The Shining: Boozers, Users, and Two Time Losers

First of all, sorry if the title of my last post was misleading. I originally titled it, "The Shining: Isolation and Abuse", but then I got so far into the subject of isolation, that I completely disregarded the second key theme that I wanted to discuss: Abuse. As I read more of the book, it becomes increasingly clear that the subject of abuse is definitely not one to disregard, as it is another element that encircles the three characters in this book, just as oppressively as the snow.

There are so many different ways that someone can fall into abusive patterns, and most of them are present in The Shining. The most obvious form of abuse is Jack Torrence's alcoholism. I was very lucky not to really be exposed to alcoholism in my family, but have had many friends who have had parents/relatives who have. When Jack begins to get possessed by The Overlook Hotel, it is quite similar to how he gets when he is drinking. All of his drinking habits begin to surface. His addiction to the hotel takes the place of his substance addiction. Since there is no alcohol at the hotel, the demons of The Overlook intoxicate him instead. From what I have read, I understand that SK was struggling with his own substance abuse issues through most of the 70s and 80s, and carried the theme of addiction into much of his work.

The second type of abuse that is present in this story is physical abuse. There is a pattern of abuse that has passed down through the Torrence family. Jack's father would beat his wife (Jack's mother) with a cane, and the whole family seemed to cover it up. When Jack starts to become "drunk" with the hotel, he starts to scream the same things at his wife and child that his father used to scream ("Time to take your medicine!" "Come here, you whelp!"). I definitely think that there are some abusive patterns that can pass down through the generations. I find it interesting that SK shows how those patterns, just like ghosts, sometimes are only just below the surface.

Lastly, the third and sometimes the most devastating type of abuse is emotional. It seems that both Jack and Wendy have a tendency to emotionally abuse each other. Wendy is always holding her husband's failures over his head, even without knowing what she is doing. She is jealous of her son's bond with Jack. She knows that it is wrong to feel this, but can't control it. Many times in the book she finds herself almost wishing that Jack would do something that would allow her to leave him. Again, this seems to be a pattern in her family, passed down from her domineering mother. Jack ends up resenting this, and ends up hurting her right back, typically catching Danny right in the middle. It doesn't help Danny any that he can read emotions with his "shine". The poor kid doesn't know which way to turn, and always seems to be wrapped in the fear that his parents with get a divorce.

Ah, the poor dysfunctional characters of SK. More to come...