Olivia O’Brien David Kingsley ENG 102 25 April 2024 The Shining Through Nihilism Analyzing The Shining, a novel written by Stephen King, through the philosophical lens of Nihilism enhances the narrative, particularly its climax and conclusion, revealing the profound themes of destruction and existential meaninglessness embodied by Jack Torrance and reflective of broader human experiences. Jack’s character displays elements of nihilism throughout the novel through his self-destructive, harmful behavior to end his life along with his family. He struggles with his moral conscience when presented with a choice to do the right thing and more often than not he chooses the destructive course that always ends in demise, like when he cuts off the only escape his family has from the threatening hotel. The Overlook …show more content…
Jack Torrance’s downfall in the novel demonstrates the core philosophy of Nihilism that life is meaningless despite the actions one takes, therefore self-destruction is inevitable as his final path. Jack tried assiduously to stay sober and be the devoted father and husband, but it seemed no matter how hard his efforts were, he continued toward a downward spiral. As depicted in chapter twenty of the book Jack thinks to himself: “Why had he called Ullman in the first place?.Once, during his drinking phase, Wendy had accused him of desiring his own destruction but not possessing the necessary moral fiber to support a full-blown death wish. So he manufactured ways in which other people could do it, looping a piece at a time off himself and their family” (King 332). It seems this moment of introspection reveals a subconscious human desire for destruction, as he manipulates and destabilizes the situation for him and his family. This act of desperation to annihilate his reputation and his family’s future of a financially stable life illustrates core tenets of nihilism, which insist that goodness holds no value in a universe
Jack is a low down dirty character who feasts on the imaginations of little boys to gain power amongst himself. Being only ten years old you would wonder how a little kid could become so rotten so early well Jack is living proof of that. Being in control of others brings Jacks happiness sky high its almost as if something comes over him every time he speaks to someone, it's as if in his past life he had horrible experiences with the world and has come back just to tarnish the lives of many young boys during the most tragic tragedy of their lives.I most deeply admire the fact that Jack knows what he wants which is essential in a life that we are living in today because it may interpret your future. What I dislike is that Jack knowingly arrived on this famished island with a plan even though the crash was not expected.The plan was to take existent land that was not entitled to anyone and turn the island into "Jacks World", a place where you will be taken
One of the things that changes Jack was his hatred and drives him to the point where he was willing to kill. In the beginning he was a choir boy who knew nothing much, but his hatred grew when he was not elected leader. In the book it quote “And you shut up! Who are you anyway? Sitting here telling people what to do. You can’t hunt, you can’t sing-” (91). This quote shows that Jack had
Jack is the leader of the boys choir group in civilization and he is the complete opposite of Ralph. Jack wants to be leader and won’t let anyone stand in his way he rules through fear and shows signs of militarism and dictatorship. He is cruel, sadistic and preoccupied with hunting and killing pigs to help the rest signal for help. His sadism only gets worse throughout the novel, and eventually turns cruelly on the other boys. Jack pretends to show an interest in the rules of order on the island, but he views the differently because they only allow him to inflict punishment. Jack represents greed, savage and the anarchic aspects of man.
Jack was defiant from the start and showed how he was giving into the darkness. Since the boys first arrived on the island, Jack seemed to stray away from the beaten path in the sense that whatever the rest of the group decided Jack wanted to question, oppose, or downright argue with until he was finally given command of his own men. On page 22, Jack says, "I ought to be chief,”[…]” because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.” This shows that Jack is selfish and only wants to be in control, never thinking of the others around him. Jack still has some good in him at this time. Early on, Jack was faced with the temptation of the darkness inside of him, but at this point, he was still trying to fight it. Page 51
Jack finally loses control when Wendy suggests they should leave the Overlook. Enraged, Jack tells Wendy, “it is so typical of you to create a problem like this when I finally have a chance to accomplish something, when I’m really into my work, I could really write my own ticket when I went back to Boulder now couldn’t I? Wendy, I have let you fuck up my life so far, but I am not going to let you fuck this up” (The Shining). Given Jack’s portrayal in the film, it is not surprising that Jack tries to kill his family. Anxiety does not stem from whether Jack will go crazy and try to succumb to the hotel’s wishes, because this is implied from the beginning.
