Racial Stereotypes and Cinematic Adaptation: The Shining Critical Analysis Katrina McGowan College

The themes Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick explore in the story of the Torrance family at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining reflect the cultural values and concerns prevalent in the late 1970s and early 1980s society. These issues are so deeply rooted in the history of the United States that an audience reading or viewing these works today can still grasp their significance. One of the most striking of these themes is racism, specifically towards African-Americans. Underlying racism is a driving force behind much of what King and Kubrick accomplish in The Shining, not only plot-wise, but also in the resulting implications. However, both works use racism in different ways and for different purposes. In the novel, it appears in ways that suggest that King has created an indictment of it within his novel. Meanwhile, Kubrick seems not to be offering any sort of condemnation of this inequality but rather, is embracing it and using it to send a message about American culture that differs from King’s.

The first hints of racism are seen fairly early in the novel, when Jack and his family first come to the Overlook hotel and Wendy meets Halloran, the hotel’s cook. The first line of the chapter entitled Hallorann gives Wendy’s immediate...