Studyguide

The Shining
Stephen King
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Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters,
Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further
Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
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Table of Contents
Plot Summary................................................................................................................1
Chapter 1, Job Interview..............................................................................................3
Chapter 2, Boulder........................................................................................................5
Chapter 3, Watson........................................................................................................7
Chapter 4, Shadowland................................................................................................9
Chapter 5, Phonebooth...............................................................................................12
Chapter 6, Night Thoughts.........................................................................................14
Chapter 7, In Another Bedroom................................................................................16
Chapter 8, A View of the Overlook...........................................................................17
Chapter 9, Checking It Out........................................................................................18
Chapter 10, Hallorann................................................................................................19
Chapter 11, The Shining.............................................................................................21
Chapter 12, The Grand Tour.....................................................................................24
Chapter 13, The Front Porch.....................................................................................26
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Table of Contents
Chapter 14, Up on the Roof........................................................................................27
Chapter 15, Down in the Front Yard........................................................................29
Chapter 16, Danny......................................................................................................30
Chapter 17, The Doctor's Office................................................................................33
Chapter 18, The Scrapbook.......................................................................................35
Chapter 19, Outside 217.............................................................................................37
Chapter 20, Talking to Mr. Ullman...........................................................................38
Chapter 21, Night Thoughts.......................................................................................40
Chapter 22, In the Truck............................................................................................42
Chapter 23, In the Playground..................................................................................43
Chapter 24, Snow........................................................................................................45
Chapter 25, Inside 217................................................................................................46
Chapter 26, Dreamland..............................................................................................47
Chapter 27, Catatonic.................................................................................................49
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Table of Contents
Chapter 28, It Was Her!.............................................................................................51
Chapter 29, Kitchen Talk...........................................................................................53
Chapter 30, 217 Revisited...........................................................................................55
Chapter 31, The Verdict.............................................................................................56
Chapter 32, The Bedroom..........................................................................................57
Chapter 33, The Snowmobile.....................................................................................59
Chapter 34, The Hedges.............................................................................................60
Chapter 35, The Lobby...............................................................................................61
Chapter 36, The Elevator...........................................................................................62
Chapter 37, The Ballroom..........................................................................................64
Chapter 38, Florida.....................................................................................................66
Chapter 39, On the Stairs...........................................................................................68
Chapter 40, In the Basement......................................................................................69
Chapter 41, Daylight...................................................................................................70
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Table of Contents
Chapter 42, Midair.....................................................................................................71
Chapter 43, Drinks on the House..............................................................................72
Chapter 44, Conversations at the Party....................................................................73
Chapter 45, Stapleton Airport, Denver.....................................................................75
Chapter 46, Wendy.....................................................................................................76
Chapter 47, Danny......................................................................................................77
Chapter 48, Jack.........................................................................................................78
Chapter 49, Hallorann, Going up the Country........................................................79
Chapter 50, Redrum...................................................................................................81
Chapter 51, Hallorann Arrives..................................................................................82
Chapter 52, Wendy and Jack.....................................................................................83
Chapter 53, Hallorann Laid Low..............................................................................84
Chapter 54, Tony.........................................................................................................85
Chapter 55, That Which Was Forgotten..................................................................86
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Table of Contents
Chapter 56, The Explosion.........................................................................................88
Chapter 57, Exit..........................................................................................................89
Chapter 58, Epilogue/Summer...................................................................................91
Characters....................................................................................................................92
Jack Torrance......................................................................................................92
Wendy Torrance.................................................................................................92
Danny Torrance..................................................................................................93
Tony....................................................................................................................93
Dick Hallorann....................................................................................................94
The Overlook Hotel............................................................................................94
