Question #2: Outside or In Room?

[[deleted user]]

Room consists of two very distinct sections, when Ma and Jack are in the Room and when they are Outside. Did you find either part more interesting or enjoyable to read than the other?

[Ashley]

I enjoyed the entire book but if I had to choose, I'd say that I liked the outside part of the book more. Jack's sense of wonder as he experiences all these new things was so endearing and truly beautiful. I think this is more the core of the novel and the first half, in Room, is a vehicle for the story.

[Dana]

I agree, I think both parts had their pros and cons. While they were inside, I really liked when Ma started to devise a plan to escape, and was teaching Jack about all of the things that would be on the outside.

When they were on the outside, it was interesting from a medical perspective how Jack had never been exposed to germs, etc. I just didn't enjoy the parts where Ma gets depressed, as I didn't think that fit her strong personality. She had been so strong in the room and she was finally free... but who knows how someone would react! Anyway that was just my opinion.

[Emily]

Room was one of those rare stories that I experienced in film before I read the book, and I think seeing the film first really coloured my experience. In the film, I was shocked to learn that there was still so much story after the escape. Often, stories like this conclude with an escape and a happily-ever-after mood, which never strikes me as entirely honest. Ma was sexually abused for years, experienced two pregnancies and births alone, and drew on every inch of her strength in order to survive and keep Jack well. I was not at all surprised to see her anger and pain jump to the forefront in the second half of the book, particularly as she is exposed to all of the ways in which the world went on without her. The first half of the book had me holding my breath; the second half let me breathe a sigh of relief just long enough to realize that the escape was only the beginning.

[Ashley]

I found the Outside to be a much more difficult section to read, again because we experience it from Jack's perspective; he doesn't experience the same sense of "freedom" as Ma. And as readers, I think that can be a bit jarring. We have been waiting and cheering on the escape, so when he wants back into Room, it is absolutely heartbreaking.

[Eric]

I found the Outside to be more interesting just because the days in the Room just seemed so repetitive. The characters that were introduced once Ma and Jack were outside made Jack a more dynamic character; he learned quite a bit from his grandmother and Stepa from a different perspective than his Ma in the Room. What happened to Ma, while sad, was realistic for someone getting over such a traumatic experience. I guess we need to remember that we're getting the story from Jack's perspective so we're not privy to what's actually going on in Ma's head but he can describe her actions as they happen Outside.

[Emily]

Ashley wrote: "I enjoyed the entire book but if I had to choose, I'd say that I liked the outside part of the book more. Jack's sense of wonder as he experiences all these new things was so endearing and truly be..."

I like what you say about the first half being a vehicle for the second half, which you call the core, Ashley. The beginning provides a solid foundation, and the story only really finds momentum in the escape and what unfolds afterwards. That is such an interesting angle to read from!

[Emily]

Eric wrote: "I found the Outside to be more interesting just because the days in the Room just seemed so repetitive. The characters that were introduced once Ma and Jack were outside made Jack a more dynamic ch..."

That is so true, Eric. I also really noticed the effort that Ma made while in Room to make clear to Jack that he belonged to her, and when they went Outside she ended up struggling with needing her own space and creating some boundaries (which was a bit of a shock to him). The emotional landscape and the relationship between Ma and Jack changed so much between parts one and two!

[Allison]

You're all so articulate and I love what everyone is saying here! On my first reading years ago, I preferred the first half because I thought it rang more true to me than the second half. Now that I've re-read the book by way of the audio version, I find that I have shifted my opinion somewhat. Because the voice of Jack is *so* strong throughout both parts -- for me it is the backbone of the entire novel and the consistent strength that it provides really has validated the novel for me -- I now feel that I almost like both parts equally, but for different reasons. If anything, I may be leaning slightly towards preferring the second half, because I find the psychology of post-trauma so interesting.