...e and begins a wild chant, dancing around a fire. Towards the end of the book, the reader can fully see Jack’s brutal and savage nature as he orders a fire to kill Ralph. This extreme growth in Jack’s sinister side is very significant as this is what gives him the ability to have control over the group. It is also important as Golding is showing that human nature can be unforgiving and that there is a good and bad side to everyone.
Jack changes throughout the course of the story through his attire, feelings about rules and his feelings about hunting. William Golding uses Jack to symbolize savagery and violence. Also Jack is a representation of the dangers of being power hungry. Golding suggests that within each human there is a struggle between right (good) and wrong (evil) and it depends on the individual to decide which course they want to embrace. As much as Jack tries to follow the moral code that society taught him he eventually embraces his inner evil. This inner evil is unleashed mainly because of his ignorance and desires. Golding also suggests that if a person was put into a civilization where law and order was not established, then the person would go back to their primitive ways. Civilization keeps everything in order and prevents people from going crazy.
Writers have changed the lives of many people over the years. In times of situation that people do not want to be in, times of wars, poverty, near death experience causing one to be immobile, or even just to get out of this world the works they create gives people those opportunities to do so. Stephen King is a big contributor of his published works to people in every on every continent. He is a writer of both novels and short stories, a film director, actor and even screen writer of most of his novels that turn into movies, but is he mainly known because of his works in the genre of horror. Going from his first published novel, Carrie and one of his famous selling The Shining King have made history as the king of
When the reader is first introduced to Jack Burden, he seems to be somewhat of an idealistic man with no real ambition for himself but who is not really satisfied or happy with his life and who refuses to see the world for what it really is.
The death of Willie Starks and the circumstances force Jack to rethink the way he thinks. He rethinks a belief that no one can ever be responsible for the evil actions of another individual over time. In a way Jack feels responsible for Willie’s death. Jack eventually marries Anne Stanton and he feels orthodox about his decision to marry her. Jack restarts his long lost hobby of working on a book about Cass Mastern.
We all have evil inside us but the decisions we make and what we do with that evil shape who we are. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies Jack follows the decline character arc. When the story begins Jack is helpful, he is willing to follow orders from Ralph. That quickly changes when he reaches a turning point that plunges himself into savagery. He only goes downhill from there, Jack loses all his civility and disregards others as human beings.
Then Jack abandons his citizens needs in order to protect his position and power. This was a reflection of Hitler during World War 2. HItler oppressed and fed his citizens propaganda in order to Maintain control over them. When this did not work he would punish his citizens by locking them up in jail or killing them. This led to his citizens to be afraid of their leader and of the outside world as well. As World War 2 continued and Nazi germany started losing the war, Hitler became more desperate as he wanted to win, sending in suicidal missions in order for him to maintain his power. But as we saw because he was willing to sacrifice his people for his mission he in the end lost and had nothing left. Golding Wants to show a leader is supposed to be responsible for his people and must try to complete his responsibility. Golding shows that a leader who does not respect this responsibility is able to throw his citizens away just to accomplish their desires. But a leader is not a leader if they have no one to
The Shining is about a white middle class dysfunctional family that suffers from natural and supernatural stresses in an isolated Rocky mountain hotel. .The father, a former teacher turned writer, is portrayed as a habitual drinker, wife- and child-abuser, with a kind of evil streak The mother is shown as a battered woman. The film suggests that due to the abuse at the hands of his father and the passivity of his mother, the child of this family developed psychological problems. He had imaginary friends and began to see frightening images.
At the end of the story, Jack realizes that blending in with society is not ideal. He regrets the past decade that was full of loss and regret when it could've been full of trust and love. People may be tempted to make unwise decisions to blend in with society. But think about it: the world is like a crowded marketplace. If you don’t stand out, you are invisible. Unique qualities define your identity. Without them, you are not yourself. At least on Qingming, the mother’s poor spirit can rest easy, knowing her son is with her in heart, but that can never make up for the years of hurt and betrayal directed at
Jack chose the path of the survival of the fittest, as he makes the weak suffer. The further the story develops, the further Jack causes the weak to suffer. As the end of the story Jack intentionally attempts to take Ralph’s life, a man he previously