The Shining

In addition to being the setting, the Overlook Hotel acts as a character in this novel. How do the hotel’s effects on the characters reflect the following themes: The Responsibilities of Parenthood, Mental Health and the Line Between Reality and Fiction, and The Consequences of Addiction?

Consider the following in your response:

• Danny’s visions
• Jack’s relationship with alcohol
• Jack’s ability to regulate his emotional and mental state
• Wendy’s perception of reality in the Overlook
• The different areas of the Overlook, including its many rooms, the boilers, the grounds, the topiary maze, etc.

Teaching Suggestion: Consider having students answer by following the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) model. Asking them to begin their analysis with a specific claim that addresses the discussion prompt will help them focus on the objective and clarify their objective. Insisting on textual evidence will lead to more in-depth analysis and reasoning. Consider beginning the discussion with a sample claim: “The Overlook Hotel causes Wendy to question her own mental health.”

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

ACTIVITY 1: “The Overlook Postcard”

In this activity, students will create a postcard for the Overlook Hotel and include a message from the point of view of one of the novel’s characters that incorporates key narrative points and thematic elements from The Shining.