The Shining: Racism, Classism, and Familial Breakdown

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to the audience provoking them to examine their racial prejudices. In urging Jack to "correct" his family, Grady warns him that Danny is trying to bring an outside party to intervene, whom he identifies as a "nigger." There is overt racism in the speech, but it is tied to American society through Kubrick's choice of Mise-en-scène. The colors red, white, and blue factor predominantly into this scene and recur throughout the entirety of the film. The walls are vividly red. The bathroom fixtures and floor are bright white. And in the center of it all is Jack's all-American blue jeans. Incorporating these colors into such a racist scene implicates American society, through association, with racist ideals, which Kubrick implies is a factor contributing to a corrupt society.
American classism is also critiqued. Class trumps all, and the Overlook caters to the upper crust of society, which is seen as more important than the "other." Grady, while speaking to Jack, calls Hallorann "a ...

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