The arts
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by Erin Maloney ![]() Room is a fictional book written by Emma Donoghue that details the life of a young boy named Jack living in a tool shed with his mother, who he calls Ma. The book begins on the morning of Jack’s fifth birthday, and we get to see how he lives his routine life with Ma, who was kidnapped by a man they call Old Nick seven years ago. Jack was born in the tool shed and lived his entire life in there, so clearly his perception of the world is different than that of a child who’s lived a regular life. What make this book so brilliant is the amount of thought
that Emma Donoghue puts into the development of Jack. Jack is curious and scared of the world outside of the shed. When he and Ma escape, he asks questions just like any other child. However, coming from a five year old, these questions make the reader really ponder and question why things are the way they are. One thing that really struck me is when Jack is living with his grandparents for a short time, he notices how “Outside” has so many things but nobody can remember their names, where they come from, or what they’re for. This book also addresses gender norms and how unnecessary they are. At one point, Jack asks Ma why all the boys have short hair and the girls have long hair. To him, there are no rules to being a boy or a girl. Also, while shopping with his aunt and uncle, Jack sees a Dora backpack and decides he wants it. His uncle shoes him a toy that’s meant for boys and tries telling Jack what he actually wants is that toy. But, as previously stated, gender norms don’t exist to Jack and when he begins to learn about them, he doesn’t understand why they exist. Room is a book that is intriguing and insightful. When I read it, I was amazed at how well written and thoughtful it was. However, this article hardly does it justice and you need to read it for yourself.
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