Except not really. Presumably Jack and Ma will continue to live fairly happy lives together. Unfortunately, they don't get to just sit back and instantly assimilate themselves straight back into society. They'll face some serious challenges and continue to to have some very rough spots, especially for Jack. Their journey is very much not over, and due to the nature of the relationship between a mother and her son, never will be. So what exactly does the end of Room represent, if clearly not Jack and Ma's heroic adventure with each other?
To me, it looks like the ending of Room represents the end of Jack and Ma's relationship to Room itself. Throughout the entire second act of the novel both Ma and Jack have been doing their best to detach themselves completely from Room; Ma because she desperately wants to, Jack because he slowly understands that he has to. Since his escape, he had been looking at the entire world through the lens of Room, and the detachment to it in his language and behavior in the final scenes highly suggests that Room has finally transitioned into more of a memory for him than a limitation. Their final goodbyes really indicate to me how much they've come from the beginning of the book and provide the reader with some nice closure by bringing the whole story around full circle.
Personally, I thought it was one of the best endings the book could have done.
I agree that the ending of Room was very well done, especially compared to the ending of The Memory of Running, which really left me dissapointed. I also thought that the final goodbyes had a sense of closure about them, which was probably my favorite part of the ending.
ReplyDeleteI liked the ending to Room a lot. It made me feel sad because it seemed like Jack was genuinely losing a friend(Room), but at the same time it was the end to a friendship that would cause nothing problems for him in the future. The goodbyes really showed how much of a connection Jack had with everything in the Room and how much it meant for him to lose each of those connections.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the ending of Room. I thought it showed that although Jack still has a long way to go to become adjusted to the outside world, he has matured greatly over a short period of time.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the ending of Room was very well done, and left me with a much better feeling than The Memory of Running! I feel like it was important for Jack and Ma to come full circle, and I agree with Monica that it shows how much Jack has grown. The ending also allowed the reader to get closure and answered any questions they had about Jack's future, all while leaving lots more to be imagined. Earlier in the book, I couldn't even imagine Jack going to kindergarten or playing on a soccer team, but after the ending I felt like Jack would be alright.
ReplyDeleteThe ending of Room was the best out of all the books we have read so far in Heroes Journey. I feel good about how the book ended, unlike the previous ones. Donoghue closed the book perfectly in my opinion. I am kind of curious to find out, however, how Jack would have coped in this totally new world. I am also curious to find out what Ma and Jack's relationship would be like as they grow and Jack becomes more independent. But then the book would have gone for too long, so it was nice that Donghue ended without mentioning their future.
ReplyDeleteWe have every reason to expect that Jack will, day by day, immerse himself in the world and become more and more like a typical kid. It's fascinating for me to imagine Jack as a grown man, years down the line, when no one knows about his origins and he's just another guy at the office or whatever. I think of him letting people in on this story once they get to know him a little, when friends start talking about childhood, early memories, kindergarten, etc. Imagine someone telling you this story about their origins.
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