Can a baby be a hero?
I think one of the most important themes we have seen on our journey through heroes journey is that a heroes narratives can exist in just about anything. We have our epic journey of the odyssey, to Bundren's not so "epic" journey to lay Addie to rest, to a prisoner condemned to death, rising up from someone insignificant to the world around him, in order to make an impact on that world. And now we arrive to Room which shows us the heroic narrative of a five year old.
I remember one of our class discussions where Harmen had brought up the point in which Jacks heroic actions don't feel too heroic for some part because of his age. Which than spun up the discussion after class of weather a baby could be a hero. And in a way I think that Jack represents, the closest we could get to a "baby" hero, and how a heroes narrative exists in just about every aspect of our life.
I think to start, we can point out that Jacks birth itself, was in a way heroic. We could draw from contextual clues, that Ma's first years in the room had been quite depressive. She had suffered a still birth, which must have traumatized her greatly, she was being assaulted by old nick extensively, and her attempts to escape had been shot down. Her outlook the world would have been bleak to say the least. And we see her living with those consequences to this day: The horrible state of her teeth, her warnings to Jack to not watch TV extensively at she had (most likely) done before, and her daily killers. So the fact that Jack had come into her life, and she had kept old nick away from him, gave her at least the smallest bit of control and motivation to keep living in what would have otherwise been hell.
But then secondly, the fact that we observe Jacks heroism through his eyes, leads me to say that he is the closest to a "baby" hero that I know of, because while in ways his narration is much more mature, in others his virginity to the outside world gives us a perspective almost that of a babies which explores and tries to make sense of a world completely unknown to him, which in a way, is a heroes journey of its own, since he braves an unknown frontier trying to make sense of his new life.
I remember one of our class discussions where Harmen had brought up the point in which Jacks heroic actions don't feel too heroic for some part because of his age. Which than spun up the discussion after class of weather a baby could be a hero. And in a way I think that Jack represents, the closest we could get to a "baby" hero, and how a heroes narrative exists in just about every aspect of our life.
I think to start, we can point out that Jacks birth itself, was in a way heroic. We could draw from contextual clues, that Ma's first years in the room had been quite depressive. She had suffered a still birth, which must have traumatized her greatly, she was being assaulted by old nick extensively, and her attempts to escape had been shot down. Her outlook the world would have been bleak to say the least. And we see her living with those consequences to this day: The horrible state of her teeth, her warnings to Jack to not watch TV extensively at she had (most likely) done before, and her daily killers. So the fact that Jack had come into her life, and she had kept old nick away from him, gave her at least the smallest bit of control and motivation to keep living in what would have otherwise been hell.
But then secondly, the fact that we observe Jacks heroism through his eyes, leads me to say that he is the closest to a "baby" hero that I know of, because while in ways his narration is much more mature, in others his virginity to the outside world gives us a perspective almost that of a babies which explores and tries to make sense of a world completely unknown to him, which in a way, is a heroes journey of its own, since he braves an unknown frontier trying to make sense of his new life.
Great post! I agree that Jack can be seen as a hero and I think that his upbringing really changes the scope of his hero's journey. Although it may seem like he is doing some things that wouldn't be all too impressive for a 5 year old to do, they can prove to be new and quite daunting experiences for him. Talking to a stranger is pretty difficult, but it wouldn't necessarily be a heroic deed. However, for Jack, he is almost incapable of speaking because he has never encountered another human being before.
ReplyDeleteAside from the obvious herculean efforts that Jack made during the Great Escape, what solidified him as a hero in my view was his upbringing. Throughout his childhood, Ma provides him with stories of escape and heroism and strange worlds, like Jack the Giant Slayer, Alice in Wonderland, or The Count of Monte Cristo. When Ma tells these stories, she often inserts Jack as the protagonist, setting up an expectation/analogy of Jack as someone who can fit in a Heroic role. Ultimately, when Jack does execute the Great Escape, the stories he's heard play a crucial role. The plan (to fake a death, put the prisoner in a rug/body bag, get the "body" thrown out, then escape to freedom) was lifted almost directly from The Count of Monte Cristo, and Jack makes use of the story of Alice in Wonderland as he tries to explain himself to Officer Oh, ultimately "slaying" the "ogre" (to use the words of the Media) that is Old Nick.
ReplyDeleteGood points. It's interesting how there are 2 separate struggles Jack is enduring: both escaping Old Nick, and also interacting with the outside world.
ReplyDeleteJack really did ave his mothers life by giving her a purpose to keep him as HER son, not the son of Old Nick. Jack saved his mother not only in the great escape, but also at his birth.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that Jack is a hero but I also think that he is a hero because he has awareness and agency. The very idea of a hero having to complete a hero's journey suggests that the hero has to be capable of personal development; they have to begin with a very limited sense of self and end with a widened and improved sense of who they are. So I don't see Jack's birth as heroic (although it definitely was a catalyst for change in Ma's life) because he had no control over or awareness of the situation. But Jack's role in the great escape and the way he faces the outside world are heroic because Jack is scared and aware of what's happening and making conscious decisions even though he doesn't comprehend the situation as an adult would.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Jack should be seen as a hero. Even though he's only 5 and doesn't completely get why he's doing anything, he's doing it mainly because he knows his Ma is suffering and doing this will help her. The outside world is completely new to Jack, and being able to execute the plan as well as he did even though he was completely overwhelmed is also heroic and impressive.
ReplyDeleteInteresting points! I agree that Jack is in a way a baby hero, and the closest to a baby hero that we'll get. Any younger than 5 years old, and I think it's very unlikely that the kid can process through situations enough to consciously conduct heroic actions. But I do think Jack's birth was somewhat heroic by nature of providing hope and giving strength to Ma.
ReplyDeleteI agree that in terms of the Hero's Journey plot requirements, 5 might be one of the youngest ages possible. At the same time, Jack can be seen as a personal hero to Ma since the moment that he is born. Without him, she may have never escaped or had hope again. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Jack is a hero both for his age and also for the position in which he was in. Having never been outside of Room, it was even more impressive to me that he was able to play dead, hop out of the truck, and run away from Old Nick, which would been hard even for a normal 5 year old. Good post
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