The Shining: a Comparative Analysis of the Original Novel and Its Adaptation

Home , Fear and Desire, It (miniseries), The Shining (miniseries), The Shining (novel), Vivian Kubrick

Masaryk University Faculty of Arts

Department of English and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Jan Zbořil

The Shining: A Comparative Analysis of the Original Novel and its Adaptation

Bachelor‟s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Dr.

2013

I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my supervisor, doc. Tomáš Pospíšil, for his patience and understanding.

I would also like to thank my friend Jakub Hamari, who provided incredible support during all phases of my work.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction...... 5

2. The Authors

2.1 Stephen King...... 7

2.2 Stanley Kubrick...... 9

3. The Book

3.1 Origin...... 14

3.2 Form...... 15

3.3 The Narrative...... 16

3.4 Critical Analysis...... 20

3.5 Characters...... 23

4. The Movie

4.1 Origin...... 32

4.2 Form...... 32

4.3 Critical Analysis...... 36

4.4 Characters...... 41

5. Conclusion...... 48

Works cited...... 50

Résumés...... 52

1. Introduction

The culture of man is literally flooded with various artistic creations, be it architecture, music, or others. Regardless of being born several millennia later, the art of movie-making was closely connected to literature from its very beginning, as the latter provided a vast supply of unique stories. The main issue of a novel is that it can only be presented through a written word. Movie in comparison provides a wide range of possibilities and is perceived through many senses, though the movie critics often agree that even when a movie does stand on its own quite well and holds together as a stand- alone project, it only rarely surpasses the level of quality of the literary original, and usually fades in comparison. Nonetheless, the filmmakers do attempt to create a successful movie, while either respecting the original work or not.

The creation and acceptance of adaptation of literature is of course very subjective and depends on personal taste, while it has become a habit to ascribe much greater severity to the literary genre, while disregarding the adaptations. I would therefore like to thoroughly study one such case, Stephen King‟s The Shining, which is then directly compared to the relations and deviations of its movie adaptation created by

Stanley Kubrick. The movie used is the 144-minute-long US version. As the perception of an adaptation is always based upon a concept of standards and deviations and depends upon an understanding of its context, certain backgrounds are always more relevant than others, thus I often use personal insights from interviews of both authors.

My thesis offers a comparative critical analysis of Stephen King‟s novel The

Shining and its movie adaptation directed by Stanley Kubrick strictly without the use of any established methodology. The main body of the work consists of three main chapters, covering in detail each topic.

At first I introduce the authors, their lives, their accomplishments, and their

works. The work is then divided into two major parts, each part dealing with the respective medium, the novel and the film.

In both parts I first explore the origin of the stories and the reasoning behind their creation, and then I discuss the form and style used. In the case of the original story I also briefly cover the narrative as the default, essential to understanding the work as a whole.

Then I carefully delineate and critically analyze the plot, the importance and meaning of specific parts of the story, followed by analysis of the characters crucial to the plot, being the Torrance family, and also the Overlook Hotel itself, as its role in the story is vital, and it varies greatly in each medium. I focus in detail on the main traits, the most relevant characterizations, and the history. These are then directly compared to the relations and deviations of its movie adaptation and its characters‟ counterparts in the subsequent chapters, while exploring the reasons of the changes and their intention.

The conclusion then recapitulates and valorizes both works and their aspects, while using the learned knowledge to point out the differences and similarities between the respective works‟ themes and purpose due the different context of the two media, analyzes their worth and reaches the conclusion of how each work holds on its own in the comparison.

2. The Authors

2.1 Stephen King

Stephen Edwin King was born on September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine. He is considered one of the most famous living writers of the horror genre, while also being one of the most commercially successful.

He is describing the development of his life in book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, stating he was fascinated by writing from his immediate childhood. The reason he started writing under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman was mainly because of a general opinion that a writer should not have published more than one book a year, in order of not overflowing the public, so using a pseudonym was common, while also finding out whether he had any talent or just a stroke of luck. The man in the picture assigned to the name was Richard Manuel, the insurance agent of Stephen

King‟s literary agent Kirby McCaulie.

He reflects on Mary Karr and her autobiographical book The Liar’s Club, and finds her work and her style fascinating and considers it inspirational. He and his brother were abandoned by their father and were raised by only his mother, moving a lot

(On Writing 17). Due to health issues he was forced to withdraw from his first grade in school, and started rewriting some stories of the comic book series, Combat Casey. His mother supported him, and he soon started writing stories of his own (On Writing 28).

The family moved constantly during childhood, which resulted in discovery of a special place that turned out to be a huge wilderness area with a junkyard and a train track, which stuck with King for the rest of his life, as he admits he returns to it in his memories in many of his stories, for example It or Under the Dome (On Writing 30).

He got his first original story called “I Was a Teen-Age Graverobber” published in a horror fanzine Comics Review in 1965 (On Writing 36), and his own published

story which he got a payment for was “The Glass Floor” in Starling Mystery Stories magazine in 1967. His first novel Carrie, which was published in 1974, deals with a introvert teenage girl that snaps under constant bullying and psychological torture, resulting in a violent rampage with her telekinetic powers. King was working as a high school teacher at the time, which provided an excellent first-hand experience for writing such novel (On Writing 72), as he tried to depict “the ant farm of high school society dead on” (Danse Macabre 103). Following the success of Carrie and the movie adaptation he gained immediate recognition, and acquired a $400,000 pay check for publishing rights in 1974, after which he was able to devote himself fully to writing. At that point he set himself a goal of writing 1500 words a day, while being mainly inspired by the day to day events of his life in a small town (On Writing 169). King's interest in the supernatural and paranormal is often projected in his protagonists, as their experience and actions reveal psychological complexities and abnormalities. He builds his stories on the direct causality of his characters and current situation rather than plotting; and deals with relationships and their development.

The staple elements of King‟s works are ordinary characters that are forced to deal with the supernatural while it directly changes them or people around them

(Needful Things, The Shining, The Tommyknockers). In many works he deals with the development of a whole community of usually a small town, while outer influence breaks the community apart, usually in the form of few events which then snowball out of control (Insomnia, Needful Things, Salem’s Lot, The Stand). He also focuses on latent psychic abilities of human minds, which is a feature used mainly in his earlier books

(Carrie, Dead Zone, Firestarter, The Shining). Sometimes there is an ancient supernatural evil confronted by ordinary and generally good people (It, Needful Things,

Salem’s Lot, The Stand). The usage of child characters as the central protagonists of the

novels is not uncommon (The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, It, Firestarter), and they are forced to fight against uneven odds. The dominant theme throughout King‟s works is however the observation of the gradual decay of a family (Cujo, Needful Things,

Salem’s Lot, The Shining), as the relationships worsen into destructive spiral, be it from mundane things or the effect of the supernatural. The father is more often than not the person at fault, being both most susceptible to the influence due to childhood trauma or proneness to strictness, violence, and alcoholism. King is not completely focused on the supernatural though; he also deals with more realistic and psychological elements as in his trilogy of abused wives (Dolores Clairborne, Gerald’s Game, Rose Madder).

He was an alcoholic (On Writing 95) and wrote under the influence many times; he regretfully admits he does not even remember writing his novel Cujo at all. He did a lot of hard drugs as well, although he claims it did not influence his writing at all, for he sees drugs only as a means leading to a simple game of mind, and not an expansion of consciousness (Bare Bones 43).

Stephen King‟s work currently holds more than forty novels and two hundred short stories, while the genres of thereof vary greatly, yet can mingle together inconspicuously. He was awarded with more than fifty various awards, though Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters acquired on 19th November 2003 from National Book Foundation probably stands out the most.

2.2 Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick was born on 26th July 1928 in Manhattan, New York. He is generally regarded as one of the most influential film directors of all time, probably due to his unscrupulous leadership. He will be always remembered as innovative and original creator of many unforgettable and unique cinematographic masterpieces. In the

span of thirteen movies over forty years, most of which were considered masterpieces of cinema, he gained respect and recognition throughout the whole world.

Interesting fact is Kubrick never actually studied cinematography and never took any lessons. All of the knowledge he possessed was a result of experience and self study. Kubrick himself admitted that the most important thing for his career was not education but simple luck. He was very talented right from his early age. At twelve he learned to play chess, at thirteen he got his first camera, he was always interested in jazz, and he even attempted a career at drumming. On the other hand he found school very uninteresting and often skipped class to take pictures with his camera. He graduated high school with only a 67 grade average, which then prevented him from pursuing higher education. However as he was born into a rich family and his father was also interested in photography, he had access to a private dark room at home. His friend and film director Alex Singer said: “That dark room background actually was one of the bedrock things that enabled him to develop a very high level of sophistication about photography and finally cinematography” and that “it was this dark room that probably shifted his future career. He spent a lot of time there and his fascination supported by his father grew stronger and stronger” (Stanley Kubrick: A Life in

Pictures). He sent a powerfully emotional picture of a news-vendor mourning president

Roosevelt‟s death to Look Magazine, and it is this moment of his life that turned his life around, as he immediately became recognized as an artist. After school he started to work as a New York photographer for Look Magazine as a shutterbug, and around this time he started visiting the Museum of Modern Art and New York cinemas (Interview with Pryor).

