The Madness of Jack Torrance, The Shining

The glow It is one of those gems of cinema that have survived the passage of time in our memory. We are talking about a risky proposal, like all adaptations of novels known and read by many, which received unanimous applause from the public and the disapproval of the author of the original work.

Nowadays it seems unthinkable to blame Kubrick for anything, but it is difficult to say that The glow It is one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King work, as it was brought to film with a lot of creative freedom, but also with a lot of success. Unlike the book, In the film, the terror does not reside in the paranormal, but in the own mind of the protagonist, Jack Torrance..

The paranormal events remain in the background and we doubt if they are real or a product of Jack Torrance’s paranoia. The endless hallways, the winding road, claustrophobia and loneliness are the setting of this enigmatic film. Kubrick knew how to capture the viewer, he knew how to capture the essence of the madness that characterizes Jack, he made us participate in a journey to the center of the protagonist’s disturbed mind.

He overlook hotel welcomes countless guests during the summer, in a secluded and privileged enclave, surrounded by nature and extraordinary landscapes, No one could suspect that, behind those walls, a most disturbing story is hidden..

The hotel is a kind of reflection of Jack, a normal-looking family man who, in reality, has serious problems with alcohol. Jack accepts the job of looking after the hotel during the winter because he thinks it is a good opportunity to work on the novel he is writing and, at the same time, finish recovering from your alcohol addiction.

The friendly, summery face of the Overlook turns into a truly terrifying labyrinth during the winter. A place that will bring Jack Torrance’s worst ghosts to light, a place that will bring out the worst in everyone, where terror will reign and where we will discover the most terrifying secrets that its rooms hold. I doubt that many are unaware of the dark secrets of the Overlook Hotel, but just in case, I warn you that the article contains spoilers.

Jack Torrance, evolution

Jack Nicholson, in one of the most applauded roles of his career, played this character. The actor has already shown in Some one flies over the cuco’s nidus that his thing was to embody disturbed characters, but on this occasion he went one step further, capturing the personification of madness and evil in the same person.

His features, his laugh, his voice, his eyes and his eyebrows that draw a penetrating yet chilling look… served to make Torrance take over him completely and so that we viewers can never forget what he experienced at the Overlook Hotel.

In King’s book, Jack Torrance has problems with alcohol, but he is a character who loves his family and tries to get closer to his son, in addition to showing a certain lucidity during possessions.. The hotel in the book is another character, it acts on its own and manipulates Jack’s mind, it is a character that plays with the inhabitants inside as he pleases.

In the film version, Torrance shows some psychological problems before coming into contact with the hotel, Wendy gets on his nerves and is quite cold and distant towards his family; As viewers, we find it difficult to believe that they are truly a united family.

Both versions work perfectly independently, we should not see them as a complement to the other and we should not interpret Kubrick’s adaptation as a version faithful to King’s. The changes are many, but not negative, the film version offers us a different, more realistic and cold vision of the main character. Jack evolves as his frustration grows and his stay at the hotel becomes harder and harder; The cold and snow will make them feel isolated and in a most unbearable situation..

As winter progresses, the isolation worsens and its consequences end up tormenting the occupants of the Overlook. Danny is used to loneliness, so he faces the situation without losing his sanity, he will invent games and have conversations with Tony (his peculiar imaginary friend), Wendy will take loneliness badly and will try to have conversations with her husband, making him lose the nerves. Jack will begin to show the first signs of violence and madness, especially towards his wife; nightmares, hallucinations and changes in his personality will cause his degradation to begin.

The hotel and Jack

As we said, the approach of the film is quite far from that proposed in the book and, although I mention both versions, I prefer to focus on the film version because it is better known. The hotel functions as a simile of Jack’s mind, labyrinthine and complex, loaded with dark secrets.. In it, all the disturbed fantasies of the character and the dark past of the hotel itself unfold.

Little by little, the hallucinations become stronger and stronger, they come to life and are able to manipulate Jack, but are they really ghosts? Maybe yes, and the source of everything is of paranormal origin, but the truth is that these ghosts correspond to pieces that make up Jack’s complicated personality, his darkest desires. All these characters that appear in his mind have something in common: knowing their weak points (alcohol and their family)..

Jack goes to the bar at the Overlook and the waiter who serves him knows exactly what he wants to drink, in the same way, it seems that everyone knows Jack, that he has already been there and has probably forgotten. These little clues are an example of Kubrick’s ability to play with appearances, just as the hotel is doing with Jack himself.. All the ideas that take over his mind lead to the same outcome: ending his family.

Thus, the hotel and Jack’s mind merge into a single entity, a single force capable of terrifying his loved ones.. It is possible that Jack really belongs to the hotel, that he is a part of it; Or it is possible that this hotel is a reflection of Jack’s identity. It is no coincidence that the floors of the hotel draw labyrinths, that its structure itself resembles one and that the gardens have that same shape.

The labyrinth is a shield, a protection, a barrier that prevents us from accessing its heart, its hidden interior, something very similar to Jack’s complex mind.. Upon arriving at the hotel, we advance through scenes that make up a labyrinth and, finally, we enter the depths of the protagonist. The labyrinth has a strong connection with spiritual life, it would be a reflection of Jack himself. The hotel is the place where you belong, the discovery of your interior, your greatest fears and mistakes.

One of the most talked about things about the film is the ending, that scene in which a Jack Torrance living in the 1920s greets us in a photograph of the Overlook. An open ending that, without a doubt, gives rise to countless theories, but at the same time, confirms what we already suspected: Jack and the hotel have always gone hand in hand. Thanks to the great work of Nicholson, today we can relive again and again this great work of cinema and its disturbed protagonist..

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