Genre: Horror, Psychological Thriller
Published: 1977
Plot Summary:
Jack Torrance, a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic, accepts a job as the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, a remote and historic resort in the Colorado mountains. Hoping to rebuild his life, Jack moves into the hotel with his wife Wendy and their five-year-old son Danny.
Danny has a mysterious psychic ability called “the shining,” which allows him to see the hotel’s terrifying past and communicate telepathically with the hotel’s cook, Dick Hallorann. As the family settles in for the winter, the hotel begins to reveal its dark, supernatural forces, slowly driving Jack into madness.
Major Events & Horror Elements:
- Danny’s Visions – Even before arriving, Danny experiences horrifying premonitions of blood-filled elevators and ghostly figures.
- Room 237 – Danny is warned never to enter this room, but when he does, he encounters a decaying ghost woman who tries to strangle him.
- The Hotel’s Influence – The Overlook is alive, feeding off Jack’s weaknesses and turning him against his own family.
- “Redrum” – Danny repeatedly mutters this mysterious word, which is later revealed to spell “murder” backward.
- Jack’s Breakdown – Under the influence of the hotel’s ghosts (especially the sinister bartender Lloyd and former caretaker Delbert Grady), Jack descends into madness and attempts to kill his family with an axe.
The Climax:
Wendy and Danny try to escape as Jack, fully possessed by the hotel, goes on a violent rampage. With Hallorann’s help, Danny outsmarts his father by reminding him, “You’re not real,” breaking the hotel’s grip on him. Jack, realizing he has lost control, allows the hotel’s boiler to explode, destroying the Overlook.
Themes & Symbolism:
- Addiction & Madness – Jack’s alcoholism mirrors his descent into violence, showing how personal demons can consume a person.
- Isolation & Cabin Fever – The family’s physical isolation mirrors their emotional detachment and Jack’s growing insanity.
- The Shining (Psychic Ability) – A metaphor for childhood innocence, trauma, and the power of intuition.
Legacy & Adaptations:
- The Shining was adapted into Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film, starring Jack Nicholson, though King disliked the changes.
- The sequel, Doctor Sleep, follows Danny as an adult dealing with his past and facing new supernatural threats.
