Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Jack Torrance Tragic Hero?
The tragic hero is one of the most common archetypes in literature and film. In my opinion, a tragic hero is often the most interesting character in the story. Their flaws are what makes them so interesting. After all, it's their flaws that make characters seem more realistic. Jack Torrance has plenty of flaws, and he's plenty realistic.
After a rough childhood, he was able to get a good education and make something of a name for himself. He had a good teaching job at a prestigious prep school, a blossoming writing career, and a loving young family. However, he had some deep seated problems rooted in his father's abuse during his childhood. Jack always had a harsh temper, and when he followed in his father's footsteps to become an alcoholic, his life began to deteriorate. He hurt his son Danny in a drunken rage which led to a near divorce from his wife. Later, and completely sober, he attacked a student who had slashed his tires. This led to the loss of his job, thus completing the downfall which is common for a tragic hero.
Next, he took the job as the winter caretaker of an isolated colorado resort, bringing only his family. He hoped that this would be an opportunity to regain his stability, and finish a writing project. However, his old problems begin to resurface as the hotel works its way into his fragile psyche. After going on a rampage in hopes of murdering his family, Jack resurfaces for a moment, to say goodbye to his son, before dying.
Looking at the story of Jack Torrance in The Shining, most of the elements of a tragic hero can be seen. High position (successful teacher), personality flaw (rage/ alcoholism), error in judgement (attacking the student), fall from grace (fired from teaching), isolation from society (job at Overlook), transformation into foil (the angry Jack takes over), and finally the tragic hero's death with honor (he overcomes the hotel's control momentarily). It's a pretty straightforward cycle, which can be seen throughout the book. The fact that he is relatable and is a "hero" of sorts makes his downfall and spiral into madness all the more emotional to read.
After a rough childhood, he was able to get a good education and make something of a name for himself. He had a good teaching job at a prestigious prep school, a blossoming writing career, and a loving young family. However, he had some deep seated problems rooted in his father's abuse during his childhood. Jack always had a harsh temper, and when he followed in his father's footsteps to become an alcoholic, his life began to deteriorate. He hurt his son Danny in a drunken rage which led to a near divorce from his wife. Later, and completely sober, he attacked a student who had slashed his tires. This led to the loss of his job, thus completing the downfall which is common for a tragic hero.
"I told you; no pickles on my sandwich..."
Next, he took the job as the winter caretaker of an isolated colorado resort, bringing only his family. He hoped that this would be an opportunity to regain his stability, and finish a writing project. However, his old problems begin to resurface as the hotel works its way into his fragile psyche. After going on a rampage in hopes of murdering his family, Jack resurfaces for a moment, to say goodbye to his son, before dying.
Looking at the story of Jack Torrance in The Shining, most of the elements of a tragic hero can be seen. High position (successful teacher), personality flaw (rage/ alcoholism), error in judgement (attacking the student), fall from grace (fired from teaching), isolation from society (job at Overlook), transformation into foil (the angry Jack takes over), and finally the tragic hero's death with honor (he overcomes the hotel's control momentarily). It's a pretty straightforward cycle, which can be seen throughout the book. The fact that he is relatable and is a "hero" of sorts makes his downfall and spiral into madness all the more emotional to read.
Monday, May 7, 2012
The Shining Movie/Book Comparison
The Shining as directed by Stanley Kubrick is one of the most recognizable horror movies of all time. Its inspiration, the novel of the same title by Stephen King, is also an instantly recognizable title. However, for being based on the same material, the book and the movie have many important differences.
While it's true that Kubrick's movie follows the same general plot as King's novel, he decided to delete a lot of the elements of the book and add in his own scenes. Personally, I believe this is one of the rare occasions where the movie is actually better than the book. Many of the changes that Kubrick made were what made the movie iconic. He took out some of the sillier elements which are common in King's writing, and produced a more crisp and realistic depiction of the story.
The additions Kubrick made are actually some of the most memorable scenes of the movie. Remember this?
