Welcome to my blog! I will be writing posts as I read through Stephen King's fantastic horror novel, The Shining. Here we go!
Straight from the first chapter, characters put on a mask. True feelings and intentions are repressed and an artificial surface is emitted. Take the major character Jack Torrance. He has an interview with the manager of the hotel for a caretaker job. During the interview, Jack frequently has very mean thoughts about the manager. Thoughts like "Officious little prick, officious." and Jack's large, insultingly toothy PR smile. Jack has a lot of anger swelled up inside of him but he is still able to put on a fake smile.
On the other hand, Ulmann the manager, is a very condescending and unpleasant man. He doesn't hide how he feels and what his intentions are. He wants to make sure that he has a responsible and healthy person to take care of the hotel in the off season. He is aware of his behaviour as he admits, "There is nothing personal I have said to you. I only want what's best for the Overlook [hotel]" Ulmann is not a very nice person, but he is honest.
So here we have two characters, Ulmann and Jack who are both relatively unpleasant people. The difference is that one is completely honest in showing their true intentions, while the other hides them. Honesty and the putting on of masks is being explored. What are the consequences of dishonesty and how will this affect future events? This will unravel more and more as the novel progresses.
Danny is another major character in the novel. Danny is a 5 year old kid of Jack Torrence and Wendy Torrence. He has a special ability which we discover is called the shining. He is able to read minds, have visions, see flashbacks of the past, and speak telepathically. Danny essentially is able to strip down all the masks and see who a person really is. During supper with his family, Danny reads his parents thoughts, "But they were thinking. [...] The thoughts of divorce hung over the kitchen table like a cloud full of black rain..." This allows the reader to see the slow disintegration and horror of events that will eventually take place as a horror novel. True feelings, secrets and dark intentions will emerge from Jack and Wendy, and Danny will be our window to see it all happen.
Bibliography
King, Stephen. "Download Pdf Epub Books Discussion." GoodReads, 26 Oct. 2017.
Leavy, Carl. "Creepy Hotel." Deviant Art, 30 Nov. 2009.
