Brilliant theory puts a mind-bending twist on Torrances and Jack’s book

Stanley Kubrick’s opinion The Shining paved the way for different interpretations, including one that puts a trippy twist on the Torrance family, the hotel, and the book Jack (Jack Nicholson) was working on. In 1980, Kubrick brought Stephen King’s 1977 novel The Shining to life, although with many changes that did not please King. Yet, The Shining is now considered one of the best horror films of all time, and its many ambiguities, inconsistencies, mysteries, and more have paved the way for countless theories about what is really happening to the characters.

The Shining follows Jack Torrance, a writer who takes a job as winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. Jack brings his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) with him, but they are trapped in the hotel after a blizzard. Once there, the hotel’s supernatural forces begin to mess with Jack’s mind, while at the same time bringing out Danny’s “shine”. The end of The Shining and other details have paved the way for a variety of theories, and one gives the film a trippy twist through Jack’s book.

Brilliant theory suggests most of the events take place in Jack’s novel

The brilliant theory is about a story within a story

Jack is a writer who struggles with writer’s block, so he sees his new job at the hotel as an opportunity to overcome his block and write a new book. All over The Shining, Jack is shown in front of his typewriter, doing his best to work on his new bookbut without much luck. Some of the The Shining’Jack’s key moments have Jack and his typewriter front and center, such as a scene where the background changes between cuts and the scene where Wendy takes a look at what Jack is writing, only to find countless repetitions of “all work and no play makes Jack a boring boy”.

Jack and his book are the subject of a Reddit theory that suggests most events in The Shining actually happens in Jack’s novel. The author explains that Jack found the inspiration he needed at the Overlook Hotel after hearing Ullman’s stories about the hotel’s disturbing past. This explains the inconsistencies in Grady’s characters (Charles and Delbert), with the real story being that of Charles and Delbert being a creation of Jack’s for his book.

The theory also explains the hotel’s confusing and nonsensical architectureas Jack had no clear idea of ​​the structure of the hotel. The disappearance and movement of the aforementioned objects in certain scenes can also be explained through this theory, as they are inconsistencies in the book and in Jack’s imagination. A key scene that supports this theory is the one in which Wendy visits Jack while he works, the same scene in which the objects behind him continue to move.

Jack has no paper in the typewriter when Wendy arrives and tears off some of it, but when Wendy turns to leave, Jack is calm and there is paper in the typewriter. Jack attacking Wendy then happens in Jack’s book, and him being calm again and writing again is the real Jack. Briefly, the Jack seen in front of his typewriter is the real onewhile the Jack who goes crazy, attacks his family and ends up freezing to death in the maze is the Jack of the novel.

Brilliant theory points to the Overlook hotel not being haunted

The Overlook Hotel is suddenly very boring

If most (and the best) scenes in The Shining happened in Jack’s book, this would mean that the Overlook Hotel was not haunted. The Overlook Hotel had definitely seen several tragedies before the Torrances arrived, and the Grady family tragedy was real as told by Ullman, but the other Grady, along with the ghostly bartender, the partygoers, the woman in room 237, and the The Grady twins’ ghosts weren’t real. By the logic of the theory, Danny definitely had a “glow,” so it’s possible Jack also used that as inspiration for his novel..

This would mean that there were no evil forces at the Overlook Hotel, Danny’s “shine” had nothing to do with the strange happenings around him and his family, and the hotel had no evil influence on Jack other than inspiring his new book. Happily, this would also mean that Jack never tried to kill his familybut it also takes away everything that made the Overlook Hotel so mysterious and horrible.

How This Brilliant Theory Changes Kubrick’s Film (For Better and Worse)

The brilliant theory has some strengths and weaknesses

That The Shining the theory both benefits and harms Kubrick’s film. The Shining being a two-tier film with a story within a story makes it much more complex It’s interesting, and invites more rewatches to understand which scenes actually happened and which were written by Jack. The theory could also suggest a hopeful ending for Jack, as he could have finally resolved his traumas and problems through his book, improving his life from then on.

On the other hand, and as explained above, this makes the Overlook Hotel a normal hotel with a dark history, but without supernatural occurrences. It takes away the essence The Shiningand makes the differences with King’s novel even greater and more controversial. Ultimately, whether this The Shining Whether the theory is true or not will depend on each viewer’s interpretation and experience.