Not in the book. Jack never says his famous line at any point during the book. However, I can't give Kubrick the credit for "Here's Johnny." It was an ad lib by Nicholson, which turned out to be one of the most famous lines in cinema history. That wasn't the only scene Kubrick added. "All work and no play..."
Also not in the book. Among adding those two scenes, Kubrick also changed a few other things. One of these was Jack's weapon. In the movie he carries an axe. It's pretty terrifying. In the book, he runs around with a roque mallet (an oversized croquet mallet). Needless to say, Jack would have been slightly less intimidating had Kubrick not made the change.
Another major aspect of the movie was the hedge maze. In the novel, instead of a hedge maze, the Overlook had hedge animals that came to life and chased the characters. Also, the ending was changed. Danny overcomes his father in the movie by getting him lost in the maze, while in the book, he defeats him with love or something. Needless to say, Kubrick's way was much less cheesy. Finally, the famous shot at the end zooming in to a picture that shows Jack featured prominently in a photo taken at the Overlook hotel in 1921, many years before the character would have been born. The ending gives no explanations, and leaves the viewer thinking (something Kubrick often did, IE the floating baby at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey). In the ending of the book, the hotel explodes with Jack inside, thus lifting whatever curse was over the place. I think Kubrick's ambiguous ending was much more interesting.
Even with all these preferences I have to the movie, I'm not saying I didn't like King's novel. I thought it was a very good novel, and it did have some strengths which the movie lacks. First and foremost, is back story. In the book, King gives back stories to all the main characters, particularly Jack, which gets us more invested in him as a character. In the movie, we have less sympathy for Jack, because we don't understand in as much depth, what he's gone through. When translated to film, we also lost much of the love shared between Jack and Danny. In the book, they have a much closer bond, which makes it more heartbreaking when Jack ends up trying to kill Danny. Another preference I have to the book is that Hallorann survives. In the movie, he comes to the Overlook to selflessly help the Torrances, and is rewarded with an axe to the chest. It seems cheap and doesn't serve much of a purpose in my opinion. I think Hallorann deserves more credit. In the book, he saves Wendy and Danny, who most certainly wouldn't have survived without his help.
In conclusion, neither version of the story is perfect. However, I think Kubrick translated the story to work on film as well as was possible, and created a very effective movie. King also deserves credit however, for writing one of the premiere horror novels of all time.
While it's true that Kubrick's movie follows the same general plot as King's novel, he decided to delete a lot of the elements of the book and add in his own scenes. Personally, I believe this is one of the rare occasions where the movie is actually better than the book. Many of the changes that Kubrick made were what made the movie iconic. He took out some of the sillier elements which are common in King's writing, and produced a more crisp and realistic depiction of the story.
The additions Kubrick made are actually some of the most memorable scenes of the movie. Remember this?
Another major aspect of the movie was the hedge maze. In the novel, instead of a hedge maze, the Overlook had hedge animals that came to life and chased the characters. Also, the ending was changed. Danny overcomes his father in the movie by getting him lost in the maze, while in the book, he defeats him with love or something. Needless to say, Kubrick's way was much less cheesy. Finally, the famous shot at the end zooming in to a picture that shows Jack featured prominently in a photo taken at the Overlook hotel in 1921, many years before the character would have been born. The ending gives no explanations, and leaves the viewer thinking (something Kubrick often did, IE the floating baby at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey). In the ending of the book, the hotel explodes with Jack inside, thus lifting whatever curse was over the place. I think Kubrick's ambiguous ending was much more interesting.
