Character Analysis Of Jack Torrance In 'The Shining'

In The Shining the main human body that becomes a source of horror is Jack Torrance. He is a more complicated issue than Regan. In a way, he is already dangerous from the start of the novel. One could argue even before the novel as his violent history such as the breaking of his own child's arm and the beating up of a schoolboy. He seems to be a complicated, human character, neither bad nor good, who struggles with drinking and domestic abuse. Yet, in the beginning of the novel, he quit drinking and seems to take control over his life. He seems to have the will to better himself and take care of his family. He sees his job on the Overlook, as a way of reconciliating with his family and to pursue his dream job, writing a play. Although it started of as a good idea, the Overlook eventually takes over Jack. On a more realistic kind of horror, Jack is a human that is struggling with himself. He seems to do his best yet his temper usually has the better of him. At the same time, he knows his weakness as he says: “How many times over how many years, had he – a grown man – asked for mercy of another chance? He was suddenly so sick of himself, so revolted...”1 Due to the

It could be that the violence of Jack is a part of Jack yet now it is amplified. It is not completely him yet it is a part of his character that took over Jack's whole personality. Furthermore, John Hutz says that “King's novel...investigates the complex ways in which the past acts upon – indeed, lives on in – the present.”14 Jack's history with his abusive father and his own problems causes him to become a danger. Hutz also states that the transformation of Jack shows how a “child victim” transforms “into the adult abuser.”15This makes him a source of horror as it is a realistic, seemingly uncontrollable