Isolation Quotes in The Shining

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

"I don't intend to bring any alcohol up here, and I don't think there will be any opportunity to get any before the snow flies." (1.66)

Jack thinks that by isolating himself from alcohol, he won't be able to drink. Sound logic, right? Well, not at the Overlook, who can make martinis and cocktail nuts, among other things, out of thin air.

Quote #2

Danny's answering shriek, then Wendy's shocked gasp as she came around them and saw the peculiar angle of Danny's forearm; no arm was meant to hang quite that way in the world of normal families. (3.8)

The breaking of Danny's arm is a factor in the family's isolation. It lingers in the near past, making it so that neither Jack nor Wendy can feel good about themselves. They feel cut off from the people in the world who don't hurt their children. The incident does not, though, isolate Danny from Jack, at least as far as Danny's concerned. He loves his father no matter what.

Quote #3

[…] when snow fell, getting out of here would not be a matter of an hour's drive to Sidewinder but a major operation" (10.29)

Wendy, like Jack, is actually aware of just how isolated the Overlook is. But their options, or what they imagine as their options, make even extreme isolation look good.