Evil Hides In The Most Beautiful Things: The Shining Book Review

         This past month, me and my friends formed a book club and read a fantastic book called "The Shining" by Stephen King. In this book, Danny Torrence, the main character who also happens to be five years old, is in a bind when his father gets a job of taking care of a desolate hotel in the Rocky Mountains for eight months. His ability to "shine" causes him to have visions of the hotel. Horrible ones. In his visions, he sees danger, and something called "REDRUM". When he goes to the hotel, he is in fact faced with incredible danger from the supernatural forces hidden in the hotels walls.
        The theme of "The Shining",  is that evil and suffering linger long after the destruction. Throughout the story, the Torrance family experiences the evil left behind from past people who have died in the hotel. The horrific visions leave Danny and Wendy traumatized, and Jack succumbs to the evil spirits in the hotel. Another theme in this story is that ugliness hides in the most beautiful things. This is shown when the "pretty" parts of the hotel turn against them. The beautiful hedge clipped animals in the courtyard hold sinister personalities that want nothing more than to make the hotel grow more powerful. The elegant ballroom contains the spirits of dead masquerade attendants who work together to overpower Jack and take his body.
         In conclusion, "The Shining" by Stephen King can teach readers about lessons in the real world, let alone the morals contained in the books. The author, in my interpretation of this book, is trying to create a different kind of world not known to many writers. In this world, the ending is not happy. In this world, the theme the characters bring out isn't a "do this to make life better" format, but rather a "life doesn't contain happy endings" format, which is closer to the real world. Life doesn't end with everything perfect. It may end happily, but it is virtually impossible for life to be 100% perfect, like most authors portray the endings of their books. This new (yet outdated) style of writing gives readers a dose of reality that may prepare them better for what's to come.