Dauter 1

Orion M Dauter

Mrs. Messer 3

English 12

29 November 2016

Heres Johnny!: The Slippery Slope of Your Own Mind

Memories are meant to serve you, not enslave you. -A.J. Darkholme (Goodreads). In

other words, learn to conquer the mind in order to take on the world, and to truly understand

what is best. Although, Stephen Kings The Shining is a horror-fiction story it still conveys a

deep message, One that is best illustrated through the mind of one of the main characters. Jack

Torrance is a former alcoholic who believes he has one last chance to redeem himself with a

new start in a different city and a new job, yet he cannot help wanting to drink again. He gets a

job as the winter caretaker at the mountainous Overlook Hotel, and a battle in Jacks mind takes

a turn for the worst. King shows in the book the theme of battling with oneself. Mental struggles

if left unchecked lead down the path of self destruction and affect not just the individual, but

hurts everyone close to them.

Alcoholism is a horrible problem within society, it tears families apart and causes mental

anguish and physical harm. Recovering from alcoholism is a prime example of a battle raging

on inside someones head to stay strong and do right, or to just give in and do what is easy. The

first example of this occurs as Jack is learning the ropes around the hotel where he will be

spending the rest of the winter, he gets lost within his own thoughts. Reflecting back on his

drinking days when he lost his temper and broke his sons arm. This stresses him out and he

feels drained. As it comes back to the present Jack craves alcohol again as a result of the

trauma and a desire to forget. Dear God, he could use a drink. Or a thousand of them. (King

19) This shows an internal conflict in which Jack must constantly try to recondition his mind to

quit craving alcohol. He swore he would never drink again. However, he still has thoughts spring

up from deep within him in the part of his mind that he is trying to conquer. Similarly, the next
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example shows a battle with oneself over morals. This time however, King shows what happens

when you are on the losing side of the battle and foreshadows disastrous results by showing

how Jack tries to rationalize his own behaviour. It had nothing to do with willpower, or the

morality of drinking, or the weakness or strength of his own character. There was a broken

switch somewhere inside, or a circuit breaker that didnt work. (73) This is important because it

shows how Jack has essentially admitted defeat in his mental battle to overcome addiction.

Furthermore you see later in the novel how this can negatively affect your thinking and morale.

This shows that you must take responsibility for your actions because they are yours and no

one elses. In conclusion, the theme of alcoholism plays a crucial role in conveying the overall

message of the importance of knowing how to control and assess your own mind.

Fear is another major theme within The Shining which pops up numerous times as the

family feels the fear of isolation, and the fear of being hurt, they must cope with these fears and

learn to not be controlled by them. The Torrance family feels isolated all throughout the story,

even before they are basically trapped in the Overlook all winter. Deep down they feel a more

mental isolation and a fear of not fitting in. This is shown especially when Jack has a flashback

to his drinking days, when he broke Dannys arm in a fit of rage. Danny's answering shriek,

then Wendy's shocked gasp as she came around them and saw the peculiar angle of Danny's

forearm; no arm was meant to hang quite that way in the world of normal families.(13) Wendy

fears the isolation that Jacks alcoholism has brought on. They no longer really fit in with the

normal families and feel like outcasts among their peers. They are creating even further

isolation without realizing it as they withdraw from others instead of seeking help, which is

making things worse for them. All of the characters in The Shining have a fear of injury or harm

to them. One example is a thought from Wendy as she reflects on the isolation her whole family

will face at the Overlook and she worries about how easily accessible things were back in their

old home. When the snow fell, getting out of here would not be a matter of an hour's drive to

sidewinder but a major operation.(50) This quote shows the fear that Wendy has for her and
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her family, they would be in a very dire situation if one of them got injured. This furthers the

theme of isolation both physically and mentally that the Torrance family must face. They all have

conflicting thoughts within their own head about whether the Overlook is really good for them or

not. We all must face our fears eventually, and not reaching out to people creates more isolation

which will make the situation much worse in the long run. The themes of fear and isolation are

very prevalent in the novel and help King to convey his message of internal turmoil that we must

overcome when faced with a new or difficult situation.

Mental illness is one of the largest themes shown in The Shining, especially anger

issues, and it is a prime example of a battle within someone's mind. Jack Torrance is the

character with the most problems inside his head. He has his history of alcoholism and really

bad anger issues that he still hasn't really gotten over. Wendy tries to explain to Danny why they

had to move from their old comfortable life in stovington. Your daddy Sometimes he does

things hes sorry for later. Sometimes he doesnt think the way he should. That doesnt happen

very often but sometimes it does.(11) This quote shows that Wendy knows of the problems that

Jack has, but she forces herself to look past them for what she believes is the good of her

family. She still doesnt really trust Jack because she knows that he is not completely level

headed and she knows that he could snap and be dangerous if he decided to start drinking

again. She must battle with herself because she cant decide if she should separate Danny and

herself from The Overlook or if they should stay the winter with Jack, she also doesn't want to

tear their family apart. The next example is a time when Jack is not exactly thinking the way he

should, like when he broke Dannys arm. - Kill him. You have to kill him Jacky, and her too.

Because a real artist must suffer. Because each man kills the thing he loves.(155) This is the

beginning of the end for Jack as he begins his descent into true madness. He feels like his

family is conspiring against him and holding him back even though deep down he cant believe

it, he struggles with himself trying to stop this way of thinking but it keeps creeping back. This

shows how the mind can trick itself into things that it doesnt really believe in and how it is very
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hard to recognize your own mental illness and try to fight it. In the novel, mental illness tears

apart the Torrances. They all have struggles in their mind trying to keep their family intact but

they eventually lost the will to stay whole.

Overall, the main message of The Shining is controlling your own mind to do what is

best for you and those you care about. In the end, Jack Torrance could not overcome his mental

hurdles and do what he needed to do instead of what was easy. This theme is very important

now more than ever, in the busy world we live in most people barely have time to think about

what they are doing or how it really affects them until it is too late. We must learn to find inner

control and tame the battles raging on in our brains. You must assess the problems you face

and learn to deal with them before they spiral out of control like the problems of the Torrance

family. So now ask yourself, what problems have you been ignoring and letting fester out of

control instead of dealing with? Do you have anything you wish you could stop doing, like an

addiction or a bad habit? Look into yourself and learn to recognize and tame your inner demons.

Works Cited

King, Stephen. The Shining. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977. Print.

"A Quote from Rise of the Morningstar." Goodreads. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.