When The ‘Caretaker’ Is Not Taking Care. By Beatriz Cruz López

When The ‘Caretaker’ Is Not Taking Care.

By Beatriz Cruz López

One of Kubrick’s best achievements is that, although The Shining is a horror movie with ghosts and abnormal situations, the most dangerous character is a human being. That is, at the end Jack Torrance’s family is not in danger because of unknown and supernatural forces, but because of him and his violent behaviour.

Ghosts contribute to create an atmosphere of fear and danger, but they do not cause relevant injuries to Danny, Wendy or Jack. Ghosts only play with their minds, showing to the three characters terrifying or glamorous scenes. Ghosts can cause physical damage, as they do to Danny; they also can move things, as the latch of the door of the larder room. But they only have this power in certain areas. It seems to be that ghosts are confined to the places where they used to be in life: room 237, the bar and the kitchen, the corridor, etc. Out of this areas, it is safe to be in the hotel. That is why the cook warns Danny not to enter room 237.

Jack’s behaviour has not changed because of the isolated atmosphere or the lack of food and rest; this only reveals his deeper and dark wishes. He is actually a violent father and husband. He does not ask his wife opinion on important decisions, like getting a job in a strange place, and treats her badly. And he had injured his son before, as Wendy reminds him. Plus, he is an alcoholic and seems to have withdrawal symptoms. Ghosts only make this situation worse by making Wendy believe Jack tried to hang Danny, and by making Jack decide to punish his family. I think in other circumstances Jack would damage his family as well but in a less spectacular way.

Jack is, thus, the real menace. He threatens Wendy he will kill her, but she can beat him and keep him in the larder room. Then, he tries to kill his family and when he fails, he hunted his son with an axe in order to kill him. And, finally, he killed the cook. Jack is responsible for all this. Ghosts do not help him, except when the bartender frees him. But, in this case, Jack has to convince the ghost to open the door by saying he will be able to kill his own family. In contrast, Wendy only damages Jack when necessary but her goal is not kill him but stop him.

Jack is the father and he is supposed to look after his family, to take care of them. This idea is reinforced by the fact he gets the job of ‘caretaker’. He has the added responsibility to keep the hotel in good conditions. But it is Wendy who takes care of the hotel and the family and who tries desperately to save Danny. The role of the father is betrayed by Jack. He does not care of his family and does not move them away from ghosts. On the contrary, he wants them to die and, moreover, he wants to be the one who kills them. This story is shocking because it makes the spectators think they could be in a similar risk. What if the people we trust are similar to Jack? This kind of danger is more real; it goes beyond a simple ghost story.

Jack's Madness - Aguilar Diaz Luis Alejandro

Jack’s Madness

Understanding Jack’s behavior is not too easy but it is very interesting. Jack is the main character on The Shining, and he is a writer that accepts a job as hotel caretaker. During the time of the story, he does very strange things that can be called like insane. But at the beginning, he was not mad. He became mad by effect of despair and isolation.

When Jack was interviewed, he seemed like a normal writer that needed an off-season job. He told the interviewer that his wife likes ghost stories and the occult things, and that she will be happy to come to the hotel. Also he was very calm when hotel’s owner showed him the hotel and Dick (the black guy) was telling stories to his son. Until this point he did not show any proof of madness.

Then when he began to write, some strange things began to happen. These things provoked despair on him that could be the most important cause for Jack’s madness. He wrote for hours and it seemed like if he was advancing through his book, but sometimes he was angry by that, other times he decided to leave his work and began to play with a ball. It showed me that he was so desperate by his work.

The next most important cause of Jack’s madness was his total isolation in the hotel due to off-season and the terrible storm. But why did not his wife feel too isolated and develop any kind of madness? Maybe because she was not too desperate, or maybe because she went out of the hotel some times. But for Jack this isolation feeling provoked he cannot do his work; therefore, he showed a kind of fear and became more desperate.

In conclusion, Jack arrived to the hotel without being mad, but his past violent conduct was enhanced by despair and isolation in the hotel, and all these situations led him to madness and to attempt killing his family. 

Week 3

This week we are going to read our essays on The Shining. The idea is to share our work and comment on other people's.
1. Edit your essay and upload the second draft on  The Shining . Read-proof for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Deadline: Sunday, March 16th, 2014. 

2. Read your classmates essays. Write a brief comment (one paragraph, 10 sentences)  on one essay:

•  You can agree or disagree with the author or,
•  explain your point of view, or
• add new information to your classmate's writing. 

Deadline: Sunday March 23rd, 2014.