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Carmen's Reviews > The Shining
The Shining
by
by
Carmen's review
bookshelves: fiction, horror, traditionally-published, he-says, published1977
Mar 27, 2015
bookshelves: fiction, horror, traditionally-published, he-says, published1977
Read 2 times. Last read March 27, 2015 to March 30, 2015.
This inhuman place makes human monsters.
When Jack, an alcoholic 14-months sober, gets offered a job as a caretaker for an old hotel in remote Colorado, he has no choice but to take it. He doesn't have many options - he's been fired from teaching and his play he's been working on is far from finished. He packs up his wife, Wendy, and his psychic five-year-old son, Danny, and waits for the snows to come.
The hotel has a Grudge, unfortunately. And Danny's psychic ability is only feeding the Grudge and making it stronger. As the Grudge tries to work it's way into Jack's mind, the possibilities of any of them escaping alive dips toward zero.
...
GRUDGE
A Grudge is an evil, murderous presence which is tied to a location. If something terrible happens in a place - someone killing their own family and then committing suicide seems to be the most common trigger - then a Grudge is on the place.
This book's Grudge apparently is a conglomerate built up over the near hundred years the hotel has been in existence. It consists of the remains of a Mafia killing, and a caretaker who killed his wife and two daughters and then himself, and a woman who commits suicide after her younger lover leaves her. There's probably a lot more.
This Grudge sees Jack, his wife, and most especially his little boy Danny as a kind of all-you-can-eat buffet, personally delivered for its enjoyment. If it can kill Danny, therefore tying him to the hotel, it will become very powerful.
TRUE HORROR
Well, I don't believe in ghosts. But I sure as heck believe in alcoholic abusive men with tempers. And that is the true horror here. Yes, there is an evil presence in the hotel. Yes, it spurs Jack on to murderous intentions. However, that is not the real problem here.
The real problem here is that Jack is a bad person. Yes, he loves his wife. Yes, he loves his child. But he has a terrible temper. I can't even blame the alcohol, although that certainly exacerbates things. But Jack does horrifying things while he's stone-cold sober. And way before he's introduced to the hotel's Grudge. Some examples:
- Deliberately screws with the mind of a student he despises. Then denies doing it.
- Beats aforementioned student unconscious in a parking lot.
- Sympathizes with a man who rapes and murders children.
- Has such an uncontrollable urge to beat his wife and child that he has to physically leave the house and drive around the neighborhood so he won't lay hands on them.
- He has an extremely external locus of control - nothing is his fault. Everything can be blamed on others. This is very dangerous, especially in a man with temper. He takes absolutely no responsibility for his actions or his position in life. Instead he hates everyone else for "putting him there."
All this is sober, and pre-hotel.
So don't try to tell me it's the drink! Don't try to tell me that it's the ghosts! Bullshit. This man is already someone you should be crossing the street to avoid.
It's very tempting and easy to blame all your problems on your alcoholism. I've seen it a thousand times. Because alcoholism is a serious and damaging disease. It is. And if it weren't for the drink, life would be perfect - you would be perfect. Right? WRONG. And Stephen King does a subtle job of showing that here. Jack Torrance's problem - his real problem - is that he has a bad temper. There is no cure for that. Going sober is not a cure for that (although it will probably help).
Being married to and bearing a child with a man like this is the true horror, I think, and not all this bullshit with dead people in the bathtub. I don't think that comes through clearly to a lot of people, who still think this is a novel about ghosts.
CHRISTIAN
Of course, Stephen King is one of the leading Christian authors of our time.
Stephen King's absolute belief in God, Satan, angels and demons shines from every page of his horror novels. And this is no exception. Young Danny has 'the shining,' and so does the kindly, black, 62-year-old cook for the hotel. This is described as "psychic" in the book, but it's obvious (especially near the climax) that they are God-touched and warriors in God's fight with Satan. Hmmmm, a kind of human angel or angel-on-earth if you will.
People laugh and also scoff when I baldly state King's rightful place as leading Christian author nowadays, but it's completely true. Actually, one of my atheist friends refuses to read King's books for just this reason. "King's books are extremely boring," he says. "It's always the same. Deep, deep evil from hell crops up and God must send someone (usually a little boy, although sometimes that changes) to act as His representative and stop Satan from gaining a foothold."
