the way he acts. Looking around, I noticed just how many things Jack would be confused by- my phone, the iPad, the lighter, maybe even the rug (since it's not Rug). Doing this exercise helped me understand just how disorienting Outside is for Jack, and how much new universe-shattering information he's having to consume on a daily basis. Over time, I'm sure this will get easier for Jack, since he'll gain context for what he's seeing, but it's a significant challenge for sure.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, there's so much Jack wouldn't be used to. There's a fireplace in my house, and I think Jack would be pretty confused by that -- he understands fire to an extent, but he also understands that it's very dangerous. The idea of intentionally lighting a large (relatively: to Jack, it'd look pretty big) fire in your house on purpose would baffle Jack, and then finding out it's contained? He'd probably be pretty confused. Carpet is also something I think he wouldn't entirely get -- it's like Rug, but doesn't move and is all over the floor. The different materials couches are made out of would also be new to him. I don't think it would confuse him for days, but it's interesting to think about how he'd describe them.
ReplyDeleteSo currently I'm in the car driving to NY for a college visit and writing a blog comment for class on my laptop by tethering to my iPhone's wifi hotspot. Try to explain that to Jack in 5-y-o terms. No but in all seriousness, nice post. I am really struck by Donaghue's flawless portrayal of a child's brain, and not just that, but the brain of a child who has lived their whole life in a garden shed. She thinks of every detail. In many ways, Jack's behavior reminds me a little bit of some of the symptoms that
ReplyDeleteoccasionally accompany autism, specifically his difficulty with stimulus like bright light, sounds, and eye contact. I wonder how/if he's going to be able to overcome those.
Nice post. I'm similarly impressed with Donahugues's narration of Jack's world in his eyes. I think she wrote a lot of things very accurately, and we can see curiosity get the better and worse of Jack. We talked about defamiliarization in class, and I think Room does a really good job making us rethink the many things in our life we take for granted.
ReplyDeleteI keep being reminded as to how brilliant Donoghue is. Like, I keep forgetting that she hasn’t ever been imprisoned, that this is all fiction, and that she is writing with no prior experience whatsoever. In general, she is so good at cueing the reader into what’s happening, while at the same time revealing Jack’s ignorance. I love seeing the world through Jack’s eyes, just because it makes me reconsider so much of what I take for granted – from random phrases to our media/paparazzi culture. It’s cool how Donoghue can tie together an interesting plot, with interesting characters, but also a lot of important social commentary.
ReplyDeleteI think the most amazing part is how well Jack seems to adapt to the new world hes seeing. if you were to take an adult who hasnt had contact with anyone or any technology and plunge them into the modern world they would have severe difficulty functioning. Jacks exposure to Television probably helped him because he would have some sense of the outside world even if he thought it was only on TV, but he manages to adapt to talking to people in the span of a few weeks which is very impressive, especially for a five year old, which a regular child has trouble communicating anyway.
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