Al Shockley........................................................................................................95
Stewart Ullman...................................................................................................95
Horace Derwent..................................................................................................95
Delbert Grady.....................................................................................................96
Mrs. Massey........................................................................................................96
Objects/Places..............................................................................................................97
The Overlook Hotel............................................................................................97
Stovington Prep School......................................................................................97
Room 217............................................................................................................97
The Topiary........................................................................................................98
The Shining.........................................................................................................98
The Presidential Suite.........................................................................................98
The Scrapbook....................................................................................................98
The Boiler...........................................................................................................99
The Playground...................................................................................................99
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Table of Contents
Objects/Places
The Colorado Lounge.........................................................................................99
The Fire Extinguisher.......................................................................................100
The Elevator......................................................................................................100
Social Concerns.........................................................................................................101
Techniques.................................................................................................................102
Themes.......................................................................................................................103
Significant Topics......................................................................................................104
Alcoholism........................................................................................................104
Denial of Reality / Responsibility.....................................................................105
Mental Illness....................................................................................................106
Psychic Abilities / "Shining"............................................................................107
Cycle of Violence.............................................................................................108
Style............................................................................................................................109
Points of View..................................................................................................109
Setting...............................................................................................................109
Language and Meaning.....................................................................................110
Structure............................................................................................................111
Quotes.........................................................................................................................113
Adaptations................................................................................................................116
vi
Table of Contents
Key Questions............................................................................................................117
Topics for Discussion................................................................................................119
Literary Precedents...................................................................................................121
Related Titles.............................................................................................................122
Copyright Information.............................................................................................123
vii
Plot Summary
The Shining is a supernatural thriller, centering on a five-year-old psychic, Danny
Torrance, and his dysfunctional family. When the family moves into the Overlook
hotel for the winter, the problems of Danny's family, problems including alcoholism,
abuse, dependencies, and anger, allow the ghosts of the hotel to possess Danny's
father, Jack. As Jack attempts to murder his wife and son to appease the hotel, it is the
courage, friendship, and love of those around Danny that allow him to survive. While
certainly a supernatural novel, The Shining is also a novel of personal suffering and
the effects of dysfunction on the lives of others.
Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their son Danny are moving to the Overlook hotel
near Sidewinder, Colorado for the winter, where Jack will become the hotel's new
winter caretaker. Jack, a recovering alcoholic, is working on a play, and plans to use
the winter months with his family to repent for his past mistakes, which include verbal
and physical abuse. Fired from a previous teaching position for his uncontrolled
temper, Jack continuously fights the urge to drink, and tries to contain the violent
temper he learned from his father. Wendy, a passive woman who is highly dependent
on her husband, continuously blames Jack for their marital problems, and
second-guesses his every move. Danny, their five-year-old psychic son, feels their
constant anger and sadness, and often retreats to a Shadowland with his invisible
friend, Tony, who shows him visions of the future. While Jack and Wendy originally
believe the move will be the opportunity they are looking for, Danny begins to have
visions of the Overlook hotel; visions that are surrounded by murder and terror.
Chased by a monster that is all too familiar, Danny is certain that the Overlook Hotel
will bring the family to destruction. Unsure of how to tell his parents, and afraid they
will regress into their previous unhappy marriage, the psychic young boy remains
silent.
After meeting Hallorann, a psychic cook who works at the hotel, Danny knows for
certain that the hotel has a power of its own. However, it is when the hotel begins to
Plot Summary 1
take over Jack that the troubles truly begin for the family. As Jack learns more of the
seedy history of the Overlook, which includes murder, suicide, organized crime,
prostitution, and numerous other dark secrets, he becomes obsessed, allowing the hotel
to drive him insane. At the same time, the hotel itself comes to life, manipulating
hedge animals to attack Danny, and allowing long dead corpses to rise and attempt to
strangle the young boy. As Jack continues his spiral into insanity, the hotel furnishes
alcohol both to numb his emotions and to allow his actions to be dictated by the ghosts
of the previous hotel owners. Wendy and Danny begin to fear for their lives as the
man they once knew as a husband and father slowly becomes a part of the hotel,
changing from a loving man to a bitter, cruel, and terrifying monster.
Convinced by the spirit of the hotel that he must kill his family, Jack begins to plan
their murders, and eventually tries to kill them both. After strangling his wife and
attempting to kill her with a roque mallet, Jack hunts down his son to kill him in order
to allow the hotel to gain access to his psychic power. Hallorann, summoned by
Danny's psychic power, arrives at the hotel to save them. Together, he, Danny, and
Wendy escape. Jack, however, is now lost to the ghosts of the hotel, and perishes in an
explosion that destroys the legacy of the dark Overlook.
