Analysis of The Shinning

Discuss About The Intersemiotic Expression Horror In Multimodal.

The purpose of this paper is to provide description about the two given texts. The paper analyses the important significance of the animal in the two texts that are ‘The Shinning’ and ‘The Hound of Baskervillles’. The hound in both the cases plays a significant role in influencing the theme of the play. Further, the paper analyses and compares the significant role of the animal from both the texts and the impact of their presence in the whole event.

Talking about the text The Shinning, the animals in the case are topiary animals that were formed in the garden of the Overlook Hotel. The hotel had seven hedge animals that were depicting various aspects in the story of the novel. These animals were rabbit, a German Shepard dog, a cow (buffalo), and a trio of bigger ones that looked like frolicking lions. It is expected that these animals guard the hotel. These animals provides a different aura to the whole case, also it brings the feeling of something harmful and dangerous in the Overlook Hotel. The topiary animals are the initial thing in the hotel that is person see that makes a fictional horror image of the hotel in the eyes of the reader. Also, it should be noted that jack was employed as the caretaker of the hotel because of the topiary only (Breznican, 56–57). The animals provides a special effect to the whole scenario as once in the chapter of the novel it was explained that the animals shifts from their respective places and the dog comes near the topiary of lion. With this scene it was explained that the animals have come in the attacking position. The motion of the animals depicted that thrilling action is coming in the next scenes and it also explained the sense of danger for Danny and the whole family. It cannot be said that animals have a major role in the whole story but they a significant role in shifting the emotions of the reader from one scene to another and creating fictional horror in the scenes as well. The animals in the text represented threat, scary and terrifying image in the minds of the reader (Vovk, 51-55).

So, it should be noted that the objects that are personified as animals in the given case provides realistic approach to the whole scenario. As the writer King provided different changes in the animals due to which the animals helped in providing the best aura which the scene should get. Further, it should be noted that it is very important for the fictional horror texts to create an imaginable atmospheric view of the whole event otherwise the scene will not impress the readers (Shmoop). These little details like the maze, animals etc. play an important role in helping the reader to move in the right direction while reading the texts. So, it should be noted that these aspects plays a significant role in helping the reader to attain the same feelings and emotions that the writer wants them to get while reading the novel (King, 47-447). So, the animals depicts something suspicious and dangerous in the hotel that gives the sense of horror to the reader from the very beginning, apart from that various instances that shows that the animals are protecting the Overlook hotel and trying to hurt Jake and his family, especially the kid. Disappearance of some of the animals from the event also signified tension in the event and notification of some challenge with them. In the latter part these animals also attacked Hallorann as he came to save the family; so it should be noted that the animals depicted the real feeling of petrification and danger with their presence with the whole event. Further, it should be noted that there was no such actual person that was seen in the play who acted as the ghost; instead the dad of Danny performed activities that harmed the whole family. So, in order to make the whole scenario horror even after not having any ghost in the scene makes it difficult for the writer to depict their feelings. At this time, the objects like topiary play a major in influencing the minds of the readers. The animals in the scenario helps the writer in creating a horror fiction, it also helped in creating an atmosphere of aura; with the help of such incidents, the readers also get to feel the same type of allusion and visualize the same (Bianculli). Thus, it should be noted that these animals plays a significant role in helping the reader to stick to the main idea of the text.

Analysis of The Hound of Baskervilles

Further, relation it to another text that is ‘The Hound of Baskervilles’ written by Doyle plays a significant role in explaining the role of an animal in the whole text. Contrasting with the above mentioned text, it should be noted that this text is completely based on the activities performed by the hound in order to terrify the people living in Devonshire. The text hound of Baskervilles is entirely based on a secret hound that murdered Sir Charles Baskerville who was the head of the Baskerville estate. In this text, it was assumed by the people that Charles Baskerville has died due to the age old curse that the family had. Sir Hugo Baskerville was the ancestor of Sir Charles who was involved in some non-reputable crime with a girl. Since then the family was attracted with the curse of being a pray of a terrifying hound that leashes their body and make them face death (Shmoop).

fy;”>So, it should be noted unlike the other play, this text is completely based on the story of a suspicious animal, than how the family is cursed with the hound and how the hound kills every successor of the Baskerville family. Under this scenario, the hound animal gains the center of attraction as all the people trying to solve the mystery are trying to find the hound that killed Sir Charles Baskerville. Further, there is presence of real animal in the story but the animal is just a dog that has been abandoned by Mr. Stapleton to given action to his cruel intentions. The detective fiction in this case is formed with the help of hound only. The hound in this story symbolizes terror and fear of death which makes Sir Henry (successor of Sir Charles Baskerville) frighten as well. The writer successfully depicts the actual feelings of horror in this play with the help of the representation of the hound in the story. Opposing the above mentioned texts, it should be noted that there was no instinct of supernatural activity in the play or at no point the writer gave the expressive of any ghost in the play. So, after not having any ghost or supernatural activity in the play, it becomes difficult for the writer to send the reader into that zonal under which the reader attain the feeling of threat within them. Thus, at that point of time, the animal plays the biggest role in creating danger and feeling of suspicion in the minds of the reader (Doyle).

Mr. Stapleton converted a normal dog into an aggressive, blood thirsty hound by rubbing phosphorous on its body. He did not gave food to the dog to eat due to which it because ferocious and blood thirsty and used to attack people every time when set free. But in real, there was no such hound but a normal dog that was trained in such a way so that it can attack and kills the Baskerville family. In the given text The hound of Baskerville, as discussed above that the imagery of the animal plays the most significant role in creating suspicion and secrecy of activities in the whole them. The animal also distracted Watson and Holmes from the path of clarifying the mystery of the hound. The presence of scene increased the interest of the readers in the fiction as well. Thus, it should be noted that animals serves an important function in advancing the plot and providing a great atmosphere, symbolism and intertextual allusions to the readers through the text (Doyle). The story of Sir Charles Baskerville’s death revolves around the presence of hound. The writer gave instincts about the presence of hound in different scenes like, at the place where Sir Charles died had footsteps of an animal, or when the shoes of Sir Henry got lost. Resulting to which, it should be noted that the animal has an important role to play in the text due to which the whole mystery was framed by Stapleton and solved by Holmes.

Thus, with the attainment of information from the above mentioned stanzas, it should be noted that the presence of animals in both the texts in helped the writer to deeply involve the reader in the whole theme. However, the animals had comparatively less significance in The Shinning as compared to The Hound of Baskerville but they had strongly depicted their role in the theme.

References

Bianculli. “’The Shining,’ by the Book.” Daily News 1997. Web. 22 June 2018 < https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/shining-book-article-1.759715>

Breznican, Anthony. “Stephen King on His Shining Sequel”. Entertainment Weekly, 2013: 56–57.

Doyle. “The Hound of Baskerville.” George Newnes Ltd., 1902: 28-223.

Doyle. “The Hound of Baskervilles” SparkNotes 2018. Web. 22 June 2018 < https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/hound/summary/>

King. “The Shining.” DoubleDate (1977): 47-447.

Shmoop. “The Hound of Baskerville Summary.” Shmoop 2018. Web. 22 June 2018 < https://www.shmoop.com/hound-of-the-baskervilles/summary.html>

Shmoop. “The Shining Summary.” Shmoop, 2018. Web. 22 June 2018 < https://www.shmoop.com/shining-stephen-king/summary.html>

Vovk, Olena. “Intersemiotic expression of horror in multimodal discourse system.” ScienceRise 8, 2017: 51-55.