Women, Role Failure, and the Nuclear Family in Stephen King’s The Shining
While Stephen King’s The Shining (1997) features a hotel haunted by ghosts, the main female character Wendy Torrance is much more haunted by her fear of failing to fulfill her gender role within the structure of the traditional, white, American nuclear family. In this paper, I analyze how the fear...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Alberta Library
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Spectrum |
| Online Access: | https://spectrumjournal.ca/index.php/spectrum/article/view/197 |
| _version_ | 1797689320880996352 |
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| author | Kyra McKauffley |
| author_facet | Kyra McKauffley |
| author_sort | Kyra McKauffley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
While Stephen King’s The Shining (1997) features a hotel haunted by ghosts, the main female character Wendy Torrance is much more haunted by her fear of failing to fulfill her gender role within the structure of the traditional, white, American nuclear family. In this paper, I analyze how the fear of being an unsuccessful wife and mother illustrates structural problems within the nuclear family that are detrimental to women. Not only do they produce persistent insecurity and anxiety, but they also reinforce the delegation of power to a sole patriarchal authority figure. The Shining reveals how these issues become especially problematic in situations of abuse. However, it also presents an opportunity for women to escape from both abuse and the fear of role failure: completely abandoning the structure of the nuclear family. Thus, The Shining illuminates inherent flaws within the nuclear family’s roles and suggests that women cannot find autonomy, freedom, or happiness within its confines.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T01:44:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0b756322056940fb8262426c48b58ab2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2561-7842 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T01:44:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | University of Alberta Library |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Spectrum |
| spelling | doaj.art-0b756322056940fb8262426c48b58ab22023-09-09T16:35:04ZengUniversity of Alberta LibrarySpectrum2561-78422023-09-011110.29173/spectrum197Women, Role Failure, and the Nuclear Family in Stephen King’s The ShiningKyra McKauffley0Rice University While Stephen King’s The Shining (1997) features a hotel haunted by ghosts, the main female character Wendy Torrance is much more haunted by her fear of failing to fulfill her gender role within the structure of the traditional, white, American nuclear family. In this paper, I analyze how the fear of being an unsuccessful wife and mother illustrates structural problems within the nuclear family that are detrimental to women. Not only do they produce persistent insecurity and anxiety, but they also reinforce the delegation of power to a sole patriarchal authority figure. The Shining reveals how these issues become especially problematic in situations of abuse. However, it also presents an opportunity for women to escape from both abuse and the fear of role failure: completely abandoning the structure of the nuclear family. Thus, The Shining illuminates inherent flaws within the nuclear family’s roles and suggests that women cannot find autonomy, freedom, or happiness within its confines. https://spectrumjournal.ca/index.php/spectrum/article/view/197 |
| spellingShingle | Kyra McKauffley Women, Role Failure, and the Nuclear Family in Stephen King’s The Shining Spectrum |
| title | Women, Role Failure, and the Nuclear Family in Stephen King’s The Shining |
| title_full | Women, Role Failure, and the Nuclear Family in Stephen King’s The Shining |
| title_fullStr | Women, Role Failure, and the Nuclear Family in Stephen King’s The Shining |
| title_full_unstemmed | Women, Role Failure, and the Nuclear Family in Stephen King’s The Shining |
| title_short | Women, Role Failure, and the Nuclear Family in Stephen King’s The Shining |
| title_sort | women role failure and the nuclear family in stephen king s the shining |
| url | https://spectrumjournal.ca/index.php/spectrum/article/view/197 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kyramckauffley womenrolefailureandthenuclearfamilyinstephenkingstheshining |