Plot Summary 2
Chapter 1, Job Interview
Chapter 1, Job Interview Summary
The Shining is a supernatural thriller, centering on a five-year-old psychic, Danny

Torrance, and his dysfunctional family. When the family moves into the Overlook
hotel for the winter, the problems of Danny's family, problems including alcoholism,
abuse, dependencies, and anger, allow the ghosts of the hotel to possess Danny's
father, Jack. As Jack attempts to murder his wife and son to appease the hotel, it is the
courage, friendship, and love of those around Danny that allow him to survive. While
certainly a supernatural novel, The Shining is also a novel of personal suffering and
the effects of dysfunction on the lives of others.
Jack Torrance is interviewing for the position of winter caretaker at the Overlook hotel
in Colorado. The interviewer is a neat, uptight, and pretentious man named Stuart
Ullman who is very proud of the hotel, and is concerned about Jack's ability to handle
the position. Noting his reluctance to hire Jack, Ullman admits that he is only hiring
him because of the influence of Albert Shockley, a member of the Board of Directors,
and a friend of the Torrance family. Jack stays quiet, thinking that he needs the job to
support his wife, Wendy, and his son, Daniel. As they talk, Ullman recounts a history
of the hotel, which includes guests such as Nixon, the Rockefellers, Harding, and
many other highly respected clients. He also casually notes the roque court outside.
Jack is surprised to learn that the Overlook has been in debt for many years, but that is
finally showing a profit.
According to Ullman, much of the reason for the previous losses is due depreciation
due to the harsh winters, and to the incompetence of previous caretakers. He tells Jack
the story of Delbert Grady, the first caretaker Ullman had hired. Grady, his wife, and
two young girls were staying at the Overlook during a harsh winter. Grady was an
alcoholic, and eventually went insane, killing his family, and then himself. Ullman
believes the cause to be a combination of drinking and cabin fever. Jack informs
Chapter 1, Job Interview 3

Ullman that while he, too, was an alcoholic, he has not drunk in fourteen months.
Ullman states that he knows of Jack's previous position as an English teacher at a
Vermont prep school, and knows he lost that position because he "lost his temper."
Jack assures Ullman that he is working on a play, planning to teach his son to read,
and that he and his family are capable of withstanding the cold winter months.
Ullman, clearly unconvinced, has no choice but to accept Jack's word, and turns him
over to Watson, the current caretaker, so that Watson can show him the basement and
the grounds.
Chapter 1, Job Interview Analysis
This chapter introduces the main character of the novel, Jack Torrance. Jack is an
out-of-work English instructor, fired from his last position for "losing his temper."
While the chapter does not divulge more information, readers are lead to believe that
Jack may have an anger management problem. Additionally, the reader is informed
that Jack is a recovering alcoholic who is looking for a position that will allow him to
write a play.
During the course of the chapter, the reader is forewarned of the tragedies of previous
Overlook caretakers. Similar to Jack, Grady was a seemingly calm man whose alcohol
abuse, combined with the solitude of a long winter, resulted in insanity and the deaths
of himself and his family. Readers can already see parallels between Jack and Grady,
in that both had alcohol problems, a family, and issues with anger. Further, although
subtle, Ullman's mention of the roque court foreshadows events in Chapter 4,
"Shadowland." This chapter introduces some of the main themes of the novel,
particularly those of alcohol abuse, the effects of solitude on one's sanity, and the
historic Overlook hotel.
Chapter 1, Job Interview 4

Chapter 2, Boulder
Chapter 2, Boulder Summary
Wendy Torrance is watching her son, Daniel, as he waits for his father to return from
the interview at the Overlook hotel. As she walks out of their apartment towards him,
Wendy reflects on the changes in their lives since they moved from Stovington,
Vermont. While they had lived in a small, pleasant brick home in Vermont; their
current living conditions are dirty and on occasion violent as the neighbors fight each
evening. She wonders of the effects of this on Danny, and feels grief over the
situation.
