A theme that’s so banal it can be easy to miss, Lying within The Shining is a powerful mechanism. It perpetuates the effect of disorientation with the characters and the viewer so that they never really know what’s going on.
Lying is a part of American History, Domestic Abuse, The Maze, Cabin Fever & Ghost Story Narratives & Devices
Separate from (but still connected to) Kubrick’s Unreliable Narrator aspect, Lying relates to the characters lying directly to each other— be it for protection, a desire not to see/experience, or simply getting their own way.
Instances:
Danny and Wendy, Tony’s for Wendy’s benefit (See: Danny can’t trust his parents)
Jack lies to Ullman about Wendy’s temperament and interests.
Wendy and the Dr- Both that Tony is Danny’s imaginary friend and during The Incident of Jack’s drinking/work/Danny’s dislocated shoulder.
Halloran lies to Wendy when confronted with how he knew Danny’s name was Doc
Danny lies to Halloran when asked if Tony shows him things.
It can be assumed that Jack has lied to Wendy about the length of his sobriety (See: Time)
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