Kubrick as Unreliable Narrator
This as a larger study could be classified as “The Maze” as it effects many aspects within the film.
Jack’s point of view cannot be trusted
Which is related to, but still separate from, Lying (link to theme). This is Kubrick creating character attributes, disconnects within time, disconnections in the location and proximity within the hotel, and incongruencies within the story itself.
Lying to Secure the Job
Jack reassures Ullman that the hotel’s history will fascinate Wendy. He presents her as someone who will welcome the situation, making his family seem suited to the job. Wendy’s own account in No.24, that she initially found the hotel scary, undercuts the reassuring version Jack supplies in No.5. No.5 sets up the lie; No.24 supplies the payoff. Without Wendy’s later statement, Jack’s reassurance could pass as a throwaway line. Together, the scenes show him misrepresenting her to secure the job.
In this image · No.5