Even with all these preferences I have to the movie, I'm not saying I didn't like King's novel. I thought it was a very good novel, and it did have some strengths which the movie lacks. First and foremost, is back story. In the book, King gives back stories to all the main characters, particularly Jack, which gets us more invested in him as a character. In the movie, we have less sympathy for Jack, because we don't understand in as much depth, what he's gone through. When translated to film, we also lost much of the love shared between Jack and Danny. In the book, they have a much closer bond, which makes it more heartbreaking when Jack ends up trying to kill Danny. Another preference I have to the book is that Hallorann survives. In the movie, he comes to the Overlook to selflessly help the Torrances, and is rewarded with an axe to the chest. It seems cheap and doesn't serve much of a purpose in my opinion. I think Hallorann deserves more credit. In the book, he saves Wendy and Danny, who most certainly wouldn't have survived without his help.
In conclusion, neither version of the story is perfect. However, I think Kubrick translated the story to work on film as well as was possible, and created a very effective movie. King also deserves credit however, for writing one of the premiere horror novels of all time.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The Shining and Child Abuse
Well, in honor of child abuse month, I'll talk a little about the significance of child abuse in The Shining. It seems odd that child abuse would be one of the main themes of a supernatural horror novel, but a look into Jack's background of violence can help to explain many aspects of the plot.
For starters, Jack's father was an abusive drunk. He would come home from his job and abuse the children and his wife, even once going as far as putting his wife in the hospital. Young Jack, despite often being slapped around, still has a strange admiration of his father. This feeling of fear intertwined with love is an emotion that becomes a large part of Danny's life as his father gradually loses his grasp on reality while living at the Overlook.
Because of his harmful relationship with his father, Jack as an adult shows a lot of the same traits as his father. He is predispositioned to be drunk and violent. However, he is a better man that his father, so he feels extreme remorse when he breaks Danny's arm in a drunken rage. Later, he vows to sober up in order to keep control: for the good of his family.
The point is that Danny was able to overcome the hotel's evil by breaking the cycle of abuse that had started with Jack's father. Because he stands up to his father, and with love, his father is able to overcome his demons for long enough to ensure his son's survival. In this sense, domestic violence can be viewed as one of the central conflicts and themes of The Shining.
For starters, Jack's father was an abusive drunk. He would come home from his job and abuse the children and his wife, even once going as far as putting his wife in the hospital. Young Jack, despite often being slapped around, still has a strange admiration of his father. This feeling of fear intertwined with love is an emotion that becomes a large part of Danny's life as his father gradually loses his grasp on reality while living at the Overlook.
Because of his harmful relationship with his father, Jack as an adult shows a lot of the same traits as his father. He is predispositioned to be drunk and violent. However, he is a better man that his father, so he feels extreme remorse when he breaks Danny's arm in a drunken rage. Later, he vows to sober up in order to keep control: for the good of his family.
Jack and Danny share a tender moment
Once moved into the Overlook things start to change for the worse. The hotel senses his weakness and plays on his cravings as a recovering alcoholic. Jack begins to show some old tendencies from his drinking days such as repeatedly wiping his mouth. He struggles because of his love for his family, but eventually the hotel has distorted his reality enough that it is able to get him to drink, thus sealing his fate as the hotel's servant. At this point, Jack can no longer resist his urges, and he takes up the Overlook's mission: to kill his family. By now, Jack has made the transformation from man to monster. This is where the child abuse theme comes back into play, as Jack is feverishly hunting Danny. Near the climax of the book, however, we see Danny stand up to his father without fear. To paraphrase, he explains to the monster that it is not his father and that if there is any of his father left, he knows that the hotel lies and cheats. This brings out one last shred of humanity from his father, in which he tells Danny how much he loves him for one last time.
The point is that Danny was able to overcome the hotel's evil by breaking the cycle of abuse that had started with Jack's father. Because he stands up to his father, and with love, his father is able to overcome his demons for long enough to ensure his son's survival. In this sense, domestic violence can be viewed as one of the central conflicts and themes of The Shining.
The Shining Picture Blog
The Shining Book Cover
Written by Stephen King
Main Characters:
Jack Torrance
Wendy Torrance
Danny Torrance
Dick Hallorann
Setting:
The Overlook Hotel
Themes:
Violence
Substance Abuse
Family
Child Abuse
Mortality
Isolation
Time
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