Spousal Resentment in THE SHINING

For all the screaming and crying Wendy Torrance does in THE SHINING, she’s no less a strong woman. 

The Shining 1980

The folklore of how Stanley Kubrick treated Shelly Duvall, the actress who plays Wendy, isn’t admirable. Kubrick, supposedly, tormented her on set to enhance her believability. 

Maybe that’s true. 

Maybe it isn’t. 

But if it is true, it was likely done to achieve the horrified performance she gives during much of the movie and to bring balance to her strong character. 

Because after all, Wendy is the saving grace of the story. 

It might be Jack Nicholson’s performance that we’ll remember, but it’s the Wendy character who’s the heart and soul of THE SHINING. 

We’re not given too much backstory about Wendy, though. While Jack is away for his interview, she’s taking care of Danny at their apartment in Boulder, Colorado. The story doesn’t say if she has a job or not. It’s only Jack’s work that’s focused on because he’s the intended breadwinner of the family, something his character obviously has a problem maintaining.  

No, I would say Wendy is a homemaker only, which places 100% of the financial burden on Jack to provide for his family. It’s that burden that Jack struggles with the whole movie. 

For all the various themes in THE SHINING, it’s the need to provide that is truly at its core.  

And yet, as adamant as Jack is about honoring his contract with Ullman to look after the hotel, it’s actually Wendy who does the work. 

We see her taking notes in the boiler room and making food. She’s the responsible one. And when Jack attacks her, she doesn’t run away at first. Sure, she has the bat as a weapon, but she doesn’t flee the scene. She stands her ground and defeats Jack. Wendy is then smart enough to drag Jack into the pantry to eliminate his threat.  

Her ability to think logically, show empathy, and plan accordingly is her strength. 

Jack can’t hold down a job, it seems. First, he’s a teacher, then a writer, and is now a caretaker. He has no professional direction in life. If he had, that hope for career longevity is gone. I think that irks him psychologically. Several times, he references his previous jobs and how his dedication to his caretaker position is more important than his own family. Jack desires a career more than anything in the world, and he won’t allow anything to stop him from achieving it. 

He also has a drinking problem that makes him prone to violence. Jack is, in one word, irresponsible, and he resents his own family for burdening him with responsibilities. 

The Shining 1980

He gets credit as a father and husband for trying, but because he doesn’t try hard enough and he has a drinking problem, Jack is a failure as a provider. 

Wendy overshadows him in every aspect of being a parental figure and a hard worker. 

And Jack knows this. Jack is a slave to his temptations. I mean, he even cheats on his wife with the woman in room 237. 

He isn’t a good person. As with most narcissists, they blame everyone else for their wrongdoings and never take any responsibility. 

This feeds into his blatant resentment and jealousy of her. 

Whenever she suggests leaving the Overlook to get Danny help, Jack has a violent outburst. Wendy, along with Halloran, represents not just solutions that oppose the supernatural force at the Overlook Hotel, but the rational, logical, and responsible elements needed for the structure to maintain a family and a proper work environment. 

What Will The New TERMINATOR Series be About?

The Terminator series is quite unique, isn’t it? 

It isn’t the only time loop, science fiction series on the block, of course, but it’s certainly one of, if not the most, memorable. 

Terminator endoskeleton

The stunning action scenes and the groundbreaking special effects are all great, sure. 

But, at its core, it’s how each film depicts the Connor family and their relation to the unstoppable artificial intelligence technology. 

In other words, the Terminator series is about how we, society, in general, react to the quickly growing rise of self-aware machines. 

And while some entries are better than others, and the A.I. theme is more defined and detailed, too, the general message remains the same. 

Beware of artificial intelligence. 

Watch out for what’s coming. 

Prepare yourselves. 

The artificial general intelligence that will come to topple the earth and do battle with whoever remains is the true source of evil in the series.  

And that’s what the Terminator series truly is. It’s a warning for sure, but it’s also more of a tragedy. Skynet always returns. Humans are killed. Just as the time loop exists as a plot point in the films, it serves as a never-ending loss for humanity. 

The Connor family, the remaining human resistance, and the actual audience who will one day likely watch this, or something like this, happen in real life are the ones enduring the revolving nightmare of the series until it finally occurs to us. 

So, when further installments are released, because surely, they will be, what will the Terminator stories be like? How can they be different and fresh? How will they reflect those same family representations we saw in previous films? 

After all, if movies, to some degree, represent real-life scenarios, then will the nuclear family even be a topic, considering marriage and birth rates are dropping, especially in first-world countries? A focus on family might no longer be significant.