As she sits next to Danny on he curb, she sees his glider is splintering, and offers to fix
it. Danny replies that his father will take care of it. As they talk, Danny suddenly asks
why his father lost his teaching position. Startled, Wendy replies that his father was
coaching the debate team, and had to dismiss one of the student debaters, George
Hatfield. Hatfield, furious about being dismissed, slashed Jack's tires. Wendy notes to
her son that sometimes Jack does things he should not do without thinking. Danny
questions her, stating, "Did he hurt George Hatfield like the time I spilled all his
papers?" Wendy suddenly thinks of Danny with his arm in a cast, and blinks back a
flood of tears. She replies that yes, Jack had hit Hatfield, and was fired for the
incident. Danny, satisfied with the answer, goes back to watching the street and
Wendy goes into the house after warning him "not to play in the street, Doc," calling
him by his pet name. She then returns inside the apartment, makes a cup of tea, and
cries.
Chapter 2, Boulder Analysis
This chapter introduces the reader to the wife of Jack, Wendy Torrance, and to their
son, Danny. Danny is a small boy, with fair hair and a very serious air about him.
Wendy appears to be a concerned mother, worried about the effects of violence and
Chapter 2, Boulder 5
poverty on their son, and about his well-being in general. This chapter also tells the
tale hinted at in Chapter 1, "Job Interview," in which Jack was fired from teaching for
striking a student. Again, the reader is lead to believe that Jack has anger issues. As
Wendy is telling the story of the school incident, Danny refers to an act of violence by
his father towards him, and Wendy remembers Danny's arm in a cast. The reader now
knows that, some time in the past, Jack had abused or harmed Danny in some way.
This further leads to a sense of foreboding introduced in the first chapter. One is also
left with the impression that, although Jack has hurt Danny in the past, the boy
idolizes his father. He is waiting patiently for him on the curb, despite his mother's
statement that he may not be home for a while. Danny also refuses his mother's offer
to fix his glider, believing that his father will repair the glider. The reader is left with
the sense that while Danny and his mother are close, Danny and Jack have an even
closer relationship, despite the incident mentioned.
Chapter 2, Boulder 6
Chapter 3, Watson
Chapter 3, Watson Summary
The current caretaker, Watson, takes Jack on a tour of the basement of the Overlook.
Watson, a burly blonde haired man, wears a white shirt and green trousers. Watson is
a friendly man, although vulgar in speech, and seems to want to help Jack with his
preparations for the upcoming position. As they walk, Jack remembers the incident
with Danny and the office papers. He recalls going into his study, drunk, and finding
Danny standing over a nearly destroyed office, grinning. Danny has strewn Jack's
papers, including his manuscript, all over the floor, poured beer on many of the pages,
and has pulled out every drawer. In a rage, Jack bends Danny's hand and as Danny
screams, Jack spins him around to spank him, and hears a loud crunch as Danny's arm
breaks. Wendy, unaware of the situation, comes in to see Danny's arm angled oddly,
and realizes Jack has severely broken Danny's bone. As Wendy runs to call 911, he
stands alone in the office, wondering how this happened.
Startled back into the present time by Watson, Jack follows him into the boiler room,
which is filled with old newspapers and invoices. The air is humid, but Jack knows
that he is warm, not from the room, but from the memory of guilt and anguish, and he
desperately craves a drink. Meanwhile, Watson explains that Jack has to watch the
press on the boiler, because it tends to creep higher and higher. If Jack forgets to let
off the pressure, the boiler will explode. As they continue the tour, Watson tells Jack
of the true history of the hotel, with multiple deaths caused usually from heart attacks.
Watson tells the story of an older woman who committed suicide a year ago in the
hotel, following a fight with her much younger lover. One of the staff, a housekeeper,
claims to have seen a ghost of the woman in the bathroom where she died, but Watson
states he has never seen a ghost at the hotel. As Watson leads Jack outside to show
him the equipment shed, Jack reflects on Grady, and his tragedy. He thinks Grady
should not have been in the situation, and notes that he "should not have lost his
temper." Jack wishes again for a drink.
Chapter 3, Watson 7
Chapter 3, Watson Analysis
This chapter serves two primary purposes; those of introducing the reader to the true
inner workings of Jack Torrance, and the introduction of the hotel as a main plot
theme and character. The reader has seen, in previous chapters, glimpses of Jack's
anger and alcohol issues but his recounting of the incident with his son truly represents
the depth of Jack's problem. While in Chapter 2, "Boulder," Jack's anger was directed
toward someone harming his vehicle, one can see in Chapter 3, "Watson," that Jack's
anger is not only limited to others, but also extends to his family. By previously
introducing the gruesome recounting of the Grady family, the novel foreshadows the
problems to come between Jack and his family. Additionally, with Jack's consistent
want and need for alcohol, readers can begin to foresee possible drinking problems in
the long months of solitude at the Overlook.
