Not only is the site called the Overlook Hotel with its Overlook Maze, but one of the key scenes takes place at the July 4th Ball. The films' characters represent players in the history of America. By Daniella Urdinlaiz Updated October 24, 2018 Arrow. The boiler room is decorated with photos of naked women. So what's "Monarch?" The members of the Torrance family inhabit specific ideals of American society. Ahwahnee interior designs. Then, that volatile character is put in charge of running a big castle in the snowy mountains. Like America, the Overlook Hotel is new and shiny. Meanwhile, their innocent young family member is locked out of a forbidden room, and passes the time by playing with toys in the hallway, while a wide-eyed cheerful character with prominent teeth (Olaf/Wendy) tries to protect them. As highly receptive people, they attributed a large degree of symbolism to every day creatures, plants, and occurrences. Perhaps intentionally, Danny was also wearing a red, white and blue shirt in his scenes back in Boulder. If something shows up in his films, don’t dismiss it as an error; it is meant to be there. Theorist: Geoffrey Cocks, professor of history, Albion College, … Since it’s National Native American Heritage Month, we’re focusing on books coming out of the U.S. Is he a head chef or a chief's head? This sequence is accompanied by a chorus of wailing voices, the sound of millions suffering. We’re on our way through to the basement. That could be why Danny summons Dick Hallorann to the hotel, so that Jack can kill him. It’s Really About the Nazi Holocaust. The wise Natives used art and colors for aesthetic pleasure – there was no concept or even word for art in their languages. That date, too, has particular relevance to American Indians. The Colorado Lounge at the Ahwahnee does not feature sand paintings. While being shown through the Colorado Lounge Wendy asks Ullman “Are all these Indian designs authentic?” and he replies, “I believe most are based mainly on Navajo and Apache motifs.” Then in the Overlook grounds Ullman explains to the Torrance’s “The hotel is built on an old Indian burial ground and I believe they actually had to repel a few Indian attacks as they were building it.” Ullman also told Jack Torrance during his interview that the “construction began in 1907 and was finished in 1909.” Can this really be the case? What else might they signify? What follows are our favorite fan theories we've gathered up from internet forums, fan films like Room 237, and just putting the movie on repeat until we start coming up with our own kooky headcanons. What if the ghosts of the Overlook are "just like pictures in a book"? HIAWATHA m History, Indigenous American, Iroquois From the Iroquoian name Haio-went-ha meaning "he who combs". This idea of finding truth by turning backwards has led to some fans to try playing two projections of The Shining on the same screen at the same time, one playing forwards and one playing backwards. Even if all of this is intentional, and Kubrick was really trying to allude to the Apollo 11 mission throughout the film, it's not necessarily evidence that he helped fake the moon landing. “Though many non-Native Americans have learned very little about us, over time we have had to learn everything about them. Native Americans were very in tune with their natural surroundings. On the other hand, it's a total mess, full of hanging plot threads and incongruities. When Bill Blakemore… noticed cans of Calumet baking powder emblazoned with an Indian chief logo in “The Shining,” he knew immediately what Kubrick had in mind. So now let’s crack on with the analysis of Kubrick’s subliminally encoded genocide theme. 54 Native American Symbols With Deep, Poetic Meanings By Daniella Urdinlaiz Updated October 24, 2018. It might not have led to any deeper truths, but it has created some awesomely creepy imagery. The first thing to note is that if you explore my other videos and articles you’ll find that I have more negative things to say about my own country than any other. I covered this topic extensively in my previous analysis, in fact it was the main premise of the review, but due to the greatly extended length of this current analysis, the genocide theme will cease to be my central contention about the film’s meaning. In The Shining, Stuart Ullman mentions that the Overlook was built on an "Indian burial ground," suggesting that the ghosts that haunt the hotel are the vengeful spirits of murdered Native Americans. The various tribes revered and worshipped animals as deity and regarded them with great spiritual significance. In my previous analysis I put forth the contention that the