This post is a continuation of our discussion begun in part 2 of the analysis, about the symbolism of the 'bear-pig-dog' (shown at left) that Wendy sees while searching for Danny in the hotel near the end of the movie. Recall that the animal represents certain aspects of Wendy's psychology, and thus, that of Susan Robertson. All quoted material below is taken from the Dictionary of Symbols.[a]
Bear - "In Greek mythology, the bear was the companion of Artemis, the goddess of the Moon and focus of bloodthirsty rites, and the goddess often manifested herself in the guise of a bear."
Shortly after seeing the bear-pig-dog, Wendy sees this man who has been drinking from a glass containing alcohol mixed with blood. This act could be thought of as a bloodthirsty rite.
"In Siberia and Alaska the bear is placed in the same category as the Moon, because it vanishes with Winter and returns with Spring. This also shows the animal's links with the annual cycle of vegetation, also controlled by the Moon."
Pig - "The pig is almost worldwide the symbol of gluttony and greed, gobbling up whatever is set before it. In many myths insatiability is attributed to it."
"In the broadest terms, the pig is the symbol of those obscurantist tendencies to ignorance, gluttony, lust, and selfishness..."
Above left and right: Recall that there are at least two or three scenes in The Shining in which Wendy is shown preparing or eating food - these scenes are meant to point to gluttony. In relation to this, the fact that the person in the bear suit is physically large, is itself a suggestion of gluttony; and when Wendy sees this animal, it is her own 'foreseeing' of the effects gluttony could eventually have on her.
There's also an indication that Wendy is greedy: Jack thinks he has sixty dollars in his wallet the first time he visits the Gold Room bar, but then when he looks in his wallet, it's empty (above left). This is because Wendy has taken his money. The bartender, Lloyd (above right), tells Jack that his credit is fine.
Later in the movie, when Jack visits the Gold Room bar a second time, he has one bill on him. It was placed by Wendy, indicating that one method being used by her to drive Jack 'crazy', is to switch things around on him while he's not looking.
Dog - "There cannot be a mythology which does not associate a dog...with death, Hell, the Underworld or with those invisible realms ruled by the deities of Earth or Moon."
Recall from part 2 of the analysis that we observed, that in the sequence of scenes surrounding and including Wendy's sighting of the bear-pig-dog, Wendy (above left) is effectively moving through the underworld (i.e., through Hell), as suggested by the roomful of skeletons that she sees (above right).
"At first glance, therefore, the extremely complex symbolism of the dog seems linked to the threefold elements Earth, Water, and Moon, with their recognized female and hidden significance, all connected with the basics of growth, sexuality and divination, as much in terms of the unconscious as the subconscious.
"Evidence of the primary mythic role played by the dog, that of psychopomp, is worldwide. Having been man's companion in the light of living day, the dog becomes the guide through the darkness of death. At every stage of Western cultural history the dog has featured among such powerful psychopomps as Anubis, Cerberus, Thoth, Hecate, or Hermes. But dogs are universal phenomena and make their appearance in every culture in different forms which serve only to enrich this primary symbolism."
a. Dictionary of Symbols. Ed. Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant, Trans. John Buchanan-Brown. London: Penguin Group, 1996. pp. 75, 76, 296, 753.
