Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is among the most enigmatic and terrifying horror films ever produced. One of the more perplexing sequences, among many other unsettling symbols and oddities, features a man wearing a bear suit. In this scene, Shelley Duvall’s character Wendy Torrance discovers a startling situation: in the Overlook Hotel, a man disguised as a bear is inappropriately touching another man. In a movie that is already frightening, one particular scene sticks out as particularly strange.
Though various interpretations regarding the scene’s deeper meaning have been proposed over the years, at first glance it may seem arbitrary or irrelevant. Some speculate that this scenario might allude to a more sinister plot behind The Shining’s surface. However, what does this bear-man scene actually mean?
The Shining’s Bear Scene Might Be About Something Dark
Rob Ager, a film scholar, examined The Shining’s bear scene in great detail and presented his research to the public. Ager claims that Stanley Kubrick frequently included allusions to psychological or emotional issues in his works. Perhaps the bear guy from The Shining is just like that.
According to Ager, there may be a connection between the bear man and the unsettling notion of abuse in the Torrance household. In particular, he thinks it may have alluded to a problematic relationship between Danny Lloyd’s character, Danny Torrance, and Jack Nicholson’s character, Jack Torrance.
There are other instances in the film where Danny and bears interact. For instance, Danny is lying on top of some plush bears while he speaks with the psychiatrist. In addition, a bear-skin rug can be seen in the hotel foyer, and a picture of two bears is located above Danny’s bed. These bear-related objects make us ponder if Danny could be represented in any way by the bear suit in that startling sight.
The fact that Jack is seen reading a Playgirl magazine with an article about incest on the cover in an early scene is even more alarming. Combining all of these hints, Ager’s idea proposes that Danny and Jack may be represented by the man in the bear suit and the visitor, revealing a more sinister side to their connection.
What Really Happened in Room 237?
The mysterious events that take place in Room 237 of The Shining remain a big enigma. Upon witnessing a ball tumble into the room, Danny enters and then informs his mother Wendy that he was injured by a mad woman. A woman is in the bathtub when Jack returns later to the same room.
According to Ager’s opinion, Danny may have used Room 237 as a means of expressing his trauma. He believes the woman Danny brings up might stand in for his father and the mistreatment he endured. This concept is related to the ball that Jack was before seen at the hotel playing with.
Additionally, Ager thinks that Jack comes to terms with his conduct during his encounter in Room 237. Though Jack hadn’t realized how much he’d hurt Danny, he might be accepting his actions in this room. Wendy may have started to realize what has been happening to Danny when she saw the bear-man incident, judging by her shocked reaction.
The Shining Book: The Bear Was Originally a Dog
The man in the costume in Stephen King’s book The Shining isn’t dressed like a bear. Rather, he’s dressed like a dog. The book’s version of this individual has a distinct past. Roger, the man in the dog costume in the book, had a romantic relationship with Horace Derwent, the proprietor of the Overlook Hotel.
Roger was cruelly humiliated by Horace by making him act like a dog in front of the hotel guests while wearing the dog costume. A few of the horrific events that have occurred at the Overlook Hotel over the years are depicted in this point of the book.
The sequence in the novel is extremely unnerving even if it doesn’t have a direct connection to Danny and Jack, as in Ager’s film theory.
Why the Bear Man Wasn’t in Doctor Sleep
The Shining’s follow-up, Doctor Sleep, follows an older Danny Torrance. In 2019, Mike Flanagan’s film Doctor Sleep returns to the spirits of The Shining. But Flanagan decided not to include the sequence with the bear. Flanagan thinks that the bear man’s addition to Doctor Sleep would have detracted from the film’s overall plot. The bear man didn’t seem to be one of the ghosts that troubled Danny the most, so he decided to concentrate on those.
What Did The Shining Actor Say About the Bear Scene?
An actor from The Shining named Brian V. Towns talked about his experience filming the bear-man sequence in 2019. Towns clarified that he anticipated a small-scale, peculiar scene when he was hired. Stanley Kubrick himself cast him, but Towns wasn’t given much information about the scene’s significance. Towns, like a lot of other fans, couldn’t figure out why Kubrick switched the outfit from a dog to a bear.
Different Theories About the Bear Man in The Shining
Regarding the bear-man sequence in The Shining, numerous hypotheses have been put up throughout the years. Some speculate that it alludes to sinister family secrets, while others see it as merely another unsettling incident intended to highlight the peculiar and unsettling past of the Overlook Hotel. Some people even think that the bear man in the film is a metaphor for the forced subjugation of Native American tribes, and that this is a commentary on how Native Americans are treated.
Regardless of its actual significance, the bear-man scene continues to rank among the most iconic and perplexing sequences in the annals of horror cinema. We might never fully understand Kubrick’s intentions, but there’s no doubt that this enigmatic scene will captivate and unnerve viewers for years to come.
FAQs
Why is the bear-man scene in The Shining so mysterious?
The scene is strange and unsettling, leaving viewers with many questions about its deeper meaning, which is never fully explained.
What does the bear-man scene symbolize in The Shining?
Some theories suggest it may represent abuse within the Torrance family, while others see it as a reflection of the hotel’s dark history.
Was the bear-man scene in Stephen King’s book?
Yes, but in the book, the costume is a dog, not a bear, and the scene has a different context related to the hotel’s owner.
Why wasn’t the bear-man scene in Doctor Sleep?
Director Mike Flanagan felt including the bear man would distract from the main story in Doctor Sleep.
What does the bear symbolize in The Shining?
Some think the bear is connected to Danny, representing innocence or trauma, but the true meaning remains uncertain.
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