8号房间影评：Reason or Subjection? the Symbolism of Book in Room 8
We saw that the new prisoner was locked into a matchbox. The red box is not his chance. But does he have another chance? To illustrate my point, I will focus on the symbolism of the book. What does the book in the prison symbolize?
Like that old man, the new prisoner can also choose to read a book. In the bed, the green book was placed in the upper bunk, and the red box was placed in the lower bunk. These two things symbolize two different choices. One option is to use the red box to escape the cell. Another option is to stay in the cell and read the book.
Since the red box symbolizes desire, some people may think that the book symbolizes reason. Why? First, the book symbolizes a person's clear understanding of his situation. When the new prisoner saw the red box, he was very irrational. It is very irrational for him to rush out of the cell. Since it is irrational to escape from the box, it is rational not to escape. Reading a book represents the act of not rush out of the box. In this sense, the book is a symbol of reason.
Second, the book also symbolizes internal transcendence. If a person can read a book in prison, it means that he can calmly face difficulties and hardships. Keeping calm in the face of supernatural force — the red box — also reflects his strength of mind. His spiritual situation can give him a kind of happiness.
But does this rational approach also mean a kind of subjection to fate? After all, even if the man can read calmly, he is still in prison. Of course, living in a cell is better than living in a matchbox, but he still has no freedom. His desire of freedom is still not being satisfied. The fate of unsatisfactory desires has not been broken. This fate cannot be broken by the efforts of external transcendence, nor can it be broken by the efforts of internal transcendence.
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