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.
While we could split hairs over how much Jack "truly understands" what he's doing in the "Great Escape" (i.e. there are aspects of danger that he's unaware of; he knows nothing really about the larger social context for cases of abduction, etc.), I would argue that he understands a lot, largely based on what Ma has told him in the last two or three days (so it's still pretty fresh and new for him to get his head around). The key moment for me is when it occurs to *him* (with no prompting from Ma--she'd never mentioned this) that Nick might be going back to "punish Ma," and that therefore he and Officer Oh have to work quickly to figure out where Room is and bring help. This is a new part of the Plan B that Jack is figuring out for himself, as it happens, and it shows how well he does grasp the essential elements of the situation, even if his understanding is inevitably incomplete.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I also found it really amazing that Jack was able to make that leap. It probably stemmed from his overarching protectiveness and need to be close to Ma, but it still showed some situational awareness on his part. He could grasp the fact that, if Old Nick was pissed, and Old Nick was in his truck, it was possible that he was heading to Room. Though I find it more likely that Nick was trying to get out of the country as fast as possible.
DeleteYou mentioned that Jack doesn't understand why he has to pretend to be dead and escape in the back of Nick's truck, but I would argue that he does have a basic understanding of what he's doing and why. He certainly understand that he's escaping (even if he doesn't realize that it's permanent), and he seems to understand that he's doing it to "save Ma". He also begins to understand that Nick isn't a good person, even if he doesn't quite understand why.
ReplyDeleteI think Jack does to some extent understand why he has to escape Room and what he's doing although he doesn't understand it as well as readers do or as well as Ma does. I don't think he has to fully understand the situation to be a hero though. When Odysseus fights the suitors, he doesn't understand exactly how he's going to win, he just trusts that Athena will make it happen (on a side note though, I don't think that scene is heroic in a positive sense). And it's not like Luke understands everything the resistance is fighting or how the force works or exactly what process will cause the death star to blow up if he shoots the right place. I'd say Jack's fear (enabled by his limited understanding) and willingness to do what he has to do despite being scared are what make his actions heroic.
ReplyDeleteGood post! I think that when it comes to jack being a Hero, my stance lies in that it doesn't matter of whether they had executed their own goal or another's, but instead it's the fact that they made a change. Which also underlines how thin the line lies between hero and villain. Since, while some view Ma as a hero, others might have viewed Old Nick as a hero, hence why the sent feces to Ma. And in reality most heroes don't really follow their own decisions but instead adopt those of their mentor.
ReplyDeleteI kind of agree with you - heroic actions, no matter how heroic they are, do not necessarily make a hero. I don't think Jack can be a FULL hero until he truly realizes what his actions meant to Ma as well as to us, and starts to recognize Room as something that SHOULD'VE been escaped from. This, however, doesn't take away from the singular bravery of "The Great Escape" - Jack may not be a hero yet, but he's certainly on his way to getting there.
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