As he took several features on boxing for Look Magazine, he found the perfect subject for his first project, and in 1951 a short documentary on Walter Cartier Day of

the Fight was released with help from Alex Singer. After the success of the documentary he quit his work at Look Magazine and pursued a career of a filmmaker. He made few other short documentaries, followed by a feature war movie Fear and Desire in 1953 with the support of his father. Infamous fact about the shooting was that Kubrick used a crop sprayer to create a fog due to budget constrictions, though it still contained insecticide, and poisoned large part of the cast. Fortunately no one was hurt. After his second movie Killer’s Kiss he founder a company Harris-Kubrick pictures with young producer James B. Harris, and their first project was The Killing, a 1956 film noir based on the novel Clean Break by Lionel White, which was only the first of many movie adaptations he would later create. Despite financial difficulties, the movie received positive reviews, and Kubrick gained more recognition. 1957 war movie The Path’s

Glory, based on Humphrey Cobb‟s antiwar novel, was considered highly controversial and was banned in several states for its unscrupulous portrayal of French military. Not very successful at the time, the film is now considered one of the best war movies of all times. Kirk Douglas, portraying Colonel Dax, asked Kubrick for cooperation once more three years later, as he was producing Spartacus but could not work with the original director Anthony Mann. Spartacus was the most expensive film made at the time, and brought Kubrick experience with cast of over ten thousand people. It became a huge success, and it established Kubrick as a major director, receiving six Academy Award nominations out of which it won four. Kubrick and Douglas however fought constantly over the control over the movie, and Kubrick would not give way ever again. It is also possible to say, as he was an avid chess player who looked at life with a cold and calculating mind, that he bit his tongue at the time and endured, for having made such a huge movie, he would be given a creative freedom and absolute control in the future.

This proved true as major studios supported him no matter the project, and Vladimir

Nabokov‟s scandalous novel Lolita was chosen for adaptation. The final however did not satisfy Kubrick as the censorship at the time was stricter than he would like. In 1964 his next full-length movie was the controversial Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to

Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, a black comedy loosely based on Peter George‟s novel Red Alert that satirizes Cold War relationships. In 1968 he created his magnum opus, the legendary visually stunning 2001: A Space Odyssey, for which he was awarded his only Oscar. It was created as an adaptation of Arthur C: Clarke‟s short story

The Sentinel, with its middle part depicting the struggle of man against man-made machine is one of the most memorable works of cinema history, while paving way for the visually stunning and wonderful world of sci-fi. The movie proved Kubrick was capable of creating truly anything. The following 1971 satirical yet violent movie A

Clockwork Orange fits also into history, however as one of the most controversial films, following the life of a young man Alex living his life enjoying rape and ultra-violence.

During the “rehabilitation” theatre scene, Malcolm McDowell got injured, as the metallic holders holding his eyelids scraped his cornea. The director however kept the camera going. As McDowell wrote a letter of apology to the fans from the Scare

Festival Convention, where he should have been present, he was rushed to the hospital on 25 September 2012 and had to undergo an emergency surgery on his eye, which was discovered to be a detached retina. This was acknowledged to originate from the injury from the role (McDowell). A Clockwork Orange was an adaptation of Anthony Burgess‟ novel, and both authors got fiercely attacked, to the point of him withdrawing the movie from the cinemas. Next in line was William M. Thackeray‟s historical novel Barry

Lyndon from 1975. It bombed at the office, but with years the film gained recognition as a remarkable composition of art. Movie version of Stephen King‟s The Shining created in 1980 after years became one of the staple movies of the horror genre, and is the focus

of this work. Full Metal Jacket was based on the Gustav Hasford‟s novel The Short-

Timers, depicting the lives of American marines in a training camp in the U.S. and later in Vietnam. Unlike most of his movies, it was critically acclaimed from the beginning and became successful immediately. Drama Eyes Wide Shut, a 1999 adaptation of

Arthur Schnitzler's Freudian novel Dream Story about obsession with sex and jealousy, was his last movie.

During his career Kubrick engaged in number of movie genres including war films, film noir, comedy, science fiction and horror. He covered wide field of themes and ideas and for this versatility he is considered as one of the most influential directors ever from 1960 onward. Almost every actor who worked with Kubrick claims that the cooperation with him was one of the most or even the greatest experience of their careers. Icons such as Sidney Pollack, Tom Cruise or Malcolm McDowell recall working with Kubrick as memorable moments in their lives (Stanley Kubrick: A Life in

Pictures).

Two weeks after finishing the last shot of Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick suffered a heart attack in his sleep, and died on 7th March 1999 at the age of seventy.

3. The Book

3.1 Origin

The story of The Shining was inspired by a family trip outside of Maine, which turned out to be the Colorado, as King was trying to change the location of the story when he felt the similarities between Carrie and Salem’s Lot‟s were too noticeable. Two years before this trip Stephen King started working on a short story called Darkshine about a child with telepathic powers and his life with his drunken father in an amusement park, though the story was abandoned. Stephen King and his wife Tabitha decided to make a one-night stay at nearby estate without their children and went to the

Stanley Hotel, a neo-Georgian structure in Estes Park, Colorado, checking in the room

217, which was said to be haunted. As the hotel was closing for the off season the very next day, they were the only two guests at the entire hotel. After the stay in the hotel, during which he had a nightmare about his son being followed by a fire hose while running through the empty corridors, he eventually created a story of a family cut off by a snowed-in haunted hotel (Bare Bones 105). King has been dealing with alcoholism at the time, and it is directly embedded The Shining, as he admitted that he himself served as the basis of the alcoholic father and the character of Jack was subconsciously written to be partly autobiographical. King felt horrified by his occasional feelings of antagonism toward his children and feared he may physically hurt his family, and was trying to portray a character thrown into stressful situations, ultimately losing control and giving in to his urges (On Writing 96). The character of Jack thus served as an outlet of problematic emotions as by expressing them on paper and letting these thoughts out of his system King felt he was less likely to lose control for real.

The story of the book was influenced by Shirley Jackson‟s novel The Haunting of Hill House (Bare Bones 48), a 1959 gothic novel about a young girl with social

issues, where the house is very much alive and times and times again possesses her to wreak havoc. “Hill House itself, not sane, stood alone against its hills, holding darkness within” (The Haunting of Hill House 135).

The name of the book was named after a song of John Lennon and the Plastic

Ono Band called “Instant Karma,” in which the refrain went “We all shine on.” The original name was thus The Shine, King was however talked out of this as someone pointed out that is a pejorative word for Black people as it was short for “shoeshine boy” during World War II, and the name was changed (Bare Bones 191).

King‟s original plan was to conclude the story with deaths of the whole family, after which Danny became the controlling force of the hotel, while its psychic power would go up exponentially (Bare Bones 121). The current version originally supposed to be a prologue a titled “Before the Play” and an epilogue “After the Play.” The former mapped the history of the Overlook, and included an interlude chapter with young Jack

Torrance being abused by his father, while a voice whispered to him “what you see is what you'll be.” The latter followed Danny when he was older. In the end both were removed from the manuscript, and while “Before the Play” was later published in the magazines Whispers and TV Guide, “After the Play” was irretrievably lost (Schwed 15).

3.2 Form

King originally wanted the story to be written in the form of a five-act

Shakespearean tragedy, with scenes instead of chapters. The limited setting and given exposition support the matter that it could be still considered one. It is written in prose rather than dialogue and is still divided into five parts, and what Jack is trying to write is a five-act play called The Little School.

The book is divided into five acts – Prefatory Matters, Closing Day, The Wasps‟

Nest, Snowbound, and Matters of Life and Death. The acts are divided into several chapters, with the exception of few chapters from Hallorann‟s view near the end, each chapter is told from a point of view of one member of the family only, thus enabling observation of a single event from more angles. Transitions between the acts feel slow and unhurried, while the tension gradually escalates. The titles of the acts clarify the focus of the act as a whole, and are specified by exact dates within the chapters.

The story is narrated in alternating third person limited, which in turn enables observation of a single event from more angles. The story is narrated mainly from

Jack‟s and Danny‟s perspectives, while complemented by several Wendy‟s chapters.

While it could the said that the leading character is Danny, the focus of the story is

Jack‟s metamorphosis into a ghastly maniac, and is given the most space throughout the book.

As common in King‟s novels, The Shining has a slow pace at first, often interspaced by flashbacks. The unhurried gradual build-up feels casual, but as the story progresses the narration seems to accelerate, becoming more and more vertiginous until its intense climax.

3.3 The Story

The story starts with hiring of Jack Torrance to work as a caretaker of a mountain hotel Overlook located in Colorado while it is closed for winter. Further into the story however it turns out that the hotel is in fact a supernatural entity on its own.

The primary concern of the caretaker is the pressure release of the hotel‟s ancient boiler, and alternately heating the hotel‟s wings. The crucial importance of the boiler‟s pressure quickly fades into the background until the climax of the story. The problem lies however in the cabin fever that may arise, as when the hotel becomes snowbound

and completely cut off, the psychological constraint can be unbearable, which happened to the previous caretaker, Delbert Grady, who went insane and murdered his wife and two daughters with an ax, and then committed suicide. Jack then moves into the hotel with his wife Wendy, and their son Danny. It is also established that Danny can read the mind of someone specific regardless of the distance, and that he loses consciousness when he experiences the visions of things to come (The Shining 35).

