Shining have left a lasting impression on everyone who has ever seen it.
The movie is the story of the Torrance family and their trip to an isolated hotel that is home to some sort of evil entity that seeks to destroy them. And while the family matriarch, Wendy Torrance, seems like the weakest and most fragile character in the entire story, she is actually the real hero of the film.
Because She Doesn't Trust Jack From The Start
Although there were no obvious indications that Jack Torrance was going to become a literal homicidal maniac at the beginning of the movie, one signal that Wendy has an innate sense of when something is right or wrong is that she starts the movie off with an obvious distrust of Jack.
Although she tries to excuse Jack's violence to others, she herself seems to know that there is something inherently dangerous about her husband.
Because She's A Good Parent
One could make the argument that just by virtue of the fact that Wendy stayed with Jack after he hurt Danny, she's a bad parent, but within the context of the story and setting that's clearly not true.
In the era in which she lives it would be pretty unusual to leave your husband, and it's not surprising that someone as fragile as Wendy would have even more trouble bailing. But she does everything she feels she can to care for and protect Danny.
Because She Wants To Save Jack
Obviously the revelation that Jack has gone off the deepest of deep ends is a terrifying discovery, and the sinister goings on of the hotel are even more frightening.
But regardless of the fact that even the toughest people would be scared out of their minds, Wendy actually does try to reason with Jack and help him. She's alone and he's dangerous, but her first instinct is to try to fix whatever is wrong with him.
Because She's Willing To Leave Jack
Although Wendy does do her best to help Jack when she first realizes that there's a problem, once she understands that this is an issue that she can't fix, she is willing to leave him behind in order to help herself or help Danny.
The fact that Wendy stuck with him for so long did not inspire much confidence, but her willingness to leave once he goes full villain proves that she has a hero within.
Because She'd Do Anything To Save Danny
The Wendy Torrance that everyone sees in the Stanley Kubrick adaptation of The Shining seems so impossibly fragile and weak that it almost seems like a soft wind could turn her into dust. But the one thing that seems to give her strength is her love for Danny.
Both Jack and Danny are being affected by this demonic hotel, and while she would willingly leave Jack behind to save Danny, she wouldn't ever leave Danny behind, not even to save herself.
Because She Learns To Fight Back Against Abuse
There is a lot of strong subtext about familial dynamics and the cycles of abuse within the horror story that is The Shining.
So while watching Wendy come into her own and protect herself and her son against her now-villainous husband and a bunch of malevolent spirits is great, the underlying story of Wendy getting away from Jack's emotional manipulation and abuse is a very heroic experience all on it's own.
Because She Faces Reality
One of the more curious aspects of the movie is that, while Jack and Danny both seem to be enormously influenced and affected by the supernatural forces at play in the Overlook Hotel, Wendy is mostly left alone by these ghosts and poltergeists.
But one of her most heroic acts is to simply recognize what was happening, even if it defied all logic and common sense. Wendy didn't hesitate to believe the unbelievable, because lives depended on it.
Because She's Terrified But Fights Anyway
Shelley Duvall's performance in The Shining is legendary (as is the torment she had to endure at the hands of Stanley Kubrick in order to get it). She seems to be terrorized and terrified from the moment the movie starts, and that fear devolves into near-manic horror as the movie progresses.
So, the fact that Wendy even pulled it together long enough to get anything done is almost a miracle in itself.
Because She Survives
At the beginning of the film, it doesn't seem like Wendy is a survivor. Honestly, she seems more like the first character who would die in a horror movie, not a final girl.
So the fact that Wendy manages to evade Jack's assaults, escape the monstrous entities that are controlling the hotel, and escape the deadly snowy prison her family is trapped in is pretty astounding.
Because She Saves Danny
Obviously Danny means more to Wendy than anything else in the world. But from the moment the film begins, it's clear that Danny is in danger, first from Jack, and then from the hotel. And both Jack and the hotel desperately want Danny.
So the fact that this woman who appears to be an emotionally distraught weakling managed to not only save herself, but save her innocent son, makes her the clear hero of the film.
