Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Jack's resistance to the Overlook's influence
Hey everyone, I'd like to talk about Jack's character, and as he descends into the madness that is the killer we see later in the story, the amount of resistance to the hotel that the sliver of Jack's real character shows. Do you think that there is a portion of Jack that wants to keep Danny safe? When Jack attends the ballroom party, his narration shows some dislike of the Hotel's authority when he talks to Lloyd about "the manager" (around page 365 in my book). I noticed a parallel; Jack's resilience when talking to Ullman about accepting the task of becoming caretaker, and that when he talks to Lloyd about accepting the task of murdering his family. This may hint towards a significant portion of his psyche strongly objecting the turning against his family. Another strong suggestion is when Grady is explaining the importance of "correcting" Danny and Wendy, and Jack yells out "I said I'll handle him", in a manner King described as sudden and enraged. This can mean that Jack, deep down, rejects the Overlook's demands, but instead of being forthright must indirectly object by becoming frustrated with complying to Grady. What do you think?
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I don't necessarily believe that Jack wants to hurt his family. The hotel obviously has an influence over it's caretakers. Jack genuinely cares about Danny and his Mother, I know this because everytime Wendy tried to bring up divorce, Jack avoided it. Wendy often reflects on Danny and Jacks relationship, and how she feels left out of the loop. They share a bond she will never be able to acquire herself or understand. It should also be noted that the only time Jack harmed his family, was when he was under the influence. As stated above, the hotel influences its caretaker to do weird things. In both cases, Jack was not acting upon his own judgement. So yes, I do believe that Jack wants to keep Danny safe, but it's hard to do that when you're not in the correct mind state.
ReplyDeleteI think so. It may be my affinity toward jack's character that makes me not want to see him in a murderous way. Still, i think that there is a part of him that recognizes the task he is obliged to follow through with. He knows that he is about to murder his family, and he doesn't want to, subconsciously. At one point, he points toward his possible internal desire for self destruction, and ho it may be affecting his post at the overlook. Maybe he did actually have some intuition of his murder, and tried to get fired by calling Ullman. In the end, however, He'll keep the job, so I'm worried.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Jack, no matter how insane he is, does love his wife and child, especially Danny because Danny is his own flesh and blood. I think because Jack is so stubborn and hotheaded, it is easy for the Overlook to use that to its advantage. Jack must always be in control and the Overlook is able to plant the seed to ensure that its demands are met.
ReplyDeleteI also belive that Jack's "inner" character is still sane. I believe that without the Overlook present, Jack is just a father and a husband struggling with a recent alcoholic experience along side of truly finding himself and what he is set out to do/be. I absolutely think there is a part of Jack that is trying to keep not only Danny safe, but every part of him and his life previous to the the encounters at the overlook. Based on the character jack is becoming (psycho) he does indeed follow the directions given by the overlook, but i feel that jack is still in control of what is his, his family. He very much wants to be in the power position when it comes to wendy and danny. I also notice that jack has an incredibly possesive trait. this is seen whenever he interacts with danny or his wife. like every good maniac, there original personality is still present somewhere inside.
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