However, there are two drawbacks of the second half that are hard for me to get over: like Dana, I also felt that certain things didn't really jive with the character of Ma (but again, who are we to say how she would react?!); and the overuse of character stereotypes, i.e., the thoughtless TV interviewer, and the insensitive sales associates at the mall, etc., made me cringe a little in embarrassment ...it all seemed too conveniently controversial and a bit too Hollywood.

But everything that each of you has expressed in this thread, I totally agree with. :) Well said, everyone!

[Karen]

Emily wrote: "Room was one of those rare stories that I experienced in film before I read the book, and I think seeing the film first really coloured my experience. In the film, I was shocked to learn that there..."

I read the book first and found the second half of the book the most interesting. It came as no surprise to me that Ma finally crashed when she escaped. The movie did not really express Ma's struggles with post-traumatic stress.

[Allison]

Karen wrote: "Emily wrote: "Room was one of those rare stories that I experienced in film before I read the book, and I think seeing the film first really coloured my experience. In the film, I was shocked to le..."

I like your expression of Ma "crashing" upon escape. I hadn't thought of it like that, but it sounds so plausible following a trauma, especially as Ma was working so hard to shield Jack from it all -- she had to do double duty for so many years.

[Susan]

I saw the movie for the second time this past weekend, and would have to say that I thought the movie dealt very well with Ma's post-traumatic stress. In fact, I felt it dealt with it much better than the novel because we could watch it, rather than learn about it from a five-year-old's perspective. I think that Jack's voice as narrator made the whole story more palatable because of his naivete. Watching the movie left me drained compared to reading the book.

I preferred the first part of the book. Like Allison, I was critical of some of the reactions of people on the outside in the second part. At least those were things I could relate to. The first part was fascinating to me because of its unfamiliarity, and my admiration for how Ma coped with the situation and nurtured and taught Jack in spite of it.

[ebookclassics]

I enjoyed the whole book overall, but if I had to choose the second half of the book really held my attention. I thought it was very interesting how Jack acclimatized to the Outside and how growing up in Room influenced in both and good ways his perspective of the world and how people live.

**spoiler alert**

Then it was interesting to see Ma trying to cope with being back in the world after being held captive for so long. I expected the PTSD, but I was shocked about her decision to take the pills after she had tried so hard escape to Room and reclaim a life for her and Jack. She always emphasized how Jack was her whole reason for living, but then to attempt ending her life and leave him alone after everything they had been through really surprised me. But I assumed after the interview she felt judged and like a failure as a person and parent.

[Dana]

I couldn't agree more, as I had tried to express in my earlier message... but you put it perfectly :)

[Terry]

Allison wrote: "On my first reading years ago, I preferred the first half because I thought it rang more true to me than the second half. Now that ..."

Hi Allison,
I felt YOU to be very articulate too, and your review most mimics my own feelings. I first listened to the book 2 years ago, and am re-skimming it now in paperback... I was pro-first half before, and am now back on the fence. Jack's exploration and self-explanations of Outside are endearing an entertaining, but some things, like (view spoiler)[ Ma's attempted suicide (hide spoiler)] still don't sit 100% comfortably with me, for the reasons others above detail.

As someone else said here, I too was captivated by the first half because it's so foreign an experience to me - much more so than the second half. I also really liked how much variety of things there actually were to be done and discussed while they were in Room - even the various game names that weren't explained could be imagined. A lot happens in 144 square feet, and the challenge of that restriction I felt added to the narrative's success.

[Allison]

Terry wrote: "Allison wrote: "On my first reading years ago, I preferred the first half because I thought it rang more true to me than the second half. Now that ..."

Hi Allison,
I felt YOU to be very articulat..."

Hey Terry, you raise a really good point about the variety of things that one can actually do with a child in such a small physical space all of the time. I was very impressed with Ma for having the foresight to hold a gym class to get Jack moving, and the game of corpse in particular made me smile ... i totally relate as a parent to how much energy children have compared to adults, and sometimes how nice it is to have some quiet and stillness in the day. I thought Ma coped incredibly well with it all and was inspiring in her creativity. Not sure i would have been able to do the same...i must admit that i probably would have come to rely on the TV more than Ma did.