Analysis Of Emma Donoghue's 'ROOM'

ABSTRACT :
Canadian Literature is an eminent study among the other literatures in the world. Emma Donoghue has given a remarkable impression in Canadian Literature. She is a novelist, short story writer, playwright, and literary historian. Her novel ROOM is based on the real life incident of Fritzl case in Austria, where Josef Fritzl, imprisoned and physically assaulted his daughter for twenty four years in the basement of his house. The novel has been translated into thirty-five languages. Emma Donoghue has portrayed Jack, a five year old boy who lives with his Ma, in 11’x 11’ single, locked room and explores the real world outside the four walls after struggling much. The story is narrated through the voice of the innocent Jack to demonstrate
His face is scrunched up from trying to differentiate which is real and unreal. When Ma told about her own family, Jack questioned her that “You actually lived in TV one time?” Ma, really struggles to explain him about everything “I told you, it’s not TV. It’s the real world, you wouldn’t believe how big it is.”(105) When Jack heard this he tells Ma to get out of this place to experience the world. Ma assures him that Old Nick will not let them out. “We’re like people in a book, and he won’t let anybody else read it”(112) It is evident that, Ma clearly understood the character of Old Nick. Ma rewinds her past when she was nineteen years old college student. She also tells him that she was kidnapped by Old Nick in a truck and brought in here. She explained the unique features of the room “Actually it was a garden shed to begin with. Just a basic twelve- by-twelve, vinyl-coated steel. But he added a soundproofed skylight, and lots of insulating foam inside the walls, plus a layer of sheet lead, because lead kills all sound. Oh, and a security door with a code.”(106) She tried to get out of the room, but it was impossible for her because, “When he was at work I tried to get out, I tried everything. I stood on tiptoe on the table for days scraping around the skylight, I broke all my nails. I threw everything I could think of at it but the mesh is so strong, I never even managed to
While entering the office, they were captured in camera by the media people. It was the first time in Jack’s life he happened to see so many people. At that time, Jack felt that, “There’s persons everywhere not friends of mine”(198). These words in his mind reveal the alienated feeling in him. Ma, detailed her bitter experiences with Old Nick. Then, they were sent to Cumberland Clinic for the normal recovery. While peeping through the window, he could see more cars, buildings and people walking in the road. He puzzled whether they are real. It was a hard task of the mother to make him believe that everything is real in this earth. Jack confessed that “I try and believe it but it’s hard work.”(219) Jack experienced the nature for the first time when he walked on the grass with Ma. He saw hundreds of flowers not in bunch which he received with the mail, but in nature. “I’m squishing the green spikes under my shoes. I bend down and rub, it doesn’t cut my fingers. I watch the grass again, there’s a twig and a leaf that’s brown and a something, it’s yellow”(263). It was the first time when Jack immersed with