This neatly sums up 98% of King's horror plots.
ABUSIVE PARENTS
It's doubly hard for Jack and Wendy to parent because both of them come from abusive homes. Jack's father frequently beat his wife and children, putting them in the hospital. Wendy's mother is verbally and emotionally abusive, ripping Wendy and her accomplishments to shreds at every opportunity. We can see how hard each of these people have to fight against continuing the cycle of abuse and attempt to be good parents to Danny. Wendy largely succeeds... Jack not so much.
WENDY
I liked this character.
Would she stand frozen in terror, or was there enough of the primal mother in her to fight him for her son until one of them was dead? She didn't know. The very thought made her sick - made her feel that her whole life had been a long and easy dream to lull her helplessly into this waking nightmare. She was soft. When trouble came, she slept. Her past was unremarkable. She had never been tried in fire. Now the trial was upon her, not fire but ice, and she would not be allowed to sleep through this. Her son was waiting for her upstairs.
Wendy is really put through the wringer, and she performs admirably. I loved her bravery and her struggle to protect Danny. She's terrified, weak, and unskilled - but she doesn't let this stop her from doing what she has to do. Well done.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
- Giant hedge animals coming to life and trying to kill people is laughable. Even a master-author like King cannot convince me that this is scary. It's just dumb.
- I really did not like the final showdown between little Danny and his (view spoiler) father. It rang false. I couldn't believe he was (view spoiler) So, that was very disappointing.
Tl;dr - A great book, full of nuance and delicate shading. The writing is excellent, the plot as a whole is fascinating. Besides the disappointing, dumb aspect of the climax which I discussed in the above paragraph, this is an overall success.
I'm reading all of King's books in order, and of the three I've read, I would rank them:
1.) Carrie
2.) 'Salem's Lot
3.) The Shining
This has been the weakest of the three. But still spectacular. I would highly recommend it.
When Jack, an alcoholic 14-months sober, gets offered a job as a caretaker for an old hotel in remote Colorado, he has no choice but to take it. He doesn't have many options - he's been fired from teaching and his play he's been working on is far from finished. He packs up his wife, Wendy, and his psychic five-year-old son, Danny, and waits for the snows to come.
The hotel has a Grudge, unfortunately. And Danny's psychic ability is only feeding the Grudge and making it stronger. As the Grudge tries to work it's way into Jack's mind, the possibilities of any of them escaping alive dips toward zero.
...
GRUDGE
A Grudge is an evil, murderous presence which is tied to a location. If something terrible happens in a place - someone killing their own family and then committing suicide seems to be the most common trigger - then a Grudge is on the place.
This book's Grudge apparently is a conglomerate built up over the near hundred years the hotel has been in existence. It consists of the remains of a Mafia killing, and a caretaker who killed his wife and two daughters and then himself, and a woman who commits suicide after her younger lover leaves her. There's probably a lot more.
This Grudge sees Jack, his wife, and most especially his little boy Danny as a kind of all-you-can-eat buffet, personally delivered for its enjoyment. If it can kill Danny, therefore tying him to the hotel, it will become very powerful.
TRUE HORROR
Well, I don't believe in ghosts. But I sure as heck believe in alcoholic abusive men with tempers. And that is the true horror here. Yes, there is an evil presence in the hotel. Yes, it spurs Jack on to murderous intentions. However, that is not the real problem here.
The real problem here is that Jack is a bad person. Yes, he loves his wife. Yes, he loves his child. But he has a terrible temper. I can't even blame the alcohol, although that certainly exacerbates things. But Jack does horrifying things while he's stone-cold sober. And way before he's introduced to the hotel's Grudge. Some examples:
- Deliberately screws with the mind of a student he despises. Then denies doing it.
- Beats aforementioned student unconscious in a parking lot.
- Sympathizes with a man who rapes and murders children.
- Has such an uncontrollable urge to beat his wife and child that he has to physically leave the house and drive around the neighborhood so he won't lay hands on them.
- He has an extremely external locus of control - nothing is his fault. Everything can be blamed on others. This is very dangerous, especially in a man with temper. He takes absolutely no responsibility for his actions or his position in life. Instead he hates everyone else for "putting him there."
All this is sober, and pre-hotel.