The next part describes how the family arrived to the Hotel and witnessed as the remnants of the guests and employees left. The six-month-work Jack managed to acquire in the hotel is the last chance the family has to remedy the relationships torn so many times, and they remain hopeful. Danny‟s psychic abilities “to shine” are thoroughly explained, as the old local cook Hallorann is similarly gifted. They have a long telepathic conversation, and form a strong bond.

When Jack is repairing the western rooftop and replacing the shingles that are rotting away on Mr. Ullman‟s orders, he finds a hidden nest of wasps and is stung in the hand just as he is pondering over his play, which is progressing unexpectedly well (The

Shining 114). After using the bug-bomb and eradicating all the wasps he takes the nest home for Danny, as when he was a child he had one in his room also. The wasps eventually come back to life and attack Danny when he is trying to fall asleep. After the eradication of the wasps, Danny locks himself up in the bathroom, summons Tony to gain more information about the hotel and loses consciousness. Jack is angered for the first time in the story as he wants Danny to open the door, hurting Wendy in the process.

The terrified parents then take Danny to the nearest town Sidewinder to see a doctor.

Jack not only admits in the doctor‟s office that he probably subconsciously wanted deliberately to physically hurt Danny, he afterwards explores the basement and soundly studies Grady‟s scrapbook (The Shining 167). Slight changes in Jack‟s behaviour can be

clearly registered, as his coming under the effects of the Hotel‟s subtle influence turns him grumpier, he becomes more prone to losing his temper, his thirst for alcohol grows stronger, and Wendy herself notices the return of many symptoms of alcoholism coming back – he constantly wipes his mouth when stressed and started taking Excedrin again, which is said to be the only legal non-prescription drug to stop a hangover (The Shining

193). Meanwhile Danny, being lured by the Overlook, steals the universal key and goes directly to the room 217, but is startled by a dark presence surrounding the old fire extinguisher, and its unquestionable movements scare him away (The Shining 190). Jack experiences similar encounter when he is cutting the hedge animals for the last time before winter, as they appear to be moving, though he considers it just a hallucination.

Soon after it starts snowing, and the hotel becomes gradually more isolated, and its influence over Jack grows stronger. As Jack once falls asleep in Ullman‟s office,

Overlook manipulates Jack through a dream of his father ordering him to murder his family through the central radio, which is now the only way of communication with the outside world, to destroy it. At the same time Danny enters the room 217, and is confronted by a decaying reanimated suicide woman and briefly strangled, which leaves huge bruises on his neck. Wendy witnesses the fruits of Jack‟s rush of anger and right afterwards finds Danny wandering through the hotel, briefly catatonic. Associating radio‟s destruction with Danny‟s current state, she loses her patience with Jack. Angered by her constant distrust, he aims to the bar where he finds a bartender named Lloyd, who affably listens to Jack‟s complaints and grievances while pouring him twenty glasses of martini. After Jack drinks most of them, Lloyd disappears, Wendy finds Jack shortly after and together they witness Danny waking up. He tries to explain what happened, and describes what he felt from the Hotel before they arrived. Jack goes to

217 to trace possible dangers for the family and is convinced he has seen the woman

behind a bath curtain also, but lies and says he did not see anything. Wendy tries to convince Jack to leave the Overlook immediately on the snowmobile, which is the only way to get through all the snow, though Jack admits to himself that he does not in fact want to leave, and Danny realizes how severely the Hotel has influenced Jack‟s mind.

Jack goes to the equipment shed and ensures their stay by tearing out the snowmobile‟s magneto and throwing far away it into the snow, and physically attacks Danny for the first time since two years ago. Danny tries to call Hallorann, who immediately leaves his work and books the earliest plane.

The Hotel starts being more active, deliberately moving random objects, like the hedge animals or the elevator, visions from the past accompanied by music coming from the ball room appear continuously, and Wendy muses that due to the potential and power of Danny‟s abilities Overlook is coming to life more than ever before, and all of its different angles of time are merging together (The Shining 436). For Jack the place feels like home, as he is finally welcomed and praised, but still urged that his family must be “corrected” by the personnel, while being served more drinks. Jack becomes physically possessed by Overlook, and tries to kill his family. Wendy knocks him out with an empty bottle, and with Danny‟s help drags him into the pantry. The Hotel unlocks the door and provides a roque mallet, and Jack once again starts tracking his family. He savagely attacks and badly hurts Wendy, but she manages to stick a knife in his back and slip away during a moment of Jack‟s disorientation, locks the door behind her in their living quarters, and locks herself in the bathroom. Jack breaks down the first down and starts destroying all the furniture and the walls. Wendy is then saved by the sound of Hallorann‟s snowmobile, who managed to get to the Hotel and past the attacks of the hedge animals, as Jack wanders off to wait for him in the hall, and then beats

Hallorann into unconsciousness. He then pursues Danny throughout the building, but at

the moment of confrontation Danny manages to break Jack‟s mind free, who tells him he loves him and that has to run away (The Shining 476). Overlook then definitively subdues Jack and destroys his face with the mallet until it is unrecognizable (The

Shining 477). Danny remembers the last time of the pressure release of the boiler and joyfully screams at his father‟s body that it is too late now. Overlook panics and leaves for the basement to avert the worst. It is however already too late, and the unstable boiler explodes, bringing down the entire building, while Danny, Wendy, and Hallorann drive away on the snowmobile. Thus concludes the story.

3.4 Critical Analysis

In the novel, the first act introduces characters of the family of Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their psychic son Danny, living in Stovington in Vermont, and roughly outlines their characteristics and structural and situational background. The family‟s existential crisis is caused directly by Jack‟s proneness to alcoholism and tendencies to violent outbursts. He once broke Danny‟s arm when drunk, and lost his work of a high-school teacher prior to the story. The first act servers its introductory purpose effectively, only dealing with the necessary information before moving into the

Overlook.

Closing Day, a short secondary introductory act, delineates and familiarizes the environment to the reader, while the family is looking forward to healing scars of the past, and Danny‟s abilities are explored in detail. At this point nothing seems out of the ordinary and except for Danny‟s rare visions everything is perfectly fine.

The main feature of the third act is the rise of the paranormal elements which possibly still may or may not be the result of just a exuberant imagination, and the beginning of slow yet gradually more intimidating influence of the Hotel on its

inhabitants, directly or otherwise. The harm done on the characters is strictly psychological in the third part, with the exception of the wasps‟ attack on Danny, which is the first true sign of the Overlook‟s malignant presence. The bug-bomb used is simply considered defective; though it is later pointed out the wasps emanated the exact aura as other Hotel projections (The Shining 273). Wasps as one of the symbols of the novel‟s importance were chosen by Stephen King because of an incident he had lived through; he had found a cement cinderblock inside of which there was constructed a little wasp nest, and subsequently he got stung in the ear (On Writing 19). The finding of Grady‟s scrapbook is the pinpointed moment when things turn for worse. Through the scrapbook

Overlook starts directly poisoning Jack‟s mind and slowly taking over (The Shining

308). It is probably the most crucial moment in the story, as he unknowingly came under control of Overlook without the possibility of deliverance. At the same time

Overlook tries influencing Danny, but he resists. The Hotel then turns its attention to

Jack fully, as he is the most susceptible. He slowly starts turning for worse and his alcoholic symptoms return. One of the chapters starts with a verse of “Bad Moon

Rising,” a song from Creedence Clearwater Revival, an upbeat and cheery song whose lyrical dissonance about the impending end of the world mirror the upcoming catastrophe (The Shining 218). In the chapter Wendy and Danny are discussing the

Hotel, and plan to convince Jack to leave before it is too late, however as they do not have any money, the only possible location to go is Wendy‟s mother‟s place, which

Danny hates more than anything, and because of that they decide to stay and try to endure (The Shining 221). The act ends when Danny is about to strangled by the spirit of Mrs. Massey, an older woman who committed suicide, in the room 217, as it is the moment before the psychological effects of the Hotel turn to physical.

In the fourth act is highlighted the physicality of the Overlook. The Hotel

cunningly uses Jack‟s conflicted feelings for his father, and manipulates him into destroying the radio. This is connected with the bruises on Danny‟s neck by Wendy who thinks that integrity of the family is now definitely broken; her accusations are proven false though. Jack is becoming constantly angrier; he distrusts his family, and blames them for all the mishaps of his life. Chapter thirty-three, “Snowmobile,” may be the most important chapter of the whole novel, as Jack realizes the Hotel is using him to get to Danny, who is Overlook‟s true target (The Shining 306), though he is ultimately too weak and surrenders to his urges. Danny is physically attacked again later when he is playing at the playground, at first nearly being suffocated by being snowed-in in a concrete ring by a deceased boy who asks Danny to save him, and if he could not save him to “at least come play with [him] ... Forever. And Forever. And Forever” (The

Shining 316). When explaining what happened, Jack distrusts him and slaps him, signalling the deep influence of the Hotel. Jack is also going to the basement more frequently, seeking peaceful refuge. The Hotel starts completely coming to life, and

Danny calls Hallorann, in order for him being present for the story‟s climax.

