The Curious Case of Anne Jackson’s Doctor in The Shining
Adventures in the film, The Shining.
The Curious Case of Anne Jackson’s Doctor in The Shining
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is like a filmic version of one of those Magic Eye posters: the more you stare at it, the more strange and unsettling details reveal themselves. From the impossible layout of the Overlook Hotel to the mysterious typewriter that changes colors, the film is packed with symbolic layers that reward obsessive overanalysis. And few characters are as ripe for dissection as the unnamed doctor played by Anne Jackson.
At first glance, the doctor seems like an ordinary (if slightly useless) character—a no-nonsense professional brought in to explain away Danny Torrance’s catatonic episode. But Kubrick doesn’t do ordinary, and the more you look at this scene, the more you realize the doctor isn’t just a doctor. She’s a walking, talking symbol, dripping in gold, tied to power and wealth, and embodying themes that echo throughout the Overlook Hotel itself.
Gold, Gold Everywhere
Let’s start with the obvious: the doctor’s aesthetic. She’s wearing a gold necklace, which immediately ties her to wealth and power. In The Shining, gold is a recurring motif, most notably in the Gold Room, the hotel’s opulent ballroom where Jack Torrance has his eerie encounter with Lloyd the bartender. The Gold Room isn’t just a symbol of wealth—it’s a symbol of decadence, corruption, and the hotel’s seductive, sinister allure.
The doctor, with her gold necklace and jacket that appears to shimmer golden in the late afternoon light, seems to draw on the same symbolic power. When she sits with Wendy Torrance to discuss Danny’s condition, the golden curtains behind her amplify this connection. The sunlight filters halfway through them, creating an ethereal glow that makes the doctor appear almost regal, as though she’s a queen holding court.
But what’s fascinating here is the tension between this visual opulence and the reality of the situation. The doctor may look powerful, but her explanation for Danny’s catatonic state is woefully inadequate. She talks about “auto-hypnosis” and stress, but her golden aesthetic and clinical demeanor feel hollow—much like the Overlook Hotel itself, which presents an image of grandeur while concealing something far darker beneath the surface.
Red, Brown, and Gold: The Colors of Ambiguity
The doctor’s color palette is another clue to her symbolic role. Red, brown, and gold dominate her look, creating a visual connection to key themes and characters in the film.
Gold ties her to the Overlook’s allure of wealth and decadence, as we’ve already discussed.
Red is the color of danger, blood, and violence—literally dripping from the hotel’s elevators and omnipresent in Jack Torrance’s descent into madness. The doctor’s red hair (clearly dyed) adds a layer of artificiality, reinforcing the idea that she, like the Overlook, is a facade.
Brown suggests a connection to earth and stability, but in this case, it’s muted, almost faded. While Wendy’s journey through the film transforms her into a figure of raw, earthy femininity, the doctor’s muted brown tones hint at a lack of genuine connection to these qualities.
Together, these colors make the doctor an ambiguous figure—simultaneously tied to power and disconnected from it, embodying wealth and authority while remaining curiously hollow.
Straddling Masculinity and Femininity
Then there’s her posture. Oh, Kiddo, her posture. The doctor doesn’t cross her legs. She sits with her legs apart, her body language projecting a kind of masculine authority. Contrast this with Wendy, who sits with her legs crossed, embodying a more traditionally feminine posture. Both women wear long skirts that conceal their legs, but their differing stances reveal their contrasting roles in the narrative.
The doctor’s open-legged posture aligns her with the masculine forces in the film, particularly Jack. She represents rationality, authority, and the detached, clinical mindset that dismisses Danny’s supernatural experiences as mere psychological episodes. But unlike Jack, whose toxic masculinity explodes into violence, the doctor’s masculinity is contained, subdued. She doesn’t threaten—she dismisses.
Wendy, on the other hand, is initially passive and submissive, her crossed legs symbolizing her constrained role as a wife and mother. But as the film progresses, Wendy uncrosses more than just her legs—she uncrosses her entire self, rising to the occasion and becoming a fierce protector for Danny. The doctor, meanwhile, remains static, a figure of authority that ultimately offers no real help.
The Doctor as a Mirror of the Overlook
Here’s where it all comes together, Kiddo. The doctor isn’t just a character—she’s a mirror of the Overlook Hotel itself. Both are adorned in gold, exuding wealth, power, and authority. Both appear polished and regal on the surface. But beneath that surface lies emptiness.
Just as the Overlook uses its grandeur to lure people into its web, the doctor uses her professional demeanor and golden aesthetic to present herself as an expert. But neither the doctor nor the hotel can deliver on what they promise. The Overlook doesn’t provide sanctuary; it’s a trap. The doctor doesn’t provide answers; she’s a distraction.
And like the Overlook, the doctor straddles the line between opposites—masculine and feminine, power and impotence, authority and artifice. Her very presence in the film serves as a reminder that appearances can be deceiving, and that the forces of wealth and power are often hollow at their core.
Gold as a False Promise
Ultimately, the doctor’s symbolic ties to gold highlight one of the central themes of The Shining: the corrupting, hollowing power of wealth and privilege. Jack Torrance is seduced by the Overlook’s promises of success and power, but those promises are empty, leading him to madness and violence. Similarly, the doctor’s golden aesthetic suggests authority and wisdom, but her explanations are shallow, unable to grapple with the deeper truths of Danny’s experiences.
Her brief scene in the film may seem minor, but it’s a masterstroke of Kubrickian symbolism. The doctor is a microcosm of the Overlook Hotel, a reminder that beneath the gilded surface lies something far more unsettling.
Take My Hand Into Darkness
So, Kiddo, the next time you watch The Shining, pay attention to Anne Jackson’s doctor. Look at the gold necklace, the golden curtains, the late afternoon sunlight bathing her in an ethereal glow. Notice how her posture, her colors, and her demeanor all tie her to the film’s larger themes of wealth, power, and deception. And remember: in Kubrick’s world, nothing is as it seems. Gold isn’t just gold—it’s a false promise, a glimmering facade hiding darkness beneath.
And if anyone ever tells you to sit in front of golden curtains while they explain away your problems with pseudo-clinical detachment, maybe don’t take their advice. Because as The Shining teaches us, the surface is never the whole story.