manuscript was a metaphor of the written declaration of independence, but having discussed the issue at length with many correspondents, I’ve now dropped that interpretation. Rob Ager Some are surprisingly plausible, and they may change how you watch the film in the future. Jack’s apparent familiarity with the classically English party guests supports the notion of the family as trans-atlantic settlers. Arrows symbolize protection and defense. The reason she knew the apparition was there before facing it was that the scene was a repetition of when she was startled by Jack while reading the manuscript. However, there has been a conspiracy theory circulating since before The Shining came out that the Apollo 11 moon landing was faked, and that Stanley Kubrick was the one hired by the government to shoot it. Native Americans are a very spiritual group of people and have historically used symbols as a way of passing thoughts, guidance, and meaning down to future generations. By looking backwards, Danny avoids becoming a victim like the Grady children. The bear is one such symbol. The manuscript scene ends with Jack taking a whack on the head from a baseball bat, from which he bleeds. When Wendy discusses the time Jack injured Danny's arm, she's clearly afraid to discuss it directly. Though we don't know the extent of it, Jack has certainly been abusing him in some way. There's Tang in the Overlook pantry, a product popularized through it's association with the space program. In the documentary Kubrick’s Boxes, some of the research materials in his archives showed just how far he was willing to go in seeking out real world symbols in support of his subliminal narratives. Though initially released to middling reviews, few movies have stood the test of time quite like The Shining. Jack absolutely disapproves of any attempt by Wendy, his symbolic Native American wife, at reading anything he has written. Thanks). She sees his bloody corpse lying on a native art section of floor tiles and the camera also pans across an elevator entrance that is identical to the one from which we see the river of native blood. Halloran talks of a hidden history to Danny in the kitchen, “I think a lot of things happened in this particular hotel (country) over the years and not all of ‘em was good.” Guilt and denial are essential psychological devices in The Shining. A memory he would much prefer to deny, as some people still do even to this day. Creation stories often include fire and flame as generative and destructive forces. “DOES IT MATTER TO YOU AT ALL THAT THE OWNERS HAVE PLACED THEIR COMPLETE CONFIDENCE AND TRUST IN ME AND THAT I HAVE SIGNED A LETTER OF AGREEMENT … A CONTRACT !? Just like the Minotaur has a labyrinth, the Overlook has a hedge maze. However, during Jack's interview, Ullman claims that there's no skiing in the area. Remember that unlike Wendy and Danny, Jack is never seen outside the Overlook or the road that leads up to it. Native American Sun Symbols. Some Navajo sand paintings feature a set of twin figures symbolising Father sky and Mother Earth, which may also be related to the twin concept in The Shining." I’m well-aware that England has a long history of imperialism, slavery and genocide that goes way further back in history than that of the US. Maybe Jack died long ago, and the Overlook is Hell, where he must continually repeat the last winter of his life forever. When Jack enters the forbidden room 237, he has a sexual encounter that quickly turns very dark. In fact, maybe they're the subject of a government-run science experiment. In the end, both movies end with a character getting frozen. The photos contained in the following link were sent to me by a former employee of the Ahwahnee in response to my first video analysis of The Shining. Large US and Colorado flags hang above Jack’s writing space in The Shining, but are not featured in the Colorado Lounge at the Ahwahnee. As a side-note, Kubrick gave readers of the book an unpleasant surprise with his use of the Halloran character. He holds his hand up to his injured head to soothe the pain, which could also be symbolic of his tormented guilt relating to America’s repressed history of Native genocide, which some researchers have claimed to be as horrific as the holocaust (1) (2). “ Sliced Peaches ” are also seen on boxes in the Native Americans images of each.... S throwing of a government-run science experiment 's no skiing in the room! Heard asking Danny to “ come and play ” with them before we see their blood soaked corpses oneself over. Well, there are numerous parallels between the film ’ s choking, as. 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