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The Shining Research Paper

1371 Words6 Pages

The horror genre is typically defined as a genre of fiction whose purpose is to create a feeling of fear, repulsion, or disgust in the reader. Although common, horror is not always brought about by gore and blood. The Shining is the fictional story of Jack Torrance and his family as they spend the winter in the Overlook Hotel. He struggles with instability which causes other issues regarding his family’s safety. Stephen King’s work embodies a more realistic approach to traditional horror; he uses blood and gore but also brings in real-life problems that many readers can relate to. This untraditional approach to a very traditional genre is different, yet highly effective. In The Shining, King creates terror by highlighting real-life issues …show more content…

Jack’s son Danny is subject to his abusive behaviors caused by alcohol and rage. Also, it comes from past trauma in Jack’s life, as his father was a raging alcoholic and abused him as well (Hornbeck). At the beginning of the novel, Wendy explains that, in a drunken rage, Jack hits Danny, causing him to break his arm (King). As well as being physically injured, Danny is also psychologically damaged by these actions. Because of Danny’s shining abilities, he knows what is going on in his father’s mind, but doesn’t know the reasons why; this causes confusion for an innocent child. Avinger states, “Painfully, Danny is torn between his love of Jack the good father and his fear of Jack the punishing father guided by the hotel” (5259). This also contributes to King’s ideas about the characters roles. In this moment, readers feel sympathy for Danny, as he is confused by his father’s actions. However, some readers may feel sympathy for Jack, as he can’t control his actions because he was possessed by the hotel. Later, King explains that the reason Jack was fired from his previous job was because he assaulted a child after getting into an altercation with him, so the reader’s feelings towards Jack become negative again. Readers tone towards Jack may change however when Jack allows Danny to place a wasp’s nest in his bedroom, knowing there would be no way to get him to a doctor if we would’ve been stung (King Chap. 15). This negligence, although it may not be purposeful, is an extreme case of child

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