Up until the final act, Jack was pushed into alcoholism and his bad characteristics were amplified so he may have been uptight, though during this part he actively starts tracking his family wanting to kill them, and later the Hotel manages to possess him. The final act of the novel takes place during a single day, and is quickly building up to the confrontations between the protagonists. The Hotel has also come completely to life, deliberately shifting through various eras, while the characters are forced to deal with them. Danny is shown maturing greatly as he realizes that Tony is part of his subconscious future, and his psychic strength grows exponentially. He is able to cancel the Hotel‟s visions, and deliberately confronts the entity of Overlook in his father, while managing to break him free for a short time.

The ending is fulfilling, as the Overlook Hotel was razed, and its reign is over.

The entity of the Hotel dissolved into nothingness, implying freeing the spirits of the deceased from under its domination while providing absolution. In the Epilogue, the survivors are shown living in a peaceful calming place together, trying to move on.

3.5 The Characters

The characters themselves are the direct causal factors of the plot, and without their presence the story would not unfold, so in this part I will outline the characters and their characteristics, define their motivation and unravel their role in the plot, while focusing mainly on Jack, as his conduct and undergoing mental change is uppermost, and in the movie is made the main and only character, overshadowing others. All of the characters, even those only appearing on single page, are well written and full-fledged, and none feel vapid or one dimensional. The comprehensive focus is however given to the central few.

3.5.1 Jack

Jack is presented as an ordinary man, a sympathetic father trying to ensure his own emotional stability, and the financial security to support his family after series of incidents resulting in distrust of his family and the loss of his work, while struggling with thirst for alcohol and temper issues. Literally everything he does is only for his wife and son, disregarding personal opinions often for their good. Being a recovering alcoholic, he may have his flaws, but he is still fundamentally a good man. He loves spending time with his son more than anything; when he was sober, he was never annoyed by him, and voluntarily cleaned him up and changed his diapers on a regular basis. This is one of the main reasons why Wendy never decided to take Danny and run

away, as he was always honestly trying his best, it is though established during the very first chapter that Jack has a history of losing his temper, which becomes staple to the story‟s relevance. Throughout the book it becomes clear he is also haunted by the conflicted relationship with his own violent alcoholic father, though throughout the story he becomes more sympathetic with his behaviour due to the malignant influence of the Hotel.

Jack‟s alcoholic history, repressed anger, and uncertainty about self worth are the vital flaws through which the story unwinds. It is probably the frighteningly realistic rendition of an alcoholic‟s thirst accompanied by detailed description of its symptoms and paranoia and his eventual return to his vice that make the story so unnerving. The sympathetic portrayal of a loving family man haunted by guilt and regret was done to make the metamorphosis into a homicidal maniac all the more shocking and stark, and it is one of the most memorable subplots of the book.

The motive of Jack is to successfully accomplish his work in the Hotel, thus proving he is not a failure and restoring his pride, and earning enough money to provide a satisfactory life for his family while using the isolation from society to focus on his family, and finish his play, The Little School.

At first, the isolation and peaceful surroundings prove to have remedial effects,

Jack‟s writer‟s block diminishes and the family feels happier than ever. The writer‟s block also reflects the extent of Hotel‟s influence over Jack, as his unbiased free will slowly disappears; he is less inspired but more interested in Overlook itself. According to Sidney Poger‟s essay “Character Transformation in The Shining” from a book by

Tony Magistrale Discovering Stephen King’s The Shining, his fascination by the Hotel is directly providing a sense of redemption from a lifetime of failures, as Overlook personifies the American Dream, which Jack was so close of reaching in Stovington, but

ultimately lost (Poger 50).

Following the family‟s relocation into Overlook, the reader at first cannot be sure whether Jack starts cracking under the psychical pressure of the work and the cabin fever, or Jack‟s mind is genuinely becoming afflicted by the ominous presence of the

Hotel, though the symptoms of change come right after reading first parts of Grady‟s scrapbook about Overlook‟s history. It could be said that the Hotel is simply intensifying Jack‟s flaws and negative urges hidden deep within his psyche. Jack rationalizes Wendy‟s convincing of them leaving by heir existential crisis, as they cannot afford abandoning this work. It is clear however that Jack does not want to leave because he is already deeply afflicted by Overlook‟s influence at that point.

At one point Grady tells Jack “You’re the caretaker, sir. [...] You‟ve always been the caretaker. I should know sir, I‟ve always been here. The same manager hired us both, at the same time” (The Shining 387). The Overlook manipulates Jack by boosting his ego and careful words into believing he is the main interest of the Hotel, and it may seem so throughout the book. Though in the chapter “Snowmobile,” after blaming every problem the family has faced after coming into the Hotel on Danny at first, Jack realizes what is going on, that he is only the weakest link of the family, a means to an end, “the vulnerable one, the one who could be bent and twisted until something snapped,” providing the easiest way to get to Danny (The Shining 306). Unfortunately, he loses his will to fight, accepts that Overlook‟s claws had seeped too deep into his mind and that it is too late to fight back, and tears out the magneto of the snowmobile‟s engine (The

Shining 310), mirroring a self-loathing recovering alcoholic drinking again, feeling too far gone to even try anymore, finding another victim and shifting the blame for everything on them. Only afterwards he genuinely wants to be accepted by the

Overlook, and enjoys the company of the Hotel‟s gift in form of younger Mrs. Massey.

However despite Jack‟s change into a crazed lunatic he remains a good man whose core remains unbroken. When Danny manages to break his father‟s mind free, he proves he truly is only a victim, urging his son to “run away. Quick. And remember how much I love you” (The Shining 476). Poger likens his transformation to that of Jekyll into Hyde, and says that the original unaffected mind of Jack is the “rock-solid core, [...] the center of love which makes us [...] recognize his humanity” (Poger 50). This briefest remark right at the end of the story have just proven that Jack did not go mad, and that his true essence is not that of a killer.

3.5.2 Danny

Danny is an extraordinarily perceptive boy with intelligence unusually exceeding his age. He was born with ridiculously strong telepathic and prophetic abilities, which is hinted to be an outcome of his being born with a caul over his face, a piece of tissue of birth membrane remaining on the head (The Shining 57, 212).

During the introductory part of the novel, Danny‟s powers are described and explored from a point of five-year-old boy. He is not only able to read minds with ease, he experiences visions of the future that are mediated through his “invisible friend”

Tony, who is a slightly older boy that can be physically seen only by Danny. Prior to the climax Danny manages to summon Tony once more, who warns him that his father is going to kill him, advises him where to escape, and then states he is an older version of

Danny, merely adopting his middle name, from “Daniel Anthony Torrance,” effectively serving as his sub-consciousness, which is the reason he managed to appear near the end

(The Shining 466). Danny can vaguely feel a horrifying atmosphere emanating from

Overlook before they move there, and is able to see the horrific bits and pieces from the

Hotel‟s past, though he does not say anything to his parents because he understands how

important his father‟s work of the caretaker is for the fragile family cohesion. Danny is the main target of Overlook, due to his ability “to shine” being the strongest psychic introduced, later shown to be powerful enough to dissolve visions induced by the Hotel.

Danny‟s strong bond to his father is one of the strongest points of the book, and he loves him despite cursing or physical violence, mirroring Jack‟s love to his own father. Danny however has the ability “to shine” and is strong-willed, hinting that he will break the chain and will be different. When near the end Jack comes fully under

Overlook‟s control, Danny can feel and understand that his father‟s spirit is being quelled and that his body is used by an outside force. When he manages to actually break the spirit of his father free for a moment, their mutual love is clearly unaltered, making the final scenes all the more heart-breaking. He is deeply saddened in the epilogue by his father‟s death, though he understands Hallorann‟s advice, to not dwell on his loss yet not to forget his father, underlining his maturing (Poger 51).

His motivation is principally to hold his parents together and keep them united.

Danny is from time to time psychically influencing his parents, forcing specifically negative thoughts out of their mind, and directly cementing their relationship bit by bit

(The Shining 58), and later simply trying to survive, hoping for the best.

3.5.3 Wendy

Wendy is a very complex character, who at first may seem naive while letting everyone take advantage of her, yet she is in fact an incredibly strong and authoritative woman, a solid dominant throughout the whole book. She is very direct and always tries to confront problems head on, and her improvisation and independence are ones of her strongest points. She is quick to pass judgement, though her love for Jack makes her forgive him quickly. Wendy is a character with a very strong presence, and is very keen.

Her constant stress and worries however delineate her as mentally frail woman, who is haunted by her relationship with her emotionally abusive mother and may occasionally break down and cry uncontrollably. Her mother blamed her father‟s death on her and was verbally assaulting her, always degrading everything she did. Wendy, whose father was an authority figure in her whole life, felt helpless afterwards, anchorless. After

Danny was born, Wendy‟s mother always showered him with presents and food while trying to poison his mind with thoughts of his parents not really liking him, and that he should come live with her. Wendy is thus frightened more than anything else by doubting she is a good enough mother, worsened by occasional jealousy towards

Danny‟s endless love for Jack.

Chapters from her point of view are not as frequent as others‟, but are necessary in complementing the atmosphere, the background of the family, and are providing the objective and unbiased observations of the events, as she is the most down-to-earth no- nonsensical member of the family. She looks for logical explanations and clear-headed solutions, is motivated by her maternal love, and would do anything for Danny.