So don't try to tell me it's the drink! Don't try to tell me that it's the ghosts! Bullshit. This man is already someone you should be crossing the street to avoid.
It's very tempting and easy to blame all your problems on your alcoholism. I've seen it a thousand times. Because alcoholism is a serious and damaging disease. It is. And if it weren't for the drink, life would be perfect - you would be perfect. Right? WRONG. And Stephen King does a subtle job of showing that here. Jack Torrance's problem - his real problem - is that he has a bad temper. There is no cure for that. Going sober is not a cure for that (although it will probably help).
Being married to and bearing a child with a man like this is the true horror, I think, and not all this bullshit with dead people in the bathtub. I don't think that comes through clearly to a lot of people, who still think this is a novel about ghosts.
CHRISTIAN
Of course, Stephen King is one of the leading Christian authors of our time.
Stephen King's absolute belief in God, Satan, angels and demons shines from every page of his horror novels. And this is no exception. Young Danny has 'the shining,' and so does the kindly, black, 62-year-old cook for the hotel. This is described as "psychic" in the book, but it's obvious (especially near the climax) that they are God-touched and warriors in God's fight with Satan. Hmmmm, a kind of human angel or angel-on-earth if you will.
People laugh and also scoff when I baldly state King's rightful place as leading Christian author nowadays, but it's completely true. Actually, one of my atheist friends refuses to read King's books for just this reason. "King's books are extremely boring," he says. "It's always the same. Deep, deep evil from hell crops up and God must send someone (usually a little boy, although sometimes that changes) to act as His representative and stop Satan from gaining a foothold."
This neatly sums up 98% of King's horror plots.
ABUSIVE PARENTS
It's doubly hard for Jack and Wendy to parent because both of them come from abusive homes. Jack's father frequently beat his wife and children, putting them in the hospital. Wendy's mother is verbally and emotionally abusive, ripping Wendy and her accomplishments to shreds at every opportunity. We can see how hard each of these people have to fight against continuing the cycle of abuse and attempt to be good parents to Danny. Wendy largely succeeds... Jack not so much.
WENDY
I liked this character.
Would she stand frozen in terror, or was there enough of the primal mother in her to fight him for her son until one of them was dead? She didn't know. The very thought made her sick - made her feel that her whole life had been a long and easy dream to lull her helplessly into this waking nightmare. She was soft. When trouble came, she slept. Her past was unremarkable. She had never been tried in fire. Now the trial was upon her, not fire but ice, and she would not be allowed to sleep through this. Her son was waiting for her upstairs.
Wendy is really put through the wringer, and she performs admirably. I loved her bravery and her struggle to protect Danny. She's terrified, weak, and unskilled - but she doesn't let this stop her from doing what she has to do. Well done.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
- Giant hedge animals coming to life and trying to kill people is laughable. Even a master-author like King cannot convince me that this is scary. It's just dumb.
- I really did not like the final showdown between little Danny and his (view spoiler) father. It rang false. I couldn't believe he was (view spoiler) So, that was very disappointing.
Tl;dr - A great book, full of nuance and delicate shading. The writing is excellent, the plot as a whole is fascinating. Besides the disappointing, dumb aspect of the climax which I discussed in the above paragraph, this is an overall success.
I'm reading all of King's books in order, and of the three I've read, I would rank them:
1.) Carrie
2.) 'Salem's Lot
3.) The Shining
This has been the weakest of the three. But still spectacular. I would highly recommend it.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
March 27, 2015
–
Started Reading
March 27, 2015
– Shelved
March 28, 2015
–
3.66%
"...the wanting of a drink brought back even still blacker despair - would he ever have an hour, not a week or even a day, mind you, but just one hour when the craving for a drink wouldn't surprise him like this?"
page
25
March 28, 2015
–
7.61%
"From here he could see Danny in the bug through three sets of glass. The boy's head was bent studiously over his maps. Jack felt a wave of nearly desperate love for the boy. The emotion showed on his face as a stony grimness."
page
52
March 28, 2015
–
11.13%
"If she felt she didn't know her husband, then she was in awe of her child - awe in the strict meaning of that word: a kind of undefined superstitious dread."
page
76
March 28, 2015
–
11.71%
"...she felt that the three of them had been permanently welded together - that if their three/oneness was to be destroyed, it would not be destroyed by any of them but from outside."
page
80
March 28, 2015
–
25.04%
"
UGH! This guy is such a... What do you call it when someone takes no responsibility for their actions or their lot in life? And blames everything from other people to the fact that the sky is blue for everything? Is there a word for this? Besides 'external locus of control?' Something less clinical?"
page
171
UGH! This guy is such a... What do you call it when someone takes no responsibility for their actions or their lot in life? And blames everything from other people to the fact that the sky is blue for everything? Is there a word for this? Besides 'external locus of control?' Something less clinical?"
