The Shining

Stephen King's The Shining is my second King novel. Although I have long considered myself a fan of the film, Kubrick's brilliant adaptation which took many liberties with the source material, I now find the novel more enjoyable and, ultimately, more disturbing. Given the constraints of the film medium, the disturbing additional contextual and character background information in the novel add more layers to the complex events at the Overlook. Moreover, I think I prefer the book ending, particularly Hallorann's character succeeding in saving Danny and Wendy. In addition, the Overlook itself as a character is far more terrifying in the novel, with its moving topiary, deceased woman in Room 217, and inescapable weight of history. King's novel is better able to explore the gender dynamics of the American family unit of the 1970s, the dangers of obsession, racism and America's violent past of lynching, and cyclical violence or trauma from familial or social histories. Also, Wendy emerges as a fully-formed character who isn't so servile and obedient to Jack. Wendy appears to be trapped somewhere between trapped housewife and liberated woman, whereas the film's Wendy is servile and grins foolishly while enduring the abuse of Jack.