When strange things begin to occur she believes Danny‟s words immediately, without a single doubt. When doctor Edmonds tries to rationalize Danny‟s prophecies, unlike Jack she rethinks all Danny‟s “lucky guesses and coincidences” that proved his uniqueness. Would it not be for the crippling relationship with her mother the story would end up very differently, as even if Wendy would not run away with Danny after his arm was broken by Jack, she would have definitely left the Overlook before the snow would have fallen, even if based only on Danny‟s explanations. Throughout the story she comes to Danny for advice increasingly more, and his presence and understanding give her inner strength and self-possession, while his dreams prepare her for the upcoming events, as she takes active role in his protection. Before the climax,

Wendy deliberately goes to the kitchen knowing full well of the confrontation, aiming to deal with their current situation. She thus anticipated Jack‟s attack and due to Danny‟s help was able to lock him up in the pantry. During the climax, she is able to hold her own against Jack for a while, though ultimately needs to be saved by Hallorann‟s arrival. After the end of the main story, she slowly heals, yet still remains the strong woman that provides much needed emotional support for Danny, broken by his father‟s death.

3.5.4 The Overlook Hotel

In the beginning of the story the Overlook Hotel is outlined to be a beautiful place where the successful come to relax, including famous politicians, presidents of the

United States and the cream of the society in general. At first the hotel is presented as an enormous hive of prosperity and welfare, though through newspaper clippings in

Grady‟s scrapbook its horrendous history is discovered (The Shining 169). The book is a crucial artefact to the story, and directly affects the plotline. The Overlook was built in years 1907 to 1909, and is infamous by enigmatic and vile owners, while being alternately turned into a mafia hideout, a casino, and a brothel, concluded with the harrowing fate of the previous caretaker Delbert Grady.

Its “living” is made of using the people against each other, gradually destroying their soul, absorbing their life force and draining their latent powers “to shine,” adding them under its control, while being capable of projecting their image. Its primary motive in the novel is to hanker for Danny, as adding into this “collection,” would make the entity of the Hotel virtually unstoppable with his power, as his abilities are more potent than were seen ever before (The Shining 89). Before Danny arrived, nothing much really happened, except for slight influencing of the more perceptive minds like

Hallorann‟s and Delores Vickery‟s, the maid who saw the vision of Mrs. Massey‟s corpse after her body was removed from the premises, and Grady‟s, whose broken mind spiralled out of control. The ridiculous potential of Danny‟s abilities however somehow fully activated the Hotel, with Danny effectively serving as a bridge to the actual physical world for the Overlook. During the final act, the Hotel has completely come to life, and as Jack said, “all the hotel‟s eras were together now, all but this current one, the

Torrance Era” (The Shining 377). Due to tapping into Danny‟s powers, the Overlook became able to physically create alcoholic beverages, and directly contact everyone regardless of their mental capabilities (The Shining 440), and fully animating objects like the Hedge animals or the old fire extinguisher. When Danny is trying to read his father‟s mind prior to the novel‟s climax, the Hotel forces him out with a grisly imitation of his father‟s voice (The Shining 368), and also curses at Hallorann when he comes in its vicinity, wanting him to turn back (The Shining 433).

The entity of the Overlook Hotel itself is very vague until the very end of the story, and at first merely seems to be a building infested with ghosts, but throughout the novel it becomes apparent the Hotel is genius loci and explicitly very alive. After the hotel‟s destruction because of the boiler explosion, something black and is seen flying out of the window of the Presidential Suite before under the caved in rooftop before it dissolves into nothingness (The Shining 487). This is due to the fact that this was the place of the worst event happening in the Overlook, the three brutal murders of the mafia‟s vendetta.

King described the Overlook as the archetype of a bad place, not just an accommodation of a group of ghosts (Danse Macabre 157), and an epiphany in the form of “This inhuman place makes human monsters” came to Danny in the middle of thoughts (The Shining 216).

The Overlook Hotel is burnt in the end, not trapping the spirits anymore, and after last momentarily effort to subdue Hallorann to its will and murder Wendy and

Danny as he went to get the horse manures in order not to freeze to death, it ultimately died out and dissolved.

4. The Movie

4.1 Origin

Stanley Kubrick met Diane Johnson when he showed interest in adapting one of her novels, a psychological thriller The Shadow Knows; while at the same time considering adapting The Shining, after John Calley, the producer of Warner Bros, send

Kubrick a manuscript. In the end he decided for the latter, as “it seemed to strike an extraordinary balance between the psychological and the supernatural in such a way as to lead you to think that the supernatural would eventually be explained by the psychological” (Interview with Ciment). He was though more than happy to continue working with Diane Johnson, who provided the script for the movie in the end, while stating that King‟s work was very baroque and it had to be significantly changed and simplified (Interview with Johnson). It was released three years after the book‟s publication, in 1980. Kubrick decided to make many changes, most of which did upset both the author and the fans of the original, and while movie critics did defame it at first, with time the movie gained recognition and to this day is generally seen as one of the staple movies of the horror genre ever.

4.2 Form

Stanley Kubrick divided his film into eight chapters – The Interview, Closing

Day, A Month Later, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday, 8am, 16.00. Transitions between the chapters are abrupt and sharp, simply showing the title of each respective part written in white letters on otherwise black screen accompanied by a single striking sound of an impact, creating the feeling of tension. Except for the first two parts named after the ones in the novel, the titles are original. The third one introduces the life of the family as they have effectively moved into the Hotel, while enjoying the most of such

opportunity. The subsequent titles however seem to follow no pattern at all, and their complete randomness underlines the focus on situational events of the members of the family rather than close specification of time. The days seem stereotypical for the protagonists, they are not interested in what day of the week it is as it does not concern them; the days have no distinction from one another. The last two chapters however, stating only a precise time, are deliberately more linearly practical and point out the partition of the final day, and the importance of the impending climax. The story is slowly building up to the moment of the confrontations between the protagonists and their eventual fate.

As said in the interview with American critic Michael Ciment, the title music was based on the Dies Irae theme, which was re-orchestrated for synthesizer. Bela

Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta was used for several scenes, as was a single composition by Gyorgy Ligeti. Most of the music however came from Polish composer Krystof Penderecki. At the end and old melody of the twenties “Midnight, the

Stars and You” was used, to fit the atmosphere of the photography. The music itself throughout the movie is ominous, and underlines the grim austerity of the scenes, creating tense atmosphere.

The fact that Kubrick did not study film may have resulted in him not being limited by the strict outlines of the work, and his vast experience with lighting and shading from his photography career along with his creative genius created both immortal and innovative imagery. He comments: “There is a much quoted aphorism that when a director dies he becomes a photographer. [...] To have been a professional photographer was obviously a great advantage for me, though not everyone I subsequently worked with thought so” (Interview with Ciment). He could be always seen with director's viewfinder on the set, trying out new angles for the camera that

would be later used in the film, which is how he discovered for example Jack‟s pantry scene when he laid on the ground between legs of Jack Nicholson (“Making The

Shining”).

Compared to the novel, Kubrick conveyed the mood of the film through striking mise-en-scène1, using mainly spatial visual presentation of the hotel and its anxiety- inducing imagery instead of situational or factional evidence, which is supported by

Mario Falsetto‟s claims in his book Stanley Kubrick: A Narrative And Stylistic Analysis.

He states: “Language is not unimportant to Kubrick‟s aesthetic, but his work clearly privileges the image. The excitement and stimulation viewers derive from watching a

Kubrick film depend on the rich and sometimes disturbing images on view” (Falsetto

83).This is further asserted by Kubrick‟s fascination in the subliminal imagery, as he actively sought more on the topic, read several books, for example Subliminal Seduction written by Wilson Bryan Key about inserting images into advertising, and also tracked the advertisers to find out more about their methods, which were then applied directly into The Shining, as said in 2012 documentary Room 237 created by Rodney Asher.

Of all the features of Kubrick‟s adaptation, the most remarkable is definitely its visual style, due to not only Kubrick‟s amazing directing sense, but also to the technology of the Steadicam photography, which “facilitates the extensive choreography of character and camera movement,” and helps create previously unseen imagery in comparison to traditional camera movements and zoom lens (Falsetto 70).

According to Falsetto, the spatial camera exploration itself serves as a metaphor, while being one of the dominant features of the movie.

The narrative pace of the movie‟s first half is deliberately reduced, only to be effectively sped up in the second. The movie opens with protracted yet stunning aerial

1 arrangement of scenery and properties to represent the place where a play or movie is enacted

shots of landscape scenery, which through the wide-angle lens seem distorted, creating an unsettling imagery from the movie‟s first moments. Changing of both the velocity and altitude of the camera is not only visually brilliant; it also symbolizes the upcoming emotional rollercoaster for both the characters and the audience. The change of the camera height is also a recurring feature of the movie, as the camera‟s lateral tracking and low-to-the-ground sweeping movements following a character in a slow pace and high angle shots are crucial to the intensity of the movie‟s atmosphere, creating variations of the opening scenes. The movie carefully establishes various areas inside and outside the hotel; setting up specific characteristics which familiarize themselves to the audience, and the particular camera angles and movements seem to envelop the characters inducing the feelings of anxiety (Falsetto 71).

