D-D-D-D-D-Dora

I’m sure everyone in my class has heard me talk about this like 15 times already but the relationship that Jack has with Dora and the way that it helps him cope has been one of my favorite parts of this book from the beginning. It’s probably because I really liked Dora when I was a kid, but I think that his relationship with Dora is really really important.

 Arguably, the relationship that Jack has with Dora is the closest relationship that he has to another child. He cares for and misses Dora the way that a child might miss their friend from preschool. When Ma and Jack are in the clinic he wants to see if he can find Dora and Spongebob on the TV because he hasn’t been able to see them for a while and he misses them and he’s disappointed when all that’s on is golf. Even before they escape part of the reason I think Jack is so excited about meeting other children on the “outside” is that Jack wants to meet other people like Dora who he knows that he likes and this is one of the only things that Jack is really excited to experience on the outside. 

Not only is Dora a reason for Jack to get to want to get to the outside Dora is also a way for Jack to be able to get there. When Jack doesn’t understand the plan Ma tells him to remember that the steps in the plan are like when Dora goes from one place to another. This helps him remember the plan and conceptualize how to do it. Additionally, he feels motivated by imagining her singing the “we did it” song and is inspired by her bravery. When he wriggles free from the rug, he wishes Dora was there because he knows that she would congratulate him for accomplishing his goals and being brave like her.

Jack’s relationship with Dora is very personal and he draws from her in many ways. In so many trials of his life, he calls on Dora for strength and guidance and she helps him understand the outside world. He understands the world through the context of Dora and her life and he understands what a grandma is because of Dora’s Abuela. When ma is telling him her stories about her mother he doesn’t understand at first but when he thinks about Dora and her Abuela he gains context and understanding that helps him process and be okay with this large change in his life. Just having this small jumping off place for understanding is very important in his adjustment to the world he will soon face head-on. As well Jack understands how nobody knows where they are in Room when he conceptualizes that they aren’t on a map or on Dora’s map. Jack also has a context for morals and knows that stealing is wrong because of Swiper from Dora. Though ma has taught him morals as well, having “swiper no swiping” as a mantra to remind himself is clearly helpful for Jack.

Jack also learns how to answer questions from Dora which is a very helpful skill for him in the future. When Ajeet asks Jack what his name is Jack recalls how the only one from TV (what he perceives everything outside of room as and therefore thinks that Ajeet is from TV) that asks him questions is Dora, and she already knows what his name is, so he doesn’t know how to answer that question because he hasn’t practiced it with Dora. He has learned from Dora that it is normal for him to answer questions from people from TV, a skill he struggles to use over and over again but has ultimately been prepared for by Dora asking him questions. 

 He used Dora to familiarize himself in the new environment of the clinic as Dora quite literally helps to heal his wounds in the form of his Dora bandaid. His bandaid is only a small part of his medical experience which is overwhelming and for Jack but this small familiarity “makes his day”.  Dora also makes him happy in the clinic in another potentially very confusing situation. Understandably Jack could have a hard time figuring out a computer and while he does struggle a bit he seems to be pretty comfortable playing the Dora video game. He even says it is “better than TV”.  As well, the interaction he has experienced with Dora from TV while answering her questions helps him understand how interacting with a computer works.

Overall its really impactful how much Dora means to Jack and I’m curious if people can think of other examples or different ways that she helps him!

Food and Drink

I think we can all agree that food plays a very important role in A Lesson Before Dying. Jefferson’s arch from refusing food to requesting exactly what he wants, both the ice cream and his godmother's food, is a sure sign of “accomplishment”. Food is one of the first ways that Jefferson connects to his community. He shares his food with the other inmates and later the children share pecans with Jefferson and Jefferson gives his first message to his wider community. I absolutely love this. In my family, we cook to show each other we care without words. Like Ms. Emma, sometimes the only thing we know that we can do for each other is to make someone’s favorite food, which is why it is so compelling and heart-breaking when this attempt at comfort turns out to be futile.

Though I love the interlinked relationships between food, love, and responsibility in A Lesson Before Dying I was struck by the role that drink plays in the novel. We see a few instances of drinking, but most of them are pretty negative, though some are obviously more benign.

The two major instances that come to my mind are Jefferson being caught at the scene of the murder with his bottle of whiskey and when Grant gets into a fight at the bar. The Rainbow Bar is a common gathering place in A Lesson Before Dying and cannot be categorized as a “good” place or a “bad” place in the book but it is certain that bad things happen there. It is the physical building of The Rainbow Bar that brings Grant close enough to the men in the bar talking about Jackie Robinson and Grant feels animosity towards those men and looks down on them for their idolization of sports heroes. After Grant has had a particularly fruitful conversation with Jefferson he comes to the Rainbow Bar to wait for Vivian. When he gets to The Rainbow Bar Grant is very happy but this happiness quickly turns to animosity after, again, he overhears a conversation that angers him and he gets into a physical fight.

Two very destructive and negative scenes in the book center around alcohol, so while food is a positive force in A Lesson Before Dying, drink is not.