Room

Content Warning: This section contains depictions of abuse through neglect and imprisonment.

Five-year-old Jack has never been exposed to anything outside of Room besides the few books inside Room and the television. The influence of this limited exposure to literature and media is apparent through Jack’s narration, as he regularly references the books he knows as they come in and out of relevance during his ongoing monologue. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd is featured prominently in Jack’s narration as well as his interactions with Ma. The Runaway Bunny’s function in Room is to illustrate the way Jack perceives mother and child relationships. Jack likes the book, but it is not his favorite. However, he knows it’s Ma’s favorite so he asks her to read it when he can tell she is not feeling happy. Ma relates to the mother bunny in the story, as her bond with Jack is so significant that she would chase him to the ends of the earth if he tried to run away from her. Later, after Jack and Ma are separated, Jack does not enjoy hearing