Rhetorical Situation:
Room is a very uplifting movie that was released in 2015. It starts off about a woman who was kidnapped and put in a shed where she has been held captive for 7 years. She has a little boy and she must nurture him and help him to grow the best she can, but he thinks that the world exists just in that small room. In order to escape, Joy and her son formulate an escape plan to try and trick the kidnapper. The movie then transitions to being about the after life of the kidnapping. Joy has to readjust to life and is being attacked by the press and her son is experiencing the world for the first time. 36 hours into the real world and the pair are trying to make life “normal” again.
Goal of Narrative Perspective:
The goal of analyzing a narrative perspective,”identifies arguments proposed as morals through storytelling.” You can find the morals of the movie through certain different themes that are presented. Some of the themes of this movie include:
- Sacrifice
- Motherhood
- Determination
- Perseverance
Describe and Interpret
Room is set during 2010 in Akron, Ohio. There are really only a few locations used in this movie since half of it is set inside the shed that Joy and her son are held captive in. Joy’s motherhood is expressed by the use of setting because she has to decide how she is going to raise this boy to let him feel like he is living life to the fullest. There is no handbook for how to raise a son especially not in a circumstance like this.
Joy and her boy, Jack, are both round characters because they are not what fits into the social norms of the culture. Jack has long hair and there is much controversy when he leaves the “room” because everyone says that since he is boy he needs to have short hair. Joy also is round because her actions do not fit what is considered to be predictable. She has trouble adapting to the world when she is back in it because she has been gone for so long. You can see both of the characters perseverance in this movie when they continue on through all the difficulties they are facing. Joy is able to fight through the circumstances to create this “normal” life for her son even though she is stuck in captivity. Jack also shows this theme when he is trying to explain to the police where he came from and who his mother is. He has to escape when this whole time he never even knew he was captured.
The determination of Joy and Jack after they are free from the “room” is very important to look at. When they have escaped everyone assumes their lives are easy but there is even a part in the movie when Joy is talking to her mom and says, “you don’t even understand what is going on inside my head.” The two pair have to deal with the mental damage as much as the physical. Just their bodies are free does not meant that they are mentally recovered. Both of them have to fight and be determined to get through their trauma every single day after their escape.
Potential Implications
The implications of this movie is that it speaks truths about never giving up. You must fight everyday with determination and sacrifice to get through the challenges that life presents. This movie is meant to show people that miracles can happen, but they won’t happen if you do not put in your side of the effort.