The presentation of spaces throughout the movie could be perceived as metaphorical for the on characters‟ present state of mind, Jack‟s in particular. He, as the villainous protagonist, is affected the most, and enclosed spaces like the family‟s car, the Torrance‟s living quarters, or the pantry are critical to Jack‟s psyche, as in all of these places he always seems irritated and uneasy, while the camera angles invoke claustrophobia and oppression. The final scenes of the movie in the maze leading to

Jack‟s demise feel cramped, not giving enough space to even be able to breathe, and

Jack himself seems to be choking, only capable of grunts. Jack‟s writing room is clearly the neutral zone, having him either enjoy himself when alone, or be angered when the area is “invaded” by an outside party, like Wendy. In comparison more open spaces like

The Gold Room, the main hall and others appear to be open, spacious, and generally comfortable to be in, and Jack‟s mood is always positive and jolly there.

The Shining as a whole is known for Kubrick‟s innovative use of disorientating camera angles, incredibly protracted scenes, extreme wide-angle lenses, and long, uncut

tracking Steadicam shots, usually with the camera moving either forward of backwards.

The extreme wide-angle lenses were used so that they can cause barrel distortion.

Stanley Kubrick was one of the first filmmakers, perhaps the very first, to make such a bold use of them (Falsetto 71). The Steadicam was first used in Hal Ashbury's Bound for

Glory in 1976. But The Shining was the first film that used it to such an extent. Garrett

Brown, the inventor of the Steadicam, developed special modifications to his camera for the film, such as the “low mode” that enabled Kubrick to capture Danny's tricycle rides around the Overlook Hotel in such an unforgettable and chilling way (Falsetto 125).

4.3 Critical Analysis

The pivotal difference from the novel is the fact that the supernatural aspect is almost completely omitted, while the audience is uncertain if everything is not just happening inside Jack‟s mind, which is underlined by Jack Nicholson‟s crazy over-the- top performance. Kubrick himself stated “Jack must be imagining these things because he's crazy,” after he read the novel. It is not to say the supernatural is completely disclaimed, but Kubrick puts much more weight on the psychological, and strives to induce the willing suspension of disbelief (Interview with Ciment). As noted in Fredric

Jameson‟s essay “Historicism in The Shining,” the hotel itself is not presented as a supernatural entity on its own like it is in the novel, as its only function is to host the collective of the ghosts, as a material house and a physical place (Jameson 90). At first the movie seems to deal mainly with the occult, as Danny‟s visions and the hotel‟s atmosphere would appear so, though it soon manifests as a psychological ghost story

(Jameson 90).

The movie hastens the family‟s arrival to the hotel, leaving out unnecessary information and events in order not to waste any time with facts useless to the audience,

while completely ignoring the issue of the boiler‟s pressure, as the boiler is present, but not at all important or in critical condition.

Up until the third chapter, “A month later,” the story may feel similar, though onwards continues differently. In the novel Jack has thorough internal monologues, detailing the hotel‟s history while soundly caring about the hotel itself. In comparison, in the adaptation he mostly just mooches around, he is not seen doing the caretaker‟s work at all, neither does he explore the hotel nor even write. The garden maze is introduced, establishing that Danny and Wendy are learning their way through in their free time, as the hedge animals were dismissed due to limited special effects of the time.

The family crisis is however not brought up at all, and while the issue was not mentioned in the shortened beginning prior to coming to the hotel, the family seems to function normally, as Jack‟s outbursts are accepted as a common thing.

Near that point Jack should have found Grady‟s scrapbook and through it coming under the ghosts‟ subjugation, but he does not. Interesting is that Jack‟s finding of the scrapbook was actually written and shot by Kubrick, but was in the end left out

(Interview with Johnson). The history of the hotel is only mentioned at the beginning, yet otherwise unknown and never discovered. The wasps‟ nest is also completely missing, as is its psychological fallout, and the first signs of the hotel‟s wickedness. Jack soon starts demonstrating manic behaviour, such as the typical Kubrick stares, or the inability to fall asleep, and Wendy is seen checking up on the boiler, which should have been Jack‟s work, and it would have severe plot consequences in the novel.

One of the main themes of the movie becomes apparent in chapter “Wednesday,” as very important aspect of Jack‟s interaction with ghosts of Overlook are mirrors.

Mirrors, or at least reflective doors, are present in each scene Jack is in contact with them, the first of them is behind the bar when Jack meets Lloyd, while there are

pronouncedly none in the book (The Shining 262). When Jack walks through the hall towards the camera in the preceding scene, straight to the entrance of The Gold Room, he physically expresses his frustration exactly when he passes the mirrors, supporting the hotel‟s possible influence on his mind by releasing his anger physically. Danny was also in front of the mirror when talking with Tony at the beginning, and later it is only through a mirror when Wendy and the audience finally see the true meaning of

“REDRUM,” while in the novel it was Danny who saw it the night prior to the final act in his dream, understanding Tony‟s warnings and true intentions of the Overlook (The

Shining 337).

At the bar Jack states he would sell his “goddamn soul for just a glass of beer,” and immediately afterwards the bartender appears and pours him a drink, as the collective consciousness of the Hotel‟s inhabitants accept his offer. In the movie Jack is on the wagon for five months, and when he drinks after only one nightmare and his wife‟s accusations, it feels quite hasty, which in comparison to the novel‟s two years and gradual decay of his mind seems less commendable, though it does underline Jack‟s weak will, and the need of changed pace due to the different medium of art. The appearance of a bartender is so abrupt it can easily be considered a wishful fantasy and a sedative getaway from an unpleasant reality.

Danny‟s wandering through the hotel is present, though his explanation of the hotel‟s nature is omitted. He himself however is in trance while his body is under the control of Tony until the very end of the movie, stating that Danny is gone for the moment. This was made probably to symbolize Danny‟s self-defence mechanism and his “primary” conscience has become repressed. Jack in stark contrast remains himself for the remainder of the movie and can be seen happy and intrigued, instead of being irritated and then controlled like in the novel.

Instead of Jack‟s dream about his father goading him to kill his family being directly induced by the Overlook leading to the destruction of the radio, Jack dreams about murdering them on his own, though the influence of the hotel is not implied, and the radio is not destroyed. Jack also does not take out Snow-Cat‟s parts yet.

When Jack goes to check the room 237 after Danny‟s incident, a ghost of a woman comes to him and they share a long kiss. In the novel, not only Jack runs away immediately, he becomes involved with her only after the Overlook has come fully to life and she guides him through the ball and introduces him to several important people of the hotel‟s history.

After an argument with Wendy, Jack goes to the Gold Room again through hall full of balloons and ribbon. The Gold Room itself is now fully occupied, which could be together with the alcohol served by Lloyd and Grady‟s conversation considered only his hallucinations, as the cabin fever could descend down on him, making him gradually more unhinged, as he would try to justify his inner intentions by representing them as an outer influence. Easily goaded into the will of the ghosts‟ collective, he happily agrees without second thoughts, and after dismantling the radio and a night spent behind the typewriter he is ready to find his family and kill them.

When Wendy is looking for Jack, she finds his manuscript, the only is says is

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” over and over again. This is very peculiar, as throughout the movie he did not seem to be as manic until this point, and the slight frustration should not have made him write several hundred pages of a single nonsensical sentence. The last visit of the Gold Room was thus clearly a breaking point of Jack‟s sanity.

The scene leading to the climax, as Jack is trying to hurt Wendy, is changed briskly. In the novel Wendy already understands what is going on, and while she may be

scared and frightened, she is also poised and calm and is definitely determined to use violence in order to protect Danny. In the adaptation, she is hysterical and panics, not really understanding why Jack acts the way he does and her hitting Jack in the head is more of a fluke than an intentional attack. He is then dragged to the pantry by Wendy, as

Danny is still in his trance and missing from most of the scenes. Grady‟s opening the door of the pantry is the moment in the movie the ghosts of the hotel provide any factual physical evidence and confirm the actuality of the supernatural, as up until this point it was possible to consider Jack simply going mad (Ciment 183). Roque was omitted from the movie, as was also the build-up of the thumping sound of the mallet through

Danny‟s dream throughout the whole novel, while a fire axe on the movie screen feels immensely more frightening and nightmarish, not to say dangerous.

Hallorann‟s arrival serves the same function, as it ultimately distracts Jack from breaking down Wendy‟s door completely, saving her life. Due to the absence of hedge animals Hallorann simply walks into the hotel, where he is killed immediately however, as Kubrick felt the audience would anticipate his help, and his death would leave even the readers uncertain of what is to come (Interview with Ciment). After Hallorann‟s death when Jack follows Danny into the maze, Wendy shortly becomes the only inhabitant of the hotel, and the ghosts start to induce visions to her also, though these are meaningless as without the knowledge of the original material, where the events, the people and their relationships are explained and eligible

Meanwhile, Danny manages to confuse Jack in his tracks and escape, while Jack becomes lost in the maze. No longer even able to articulate, Jack at this point has been stripped of his rational thinking, and his mind has degraded only to its primal instincts, like an animal, capable only of grunts and moaning. As he freezes to death, Wendy and

Danny escape in Hallorann‟s Snow-Cat. In the last shot, the camera closes in on a

picture from the ball of 1921, and Jack‟s look-alike is standing in the centre.

The peremptory change of the ending feels anti-climatic in comparison with the original, as the complete destruction of the evil entity is more fulfilling than mere running away, though for the silver screen this may be satisfactory, as the escalating tension of the movie may exhaust the audience and the final shot with the photograph leaves them puzzled, so they are forced to abandon possible thoughts of incompleteness.

