What is the meaning behind The Shining?

Grady warns Jack that his son Danny has a special gift — the "Shine," which in Stephen King's universe is a form of psychic ability that allows people to communicate with others using the mind, and gives people the ability to see things that have happened in the past, or will happen in the future.

What was the message of The Shining?

Stephen King's The Shining focuses on families and the way various forms of dysfunction—such as jealousy, insanity, abuse, and addiction—can rip them apart. At the center of the novel is the Torrance family—Jack, Wendy, and Danny—and they are fighting considerable odds.

Why is Jack in the 1921 photo?

Stanley Kubrick said, “The ballroom photograph at the very end suggests the reincarnation of Jack.” That means that Jack Torrance is the reincarnation of a guest or someone on staff at the Overlook in 1921.

Why does Jack go crazy in The Shining?

The evil spirits that inhabited the Overlook Hotel would eventually drive Jack insane by way of drowning him in his alcoholism, past trauma, and fears of becoming as abusive as his father.

What is the shining a metaphor for?

“Shining” is a metaphor for an imprecise collusion of telepathy, precognition and clairvoyance.

THE SHINING (1980) Explained

Why is Room 237 haunted in The Shining?

The room was inhabited in the past, by a Lorraine Massey who would usually seduce young bellboys who would visit her room. One time Danny Torrance visited this room after a ball strangely rolled to him from its open doors. Later, he claimed that a "crazy woman" tried to strangle him.

Is Danny being abused in The Shining?

Danny has been sexually abused by Jack.

Why does Danny say Redrum?

Danny even manages to anticipate what is about to happen by writing “redrum” on the bathroom door because this is where the murder will take place. The separation of Danny's alter ego voices into manifestations of Tony and Jack, through the presence / absence of his wagging finger, fits very well throughout the film.

Who was the woman in Room 237?

Lia Beldam is best known for playing the super sexy babe in the bathtub in room 237 -- whose flesh rots off while in Jack's arms -- in the Stanley Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece "The Shining." Guess what ...

Why did he say here's Johnny?

Jack Nicholson ad-libbed the line "Here's Johnny!" in imitation of announcer Ed McMahon's famous introduction of Johnny Carson on U.S. network NBC-TV's long-running late night television program The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Who strangled Danny in The Shining?

Lorraine Massey — One of the most violent and frightening ghosts of the hotel. She lures Danny to Room 237 and strangles him.

Why was the Overlook Hotel evil?

As a noun it means a commanding position or view. In The Shining, many things are overlooked: past murders at the hotel, leaving the hotel in the possession of an abusive alcoholic, and checking the boilers, among many other things. Because of this, the Overlook Hotel is an extremely haunted and evil place.

What do the twins symbolize in The Shining?

The twins also represent Danny's anticipation of his Mother being murdered. They have jet black hair like Wendy and they wear blue dresses. Wendy wears a blue dress at the start of the film with red stockings and sleeves, which gives her the symbolic appearance of an axe murdered twin.

Was Jack in The Shining a ghost?

Interestingly, in the 1997 Shining miniseries, which King himself wrote, there's a brief epilogue in which a graduating Danny is visited by the ghost of Jack, beaming with pride, suggesting that Jack's spirit was fully freed when the Overlook blew up.

Why does the Overlook Hotel want Danny?

In the book The Shining it's made clear to the readers that the Overlook Hotel wants to possess Danny Torrance so it can use his powerful telepathic power (his 'shine'). It does this by possessing his vulnerable father, Jack Torrance and using him as a puppet to hopefully kill Danny.

What did the bear mean in The Shining?

The Bear Man Is A Reference To Sexual Abuse

One of the most persuasive is the reoccurrence of bear symbolism. For example, during the scene where Danny is speaking to his psychiatrist, he is laying on stuffed bears.

Is The Shining a true story?

The Shining was a fictional tale but the setting was inspired by the true hauntings within Colorado's Stanley Hotel. Stephen King's The Shining book was the basis for Stanley Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece film.

What's the haunted room in The Shining?

ROOM 217. Though the Overlook Hotel from The Shining is fictional, as are the characters within, Room 217, the one that the King's stayed in and is prominent in the novel, remains the Stanley's most requested accommodation.

Why is Tony called Tony in The Shining?

Tony (his name taken from Danny's middle name, Anthony), is at first to Danny an imaginary playmate, then a source of fear, and finally a source of strength. Towards the end of the novel Tony reveals himself to Danny: "'Danny ... you're in a place deep down in your own mind.

What happened at the hotel in The Shining?

In the novel, The Shining, the Overlook was destroyed when the hotel's winter caretaker, Jack Torrance, allowed the outmoded boiler to go untended until it exploded, burning the Overlook to the ground. Jack's wife Wendy, his son Danny and Dick Hallorann were the only three survivors.

Does Jack actually drink in The Shining?

Even though the Overlook's cache of liquor is depleted before Jack comes on the scene, the Overlook creates gin from thin air and gets Jack really drunk before it sends him on his murderous rampage with the roque mallet.

Was Jack always the caretaker in The Shining?

Jack Torrance has always been the caretaker. His alcoholic tendencies come back to tempt him when he's in the Overlook's grip. Wendy sees Danny injured and immediately thinks it was Jack, because he's hurt their son before. Grady killed his family, and his daughters warn Danny of what's to come for him.

What is the monster in The Shining?

The monster, Jack Torrence, is an example of the standard American male who provides for and protects his son and wife (Bingham 138). He has chosen to work at the Overlook Hotel in order to support his family because as a writer employment has been difficult.