JackJack Attack

     In the first part of the book, Jack is a hero of sorts. While it is up for debate how much he should be praised for his actions, seeing as he didn't seem to truly understand what he was doing or why he was doing it, he definitely goes through a journey that could be recognized as a traditional hero's journey. He is also a hero using the definition Grant used in A Lesson Before Dying; that a hero is somebody is does something for other people. While Jack is also unaware that he did something for Ma, his birth was very important to her well being. Before he was born she had stopped taking care of herself after a certain point but he gave her a reason to take care of herself again. Once again this brings up the question of whether or not Jack should get credit for something he didn't know he was doing but nonetheless, it is undeniable that he was doing something.
     However, this changes after they escape from Room and the fact that Jack doesn't understand why he had to play dead and get the police has its consequences. This first shows up when the police break into Room and the first thing Jack wants to do is go back to Room with Ma. This shows he fails to understand Room as a malevolent force. This becomes a problem for Ma when Jack keeps wanting to return to Room. There are several occasions when Jack brings up going back to Room and Ma tells him that they are never going back. I think what it comes down to is that Jack thought of Room as his home while Ma thought of it as a prison. While she was in Room Jack helped her, but now that she is out it seems like Jack can't help but remind her about Room. Given that I think Jack had something to do with why Ma tried to commit suicide. However, I would say the interview was more the trigger that caused it and Jack was just a slow burn added to it.

Where to Turn in the Face of Death

     Something that is thoroughly embedded in A Lesson Before Dying is the question of mortality and what can be done when you know death is inevitable. This is an especially important question within the context of Jefferson's situation because not only does he know he is going to die (more so than just the knowledge that everybody dies eventually) he also knows the specific day he is going to die. That means he has a set deadline for himself to get anything he wants to get done or for anything other people want him to get done.
     However, Jefferson is also in a situation where knowing he is going to die is empowers him to some degree at least. Because he lives in a place where barely stepping out of line could easily lead to severe punishment like death his ability to be free to do what he wants or what others want him to do is limited. But, because he is already facing the death penalty this threat has been eliminated because he no longer has to worry about punishments in the sense that he is already facing the harshest of them all. This is why he the the one who needs to step up in the book, not Grant. even though Grant is the one who has the education that allows him to do so. One good example of this is Jefferson's journal. The way he writes about how the sherriff told him to write about how good he treated him seems to undermine itself and allmost makes fun of the sherriff. There is no way Jefferson could have written that if he was just serving a time sentence because there could be severe consequences in the sherriff some how read that. So I think it is just interesting how the person who is in the position of least power, locked in a cell, actually holds the most power of all of them.