“The Room” Summary

A group of journalists have been taken prisoner by some Islamic fundamentalists and locked in a room for months on end. One speaks English, Spanish, French, German and some Arabic. It is through this person that the rest of the prisoners are able to communicate with each other. He is also their only reliable source to understand what is happening outside the room by attempting to listen to the conversations the jailors. He is an advocate of the prisoners accepting to convert to Islam in order to save their lives, however, he meets resistance by an American who refuses to give in. Eventually this man is taken and presumed executed. During the time they are locked in the room they go through various issues, such as discussing how to ask the jailors for better food, hygiene, medical assistance. In the end two of the other men die in there and in the end the others are eventually busted out by the British Army. during the final rescue raid one of the jailors, a young teenage boy who had been kind to the men inside is killed in freeing them. The sad truth of the story is that the key journalist feels sad to see his young friend killed and for a fight which he feels is useless. They all had differences in the room and in truth, they were no different to the differences that they had with the men who were keeping them prisoner. The journalist sees the truth that they are all just people who are caught up in man-made wars.

The story starts with the journalists being in a situation that results in them being taken captive. Throughout the ordeal the captives all think back in a series of flashbacks, to their loved ones at home and ponder the good, or bad that this entails as well as the regrets that they may have. Fights that weren’t worth it, the things left unsaid the burden of failing as men. They each talk about what they would do when they get out of the situation, they each teach and learn from one another