The Shining Study Guide

The Shining is a supernatural thriller, centering on a five-year-old psychic, Danny Torrance, and his dysfunctional family. When the family moves into the Overlook hotel for the winter, the problems of Danny's family, problems including alcoholism, abuse, dependencies, and anger, allow the ghosts of the hotel to possess Danny's father, Jack. As Jack attempts to murder his wife and son to appease the hotel, it is the courage, friendship, and love of those around Danny that allow him to survive. While certainly a supernatural novel, The Shining is also a novel of personal suffering and the effects of dysfunction on the lives of others. (read more)