March 28, 2015
–
28.11%
"Wendy, wearing only panties, went to his bed and tucked him in again; he had kicked the covers back.
That can't be right. She went to check on her sleeping son in the middle of the night wearing nothing but panties? o.O This seems very strange, even for 1977."
page
192
That can't be right. She went to check on her sleeping son in the middle of the night wearing nothing but panties? o.O This seems very strange, even for 1977."
March 29, 2015
–
40.26%
"Once, during the drinking phase, Wendy had accused him of desiring his own destruction but not possessing the necessary moral fiber to support a full-blown deathwish. So he manufactured ways in which other people could do it, lopping a piece at a time off himself and their family. Could it be true? "
page
275
March 29, 2015
–
45.68%
"In his drinking days he had always been afraid of something like this happening. But when you were a heavy drinker you called it the DTs - good old Ray Milland in Lost Weekend, seeing the bugs coming out of the walls.
What did you call it when you were cold sober?
The question was meant to be rhetorical, but his mind answered it
(you call it insanity)
nevertheless."
page
312
What did you call it when you were cold sober?
The question was meant to be rhetorical, but his mind answered it
(you call it insanity)
nevertheless."
March 29, 2015
–
51.39%
"...an hour ago she had been asleep, firmly convinced that things were all right and would soon be even better. Now she was considering the possibility of using a butcher knife on her husband if he tried to interfere with her and her son."
page
351
March 30, 2015
–
66.47%
"They were both staring at him carefully, as if he was a stranger they had never seen before, possibly a dangerous one. He opened his mouth, not sure what was going to come out.
"It... Wendy, it's my job."
She said clearly: "Fuck your job."
Oh, burn! You tell him, Wendy!"
page
454
"It... Wendy, it's my job."
She said clearly: "Fuck your job."
Oh, burn! You tell him, Wendy!"
March 30, 2015
–
72.47%
"He wants to be one of them and live forever. That's what he wants."
page
495
March 30, 2015
–
81.41%
"Would she stand frozen in terror, or was there enough of the primal mother in her to fight him for her son until one of them was dead? She didn't know. The very thought made her sick - made her feel that her whole life had been a long and easy dream to lull her helplessly into this waking nightmare. She was soft. When trouble came, she slept. Her past was unremarkable. She had never been tried in fire."
page
556
March 30, 2015
–
Finished Reading
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Rubi
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rated it 4 stars
Mar 28, 2015 02:15AM
One of the best books of S. King. Enjoy!
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Very insightful. I don't mind King's Christianity per se, but I've always disliked how black and white it is. I hated The Stand for this reason.
Awesome book! But I agree, the weakest of his first three.
Wonderful review, Carmen. I'm reading this in October. Your diagnosis of a Stephen King plot hits home. I recently read The Dead Zone and Firestarter and was surprised how well they held up; The Stand is also more or less as good as most people say it is. Would you spend a night in a haunted hotel? Sabía usted que revise la versión en idioma español o Inglés?
I can't say I agree with all of your opinions, but I'm glad you liked the book and I always love your reviews.
Tiger - His Christianity doesn't bother me (or black-and-white dichotomy as you put it). But I know it bores the life out of some people. Thanks for reading and commenting!
CalypK - Yes! It was good!
Richard Vialet wrote: "Awesome book! But I agree, the weakest of his first three."Richard, I'm so glad you agree with me. People rave so much about The Shining, I was sure I was going to be alone in my opinion.
Joseph - I'll eagerly await your thoughts on this book! I would MOST DEFINITELY spend a night in a haunted hotel. Voy a comprarlo en español como El resplandor.