4.4 The Characters

In contrast to the novel the movie made sharp changes to the relationships between the characters, as in the novel the characters‟ minds are thoroughly explored, the story was built on them directly and also their mutual demeanour.

4.4.1 Jack (Jack Nicholson)

In the novel Jack comes from Stephen King‟s own image, and is thus believable and sympathetic, as he is aware of his flaws and tries to control himself, and only under the Overlook‟s poisonous influence he begins to change. In the adaptation however he was never that loving father, his mental state seems to be in a descending spiral on its own, and he does not have very much further to go for “his anger and frustration to become completely uncontrollable” (Interview with Ciment).

He shows his wife only contempt; when he entered the room 237, he embraced a strange naked woman immediately, without a single thought of Wendy. He also does not care for his son in the slightest, and does not even know about Danny‟s abilities; he is generally ignorant to their feelings and opinions, and the relationships with his family seem largely to be built on induced fear, and even when he is ascertaining Danny he would never hurt him, he looks demonic. Jack also suffers from inability to concentrate

and his writer‟s block is present throughout the whole story, and does not disappear at all. As mentioned by Jerold Abrams in his book The Philosophy of Stanley Kubrick, he is cynical and sarcastic and does not face any inner struggle; he does not feel any regret or repentance, and his alcoholism is almost non-existent, and it does not seem to play any part in his change. Jack is not even seen drinking except his first visit of the bar, and his insanity seems as a natural outcome, a “losing of his mask,” worn because of the society, hiding our true self (Abrams 142).

His motive is not unity of his family and achieved peace, he only wants to be successful and alone, without given reason for the need of working in the hotel, and after he develops his murderous tendencies, it is not stated why or how. Kubrick made him from the beginning “psychologically prepared to do [the hotel„s] murderous bidding” while he embraces its calling without hint of refrain, and is ready to “fulfill his dark role” (Interview with Ciment), though throughout the movie there was no trace of the ghosts of the Overlook actually possessing Jack, or even acting via him. Jack was never subdued, he was only carrying out their will, and that is confirmed by his straying in the maze. The ambiguity of the story and the fact that his personality was the whole time extremely similar to the novel‟s Jack‟s final appearance to begin with all the more support the possibility of Jack‟s succumbing to cabin fever due to the isolation. The most important element of Jack‟s mind, his deeply rooted love for his family, is therefore not even incorporated into the story, as there is nothing Danny can free his mind from.

When Grady repeats the phrase of his novel‟s alter-ego, that Jack is the caretaker, he is more likely than not stating literal truth in a sense, as Jack is the primary target of the ghosts of the hotel. It is thus easy to see Jack as a reincarnation of some previous caretaker of Overlook, supported throughout the movie by his stating that he

genuinely loves the place from the very beginning, considering it “homey,” which causes him a feeling of déjà vu. According to Ciment this a Freudian desire, as to Jack the hotel has a womb-like quality, while inside he faces a regressive involution, forcing himself to isolation (Ciment 144).

The casting of Jack Nicholson disappointed Stephen King as he thought that his appearance and the fact that his last movie was One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest would make his future descend into madness too obvious, and the movie poster itself explicitly shows him grinning insanely. Nicholson‟s performance “relies heavily on the physical and the comic for its effect. It‟s not a very „respectable‟ performance and may strike as overbearing, vulgar and just plain „too much‟” (Falsetto xxi), yet it is his exaggerated behaviour that makes the movie more creepy yet enjoyable, and the viewer more emotionally invested. In the novel though it is the change of the loving father into a crazed lunatic that is so shocking and heart-breaking, while during the movie the viewer knows Jack is slowly going frenzied, and is simply wondering “when” is it going to happen.

4.4.2 Danny (Danny Lloyd)

Danny‟s importance has been drastically reduced, and his presence in comparison feels almost unnecessary, as his direct effect on the plot is insignificant, as the very substance and notion of the hotel was changed completely. As confirmed by

Hallorann, he retained his psychic abilities in the movie, though they remain very vague, and their force or scope is never explored. The visions induced are sequentially seen by all members of the family, which without the explanation of the reason behind reduces the uniqueness of Danny himself. He does not comprehend the occurrences in the hotel, nor does he confide in his parents, and his reading of their minds serves no

purpose, as the audience is not given further background on the family‟s or the

Overlook‟s history. The true nature of Tony is not clarified either, though he cannot be visibly seen by Danny, but “lives” inside of him, and after Danny‟s visit to room 237 he inexplicably overtakes his body for the rest of the movie, probably as a self-defensive mechanism to merely protect him. Thereafter he mostly manages to run away, he does not fight with the visions nor does he influence his father, and even his calling

Hallorann to come to the hotel seems unlikely, and feels to be Hallorann‟s own achievement. Kubrick justified these changes: “If Danny had perfect ESP, there could be no story. He would anticipate everything, warn everybody and solve every problem.

So his perception of the paranormal must be imperfect and fragmentary” (Interview with Ciment).Vivian Sobchack in her essay claims that modern movie horror genre is read in context with family drama specifically, and focuses on the relationship of a child and its parent. She states that the younger the children the weaker their potential abilities, and considers Danny‟s “shining” inutile, as it does not guide him through danger, but in fact appears to work against him as he is rendered catatonic and helpless, and in the end he simply retraces his steps, without the use of any supernatural ability

(Sobchack 183).

His relationship with Jack is toned down to absolute minimum; the two rarely interact with each other and find it hard to have something to say, and Danny is clearly afraid of him, which itself is painful in comparison to their loving close relationship in the novel. His relationship with his mother is not much better, as he does not confide in her or explain anything. Danny is more reclusive and withdrawn in general, spending most of his time alone, while his efforts of protecting his parents are next to non- existent.

4.4.3 Wendy (Shelley Duvall)

Like other characters, Wendy underwent radical changes, and instead of a strong-willed and stubborn woman became weak, hysterical, and naive, and her active role in the story diminished.

Kubrick claimed the changes in her personality were needful for the story to be more plausible, as in his eyes if Wendy was such a strong-headed woman, she would have ran away a long time ago (Interview with Ciment). This would probably be true if the novel‟s Wendy married the movie version‟s Jack, as in comparison to the original

Jack he is practically unrecognizable, which would also be directly affected by the absence of Wendy‟s mother and detailed background of the family, which further necessitate the need for change of her personality. The alterations are thus justified and necessary for the coherence of the altered plot. She is therefore submissively resigned and nervous, glad that her husband “stands” her presence, and reassures herself that if she and Danny will behave, they can continue to live together happily.

After the attack on Danny in the room 237, when Wendy “dares” to question their further stay in the hotel, Jack does not even pause to think about their situation and possible dangers, and immediately reproaches her, blames all of his life‟s misfortunes on her, berates her and goes away. Wendy merely starts crying unsure what to do. The fact that she does not try to protect Danny in particular and only seems to try to survive the situation starkly contrasts with the novel Wendy‟s deep maternal motivations, accentuated by Danny‟s trance without the knowledge what is going on. She generally seems lost and confused, and her knocking Jack unconscious is clearly a fluke rather than specific intention. Grady‟s statement to Jack that she is stronger and more resourceful than imagined thus feels out of place, as a residue from a different story of a different character.

The assumed hysteria of Shelley Duvall was genuine, as Stanley Kubrick, known for his sense of perfectionism, put a lot of pressure on Duvall, and created emotionally challenging atmosphere, famously demanding a hundred and twenty seven takes of a single scene, not letting her eat properly or get enough sleep. All of this was deliberately done to drain Duvall‟s will simply in order to realistically portray the struggle of a truly desperate, exhausted and broken woman. She however in the end also stated that one year of work with Stanley Kubrick gave her more experience than the rest of her career altogether (“The Making of The Shining”).

4.4.4 The Overlook Hotel

In the movie, the hotel is introduced similarly successful, though the detailed background of the hotel is unfortunately completely omitted, while now oddly being built on an ancient burial ground allegedly, which influenced filmmakers in the creation of the movie Poltergeist, which came out two years later. The hotel has a grandiose and imposing structure, its majority however borders on claustrophobic, with long thin hallways and chaotic layouts, and feels cold and austere.

As said before, rather than a living entity coming to life through its violent history (as typical for many of King‟s stories), the Overlook functions as a mere “home” for the collective of ghosts, while on top of that the audience can never be genuinely sure whether they are real or not, as no physical evidence, is seen throughout the movie.

To accentuate the ambiguity of the reality and hallucinations originating from a mental breakdown, the hotel itself as a whole never becomes physically dangerous, and is focused only on the issues of the mind, thus the hotel never comes truly to life. The immobile yet still haunting maze, created due to the fact that the hedge animals were not possible to be satisfactorily transferred to the movie, also supports the emphasis of

only the psychological. This however seems to be ultimately subverted by the unlocking of the doors of the pantry and the 1921 picture in the last shot of the movie, which in turn provide hard evidence of the opposite, though the rest of the movie could be considered hallucinations of Jack‟s degrading mental state.

