Archetypal Anxieties in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining

Abstract

The study intends to study the archetypal anxieties in Stanley Kubrick’s (1980) The Shining, which can be interpreted as Danny’s journey for the completion of his individualization process. In his individualization process, Danny has to go through the anxieties often seen in fairytales, such as separation anxieties, authoritarian anxieties, Oedipal rivalry anxieties, and sexual anxieties, in order to acquire his autonomy. The Overlook Hotel becomes symbolic of collective human evil, being charged with evil spirits. Only those who refused to identify themselves as victims would escape from the evil history of the hotel and would not be transformed into a homicidal maniac, pouring their anger to their families.

Keywords

• anxiety
• initiation
• individualization
• autonomy