Jack’s Crisis: What Role Did Narcissistic Injury and Cultural Circumstance Play in Jack’s Breakdown? Nicholas Schuster College

Arguably the most iconic scene in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is the reveal of what exactly he has been writing during his time at The Overlook. As a terrified Wendy flips through pages and pages filled with only the phrase “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” the audience gets confirmation of something they are already fairly certain of: Jack is losing his mind (Kubrick 1:41). Exactly what has caused this to happen to him however, is unclear. What role did narcissistic injury and cultural circumstance play in Jack’s breakdown? Various scholars have proposed their own answers to this question, but the answer is completely different depending on who you ask. On one side of the spectrum there are views like that of Matthew Merced, who wrote for the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies about the psychological side of Jack’s issues, and then are people like Christopher Hoile, who wrote arguing that the supernatural aspects of the film are what had the most effect. The Overlook is haunted, but Jack is also haunted by personal issues before he steps foot in the hotel. This is one of the most horrifying parts of the film; upon further analysis, Jack’s breakdown may be caused by things that could happen to...