The ghosts also do not seem to need to be “powered” by Danny, and his presence has very little to do with them. Only once, through Grady, they state an interest in “talent,” though the topic is never mentioned again, and Danny‟s abilities play no role in the final confrontation. The visions are induced purposefully and selectively in a specific person, and vary accordingly, while in the novel they were presented more jointly, and irrespective of the direct presence inside of the hotel. In the end, the hotel still stands and the ghosts reign free, with Jack joining their ranks. As mentioned earlier,

Jack can be perceived as a reincarnation of a previous caretaker of the Overlook and is the objective of ghosts inhabiting the hotel. The ending can virtually be seen as neutral, as Wendy and Danny may have escaped, but in the end the Hotel got what it wanted, it reclaimed Jack. Considering Stanley Kubrick‟s claim to Stephen King about the original

The Shining that it may be a horror story, but he personally sees it as optimistic, as the very insinuation that there is literally anything after death can be seen as such (King‟s book tour), in a twisted sense it is even possible to perceive the ending as ultimately a good one, not for the family as a whole, though for the villain protagonist definitely so.

5. Conclusion

The main differences between the novel and the movie are the genre and the main theme, as the book is admittedly a story about a family coming apart, while the latter deals with a mental degradation of the main protagonist without any regard of others or the consequences. In both the book and the movie adaptation the causal factors of the plot are directly the characters themselves, as with their absence the story would not unfold. It is symptomatic for both King and Kubrick to induce the fear of the unknown and the loss of self-control, resulting in catastrophic ends.

In the novel, the family was barely holding together, though due to the isolation and peaceful ambience their damaged relationships began to heal and would pronouncedly be recovered completely, if it were not for an outside intervention, which, as typical for many of King‟s stories, takes form of a supernatural entity that directly intertwines with characters‟ lives and psyche, ultimately causing the disintegration of the family, emphasizing the dangers of alcoholism and repressed malice. One of the key aspects of the story is that the good in people, even when subdued and overcome, is never truly broken by an outer force, and their love for their family remains unchanged.

What makes the novel so appealing is the realistic approach of the author towards his characters, which takes the shape of an alternating third-person limited narrative. His characters are treated with sympathy and critique at the same time; he points out their flaws yet justifies them by their background and past experience, which ultimately makes the reader warm up to all of the characters and be saddened as the tragic story unfolds.

In comparison the plot of the movie was largely altered, effectively creating a haunted-house story. Many important elements of the original were omitted, giving way to focus on the degradation of Jack‟s sanity and tension of the hotel‟s claustrophobic

atmosphere. The characters‟ psychology is so dissimilar that it can only be considered

Kubrick‟s original, as their characteristics may seem only ostensibly familiar, yet surprisingly none are capable of communication, and none struggle for the family integrity, which was their conjoint motivation in the original. Kubrick wanted to provide a rational and psychological explanation for the supernatural aspects, in order for the audience to question the true nature of the movie‟s events. The story thus supports the ambiguity of the supernatural elements and the actual cabin fever, caused by the combined pressure of isolation, repressed anger, and writer‟s block. The inability to analyze the characters‟ thoughts alters the story aplenty, though Kubrick based the movie on the remote observation of the characters, using the most of its coldness and austerity, which evoke an overtone of escalating tension, while the violent outbursts of the climax are its long-awaited outcome.

Stephen King did not like the movie, the crucial element of the Overlook Hotel as the main factor in the family‟s disintegration is missing, and the adaptation instead of focusing on the inhuman evil of the hotel itself is focused on the evil in characters (Bare

Bones 28), although he admits that after years he warmed up to the movie.

The original novel is immensely complex story with detailed background of all of its characters and also the Overlook Hotel. The movie adaptation may lack the thorough narration and attachment to the characters, and at times may leave some question unanswered, but holds strongly on its own without the necessity of knowledge of the original, though it may supplement the story with much information and put the adaptation as a whole into a new perspective. Both of the respective author‟s creations became masterpieces on their own which only proves that a different kind of medium needs to use different aspects and approach.

Works Cited

Primary sources

King, Stephen. The Shining. Great Britain: New English Library, 2011. Print.

The Shining. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Perf. Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny

Lloyd. Warner Bros., 2005. Film.

Secondary sources

Abrams, Jerold J. The Philosophy of Stanley Kubrick. Lexington: University of

Kentucky, 2007. Print.

Ciment, Michel. Kubrick: The Definitive Edition. London: Faber, 2001.

Falsetto, Mario. Stanley Kubrick: A Narrative and Stylistic Analysis. Westport, CT:

Praeger, 2001. Print.

Jackson, Shirley. The Haunting of Hill House. New York: Viking, 1959. Print.

Jameson, Fredric. “Historicism in The Shining.” Signatures of the Visible. New York:

Routledge, 1992. Print.

Johnson, Diane. "The Shining Adapted." Interview by Mark Steensland. The Terror

Trap. Web. 06 Mar. 2013.

King, Stephen. "Book Tour for a New Book, Lisey's Story, November 2008." Speech.

Stephen King Remembers Stanley Kubrick. California, Beverly Hills. 3 Mar.

2013. Youtube. Netcinema. Web. 3 Mar. 2013.

King, Stephen, Tim Underwood, and Chuck Miller. Bare Bones: Conversations On

Terror With Stephen King. New York: McGraw-Hill Book, 1988. Print.

King, Stephen. Danse Macabre. New York: Everest House, 1981. Print.

King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Scribner, 2000. Print.

Kubrick's Odyssey - Secrets Hidden in the Films of Stanley Kubrick. Dir. Jay Weidner.

Cubed Brick Productions, 2011. DVD.

Kubrick, Stanley. "Kubrick on The Shining." Interview by Michael Ciment. Visual

Memory. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.

Kubrick, Stanley. "Stanley Kubrick's Horror Show." Interview by Jack Kroll. Newsweek

26 May 1980. Print.

Kubrick, Stanley. "Young Man with Ideas and a Camera." Interview by Thomas M.

Pryor. The New York Times 14 Jan. 1951. Print.

Making 'The Shining' Dir. Vivian Kubrick. Warner Bros, 1980. DVD.

“Mise-en-scène” TheFreeDictionary.com. The Free Dictionary Online. Web.

12 Mar. 2013.

McDowell, Malcolm. "Letter Of Apology." Letter to Scare Festival Convention.

27 Sept. 2012.

Poger, Sidney. “Character Transformation in The Shining.” Discovering Stephen King's

The Shining. Ed. Tony Magistrale. San Bernardino, CA: Borgo, 1998. 47-53.

Print.

Room 237. Dir. Rodney Ascher. IFC Films, 2012. DVD.

Schwed, Mark, and Stephen King. "'The Shining' Reshot." TV Guide, Collector’s

Edition 17th ser. 45.2300 (1997): 18-29. Print.

Sobchack, Vivian. “Bringing it all Back Home: Family Economy and Generic

Exchange.” American Horrors: Essays on the Modern Horror Film. Ed. Gregory

A. Waller. Urbana: UOI, 1987. 175-191. Print.

Résumé in English

Both Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick started as relatively unknown creators with only their own expenditure, but throughout the years their natural talent brought wider audience; they gained more recognition, and ultimately became world-famous authors with unforgettable stories and atmosphere.

My thesis offers a comparative critical analysis of Stephen King‟s novel The

Shining and its movie adaptation directed by Stanley Kubrick. The work is divided into five main chapters, covering in detail each respective topic.

After the opening the authors are briefly introduced, and the work is then separated into two parts, each dealing with the respective medium. At first the process of the authors‟ work and their forms are outlined. After a summary of the novel‟s story, the work follows up with the analysis itself, and that of the characters, being Jack

Torrance, the head of the family, his wife Wendy, their son Danny, and also the

Overlook Hotel. This is then directly compared to its adaptation and the characters‟ counterparts in the subsequent chapters. In the conclusion the works are recapitalized and valorized. The analysis is concerned with noticing the substantial differences in regard to the original work, while examining the reasons of the change due to the alteration of the presenting medium supported by the author‟s deliberation.

Resumé v češtině

Stephen King i Stanley Kubrick začali jako relativně neznámí tvůrci pouze s vlastními náklady, ale jejich přirozený talent si vyzískal pozornost široké veřejnosti; získali větší uznání, a nakonec se stali světově známými autory s nezapomenutelnými příběhy a atmosférou.

Má práce se zabývá kritickou komparativní analýzou románu Stephena Kinga

Osvícení a jeho filmovou adaptací, režírovanou Stanleym Kubrickem. Práce je rozdělena do pěti hlavních kapitol, přičemž se každá detailně zaobírá relevantním tématem.

Po úvodu jsou nejprve krátce představeni autoři, a poté je práce samotná rozdělena do dvou částí, kdy se každá část věnuje příslušnému dílu. Nejprve je nastíněn postup jejich práce a také jejich forma. Po shrnutí děje románu práce pokračuje samotnou kritickou analýzou a také rozborem postav, jež činí Jack Torrance, hlava rodiny, jeho žena Wendy, jejich syn Danny, a také samotný hotel Overlook. Toto je v následujících kapitolách srovnáno s adaptací a jejími protějšky postav. V závěru jsou práce shrnuty a zhodnoceny. Analýza se dotýká podstatných rozdílů vůči originálnímu dílu, přičemž zkoumá důvody změn vzhledem k jinému prezentujícímu médiu podložené autorovým uvažováním.