Kandice - LOL I know you are a huge King fan, and I respect that. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
It's been many years and I think it's time for a re-read :)All I remember was that I loved the book but I was severely disappointed by the movie adaptation - especially when the topiary animals got turned into a maze. I suppose CGI wasn't available back in the day, LOL.
I too am working my way chronologically through King's works....there's a few of 'em to get through! Personally, I freaking LOVED The Dead Zone. I'll be interested to see what you make of that.
Have you seen the film too? Stephen King didn't like it, despite of being directed by Kubrick but I think it is important to compare... The final in the film is different ;)
Ah! I've read some months ago the second part of The Shining, Doctor Sleep... Will you read it? I will be waiting for your review :D
Ooh, I keep meaning to read Doctor Sleep too.
Love this review. Just perfect :)
Derrolyn wrote: "It's been many years and I think it's time for a re-read :)All I remember was that I loved the book but I was severely disappointed by the movie adaptation - especially when the topiary animals g..."
Derrolyn - It had been over a decade for me, too! Which was fine, because it was practically a new book to me! :) And I agree, living topiary animals would have been completely laughable in 1980 in re: CGI.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Lisa wrote: "I too am working my way chronologically through King's works....there's a few of 'em to get through! Personally, I freaking LOVED The Dead Zone. I'll be interested to see what you make of that."Lisa - Isn't it a fun project? :) I'll be sure to tell you all about Dead Zone when I get to it. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Rubi wrote: "Have you seen the film too? Stephen King didn't like it, despite of being directed by Kubrick but I think it is important to compare... The final in the film is different ;)"Rubi - Yes, I saw the film ages ago. I thought it was well done. I know King was upset, but his miniseries adaptation of the novel frankly did not even compare with Kubrick's film. In the end, though, I think I prefer the book to the film. More nuance, and more backstory. Thanks for reading and commenting!
ETA: And yes, definitely I will be reading Doctor Sleep... after wading through 50 more King books. LOL So maybe in a few years?
Shelby *wants some flying monkeys* wrote: "Love this review. Just perfect :)"Shelby - Wow! Thank you for that, Shelby. I try. :)
glad you liked the book my friend:)
Shining review, Carmen! ;) :D
LOL Thank you, Alejandro!
Great review!
Aw, thanks, Kelly, you're sweet!
well speaking of spectacular, this is a spectacular review. you touch on so many things. what really stood out to me was your identification of King as a Christian author. I've never thought of that before! but it makes perfect sense.
Thank you so much, Mark!
Gosh, there is a lot to think about in this review. This was my first (and last) King on the page (a few film adaptations have been good), and I was surprised how little horror there seemed to be, but your explanation makes perfect sense.
I'd also never thought of King as a Christian writer, and I expect some Christians would be pretty put out by that (not that I'm disagree with you).
LOL Thank you, Cecily. Well, individual Christians can take him or leave him, but in my mind it is clear that in (most) of his books he espouses Christian ideas.You're not planning on reading another King ever? Just curious.
No, I don't think so. I don't really read or watch much horror, but was aware that many people whose judgement I respect, rate him highly as an author. I canvassed opinion as to which one to read, with the proviso that as I was dubious, I didn't want a 600-page doorstop, and The Shining it was. I didn't enjoy it, and have a huge pile (physical and virtual) of books I'm pretty sure I do want to read, so I doubt I'll return to King.
Yes, he really DOES tend to write huge books. :)
I don't mind huge books - but I want to be reasonably sure I'll enjoy them.
That's understandable.
Wonderfully analytical review Carmen, I wish I could write like this. Did you read Doctor Sleep, King's sequel to this?
I haven't read it yet, Apatt! Thanks!
Good review, although I don't agree with some of your points.
Elyse wrote: "Did you like the cook? I liked Wendy too"
Yes, it was an amazing book! :)
Great review, Carmen! I agree with #2 of things you didn't like - I too was disappointed with the all-talk-no-action showdown between Jack and Danny. And yes, Wendy was an impressive character :)
Scarlet wrote: "Great review, Carmen! I agree with #2 of things you didn't like - I too was disappointed with the all-talk-no-action showdown between Jack and Danny. And yes, Wendy was an impressive character :)"Thank you so much, Scarlet!
Fantastically said!!!
