The Donner Party is a piece of American History that involves settlers getting snowbound and resorting to cannibalism.
It’s not the only instance of cannibalism within American History (or European History), but it’s the one most known within the American school system.
Referenced in No.9 as a way to suggest what could be causing the doom-laden tension of the Torrance’s going to The Overlook.
Jack’s justification of the actions, that the Donner Party “had to” resort to cannibalism in order to stay alive foreshadows his justification to kill his family to stay at the hotel (aka to keep his ego alive).
In this image · No.9
The association of food and the location makes Wendy think of the Donner Party.
Red herring: The Donner Party. Wendy brings it up due to Danny’s hunger.
The false fatalism of mentioning food and then immediately bringing up The Donner Party creates the red flag connection that running out of food will be a similar issue.
Inappropriate Content from Television
Danny knows what cannibalism is but not what The Donner Party is.
Inappropriate Content from Television: No.40.
Cultural Relativism: Native Americans / Africans were “savages” for their practices, but Europeans/Americans were justified in their choices, be it for the sake of survival, or for pleasure when the wealthy ate slaves and mummies.
No.14’s dialogue; No.37 and No.37.
Children’s cartoons had content that showed indigenous peoples as savages, engaging in cannibalism. In America, you mainly associated cannibalism with the Donner Party. To show Danny knowing what cannibalism is but not what The Donner Party is connects to the “violence in cartoons” signified by the Tom & Jerry, Roadrunner & Coyote narrative theme music and the Bugs Bunny signifiers.
Violence in cartoons; American Culture; Play vs. Harm.
Inappropriate Content from Television: No.40.
Cultural Relativism: Native Americans / Africans were “savages” for their practices, but Europeans/Americans were justified in their choices, be it for the sake of survival, or for pleasure when the wealthy ate slaves and mummies.
Cultural Relativism
Direct reflection of No.53 and what “survival” is for Jack.
Perhaps this line/justification mirrors Jack’s distorted mind’s justification of harming his own family in order for his own success / survival. While The Donner Party is the well known example of Americans practicing cannibalism out of survival, it also relates to the European practice of eating corpses and mummies for medicine. “In order to stay alive”.
It is interesting when you think of things this way, it pairs with No.11, “All the best people” in front of the Chief painting. Reiterating the Cultural Relativism of Native Americans and African Americans as “savages”, therefore justifying white people’s treatment of and behavior toward them. No.47, “White Man’s Burden”.