A 1977 novel by horror master , is famous for its eerie setting, the Overlook Hotel, an isolated old resort in the American Rockies. Jack Torrance, a writer and recovering alcoholic with a volatile temper, is hoping for peace and a fresh start with his wife, Wendy, and their young son when he accepts a job as the hotel's winter caretaker. But the Overlook has other plans. Danny Torrance, nicknamed "Doc" by his parents, starts displaying "the shining," psychic flashes revealing the hotel's sinister past inhabited by figures like the ghostly bartender Lloyd and the caretaker Delbert Grady. As the winter progresses, the Overlook's haunting influence escalates. Danny's visions, guided by his imaginary friend Tony, include chilling premonitions called "REDRUM." Jack gradually loses touch with reality as he terrorizes his family, showing how people can become monstrous under pressure. The terms of their stay, as outlined by manager Stuart Ullman, have become a trap.
Director Stanley Kubrick adapted The Shining into a blockbuster 1980 movie, which remains a cult classic for Jack Nicholson's performance of the unhinged Jack Torrance. The novel dives deeper into the toll of addiction and isolation. Wendy's desperate attempts to protect Danny from his father, and the intervention of the kindly chef Dick Hallorann, underscore King's exploration of the power of family bonds and dysfunction, the fragility of mental health, fear, and survival. Here are some of the best quotes from The Shining highlighting its key themes.
The best quotes from The Shining on mental health and human nature
"Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters."
"Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win."
"How many times, over how many years, had he—a grown man—asked for the mercy of another chance? He was suddenly so sick of himself, so revolted, that he could have groaned aloud."
"Human Nature Baby, grab it and growl."
"The sleep of reason breeds monsters."
"Are you sure self-pity is a luxury you can afford, Jack?"
"He was the vulnerable one, the one who could be bent and twisted until something snapped."
"Tough old world, baby. If you're not bolted together tightly, you're gonna shake, rattle, and roll before you turn thirty."
"What Jack didn't understand was that no matter where he went, the same a**hole got off the plane."
"He had stopped drinking, but the need to be free had been just as great..."
"I never touched him. I never have since the night I broke his arm."
