“This inhuman place makes human monsters.”

The Shining – a masterpiece by Stephen King was described by him as his crossroads novel, one that stood out, one that would soar higher. But what makes it so unique? Here is my take on this reservoir of terror.

The Torrances have to move away from their happy suburban life because Jack Torrance, the man of his house, lost his temper. The very words that make his blood curdle – lost his temper. Wendy, his wife, and their five-year-old, Danny, acquiesce. Jack’s old drinking buddy (from before he stepped on the wagon) Al, lands him a job at The Overlook Hotel as its winter caretaker. The story might sound quite commonplace for the time being, but everything takes a turn for the outlandish very quick.

The Overlook breathes, throbs and hums of evil.

Danny is a special boy. He has the Shining – a gift (or a heavy burden) that enables him to see specters and phantoms. He senses his parents’ thoughts, emotions, and pain – all in their raw form. The Overlook furthers his intuitions. They tug at him, unsettle him. Somewhere a thought is birthed. Murder.

Winter is a tough time at The Overlook. Tough because in this dreary place, loneliness entombs the heart. Windows barricaded by a wall of snow, fallen power lines severing the only human contact with the rest of the world and the same two faces for the eyes to cognize. We can understand the premise created by King over here. How the seeds of loneliness were sowed. Jack finds a peace here. The internal conflict hasn’t begun yet. Like a child with a ball, The Overlook plays with the minds of the trio. And Jack Torrance succumbs. He feels The Overlook gaining control over him. His father had been abusive. Jack too had made mistakes. He had lost his temper. Not once but twice. The Overlook is anthropomorphized. It’s a living entity, gnawing at the minds of the guests. Pulling them into an irrevocable reverie where no trace of sanity exists. Jack Torrance is no longer Jack Torrance. It is now a host, housing the Hotel, ready to serve, ready to kill.

Instead of writing a monster, Stephen King beckons to the monster inside all of us, waiting to be called upon, waiting to be unleashed. The Overlook did not just control Jack. It gave him a push, off the precipice of humanity. The Overlook rummaged within him for the source of his insecurities and gave him a reason to justify his actions – making it all the more disturbing. We all have our monsters, hidden deep inside. Jack had them too. The Overlook gave it a sinister purpose.

The arc ends with the tragic sacrifice of Jack. In a fleeting moment of sanity and realization, Jack tells Danny to run and that he loves him. He then smashes his face, reducing the last remnants of Jack Torrance to a mush of flesh. A feeling of pity and sorrow wells up amongst the readers. Of course, pity. Jack wasn’t the true villain. He was a vehicle, bringing fruition to The Overlook’s cruel desires. He had begun to live in a travesty of his mind. And now Jack was gone. Forever. What was left was The Overlook enshrined in his disemboweled body.

– Nityaansh Parekh
(23 . 8 . 21)