In terms of introducing the hotel as a main plot theme, and essentially as a character,
this chapter does both. Through Watson's stories of the deaths of the elderly within the
hotel, and through his recounting of the staff seeing ghosts, one can only assume, at
the very least, that there is a certain haunted quality about the hotel. The old
newspapers and invoices in the basement only serve to enrich the "historic" and
somewhat menacing nature of the hotel, and the mention of the "creeping" boiler
foreshadows problems with this machinery later in the novel.
Chapter 3, Watson 8
Chapter 4, Shadowland
Chapter 4, Shadowland Summary
Danny finally goes in for cookies and milk while waiting for his father, but soon
returns to his position on the curb, despite his mother's wishes. As he waits, he reflects
on how worried his parents are about the effects of the situation on him. He notes that
he understands much about his parents and that his parents dislike this or that they
simply refuse to believe his insight. As Danny sits, he mentally reaches out to his
mother, and finds her near tears with worry over Jack. Some of the concerns, such as
self-image and the future financial security of the family, are beyond Danny's
understanding. However, Wendy's two main concerns, Danny finds, are that the car
has broken down and that Jack may be off doing "the Bad Thing." Danny knows the
"Bad Thing" is alcohol. However, Danny also knows that his father is not currently
drinking, nor is his car broken down, but instead is nearby. Danny summons his
power, and attempts to discover what his father is thinking at that very moment.
Danny thinks to himself that when he attempts to channel his energy so tightly, the
world often disappears for him. He recalls an incident after the broken arm when he
and his parents were sitting at the table, and Danny could sense "Divorce" thoughts.
He concentrated on tightening the understanding of those thoughts and awoke on the
floor with his parents highly concerned. He tried to explain that this was normal for
him, but his parents forced him to promise not to do it again. Danny notes that Tony,
whom his parents call his invisible playmate, often comes during these moments of
high concentration. Tony, in Danny's trance-like state, then shows him things such as
images of the future or the location of lost objects. Recently, Tony had come to Danny
to show him the location of a lost trunk in the cellar, which was always locked. When
Jack began looking for the trunk and Danny knew the location, his parents asked how
he knew. When Danny replied, "Tony showed me," the couple simply ignored their
fears and concerns. Danny senses that they know the truth, but refuse to believe it.
Chapter 4, Shadowland 9
This time, as Danny concentrates on his father's mind, he sees his father thinking
about shingles, and knows he has been hired for the hotel position. Tony suddenly
appears to Danny, and begins to warn him of "too much snow to get out." Danny is
frightened, since Tony's voice is filled with sadness. In his mental image, Danny then
sees a shape coming toward him, and sees the roof of the Overlook hotel. He then sees
himself in a room with the word REDRUM and images of a struggle. A familiar voice
is outside the door, booming with anger, threatening him. An image of a woman in a
bathtub with blood running down her hands appears, and Danny begs Tony to stop the
vision. Again transported in his vision, Danny then sees himself crouched in a hallway
of blue carpet as the shape comes closer, swinging a mallet from side to side, and
threatening him. Danny can sense nothing but doom and death. He is hurled back to
reality with a final warning from Tony to "be careful doc."
As he comes out of the trance, soaked in sweat, he sees his father's vehicle coming
around the corner. Danny races to the car only to stop in terror as he sees a mallet
covered in blood and hair in the passenger seat. An instant later, the mallet is simply a
bag of groceries. As Danny and his father walk toward the apartment, Danny is happy
to see his mother come out to kiss Jack, and notes their love. Yet Danny is also
frightened of the vision Tony has shown him of the death and despair that lay ahead.
Chapter 4, Shadowland Analysis
This chapter introduces readers to the main theme of the novel, that of the telepathic
and psychic abilities of Danny Torrance. Danny can read the thoughts and emotions of
those around him, and although his parents are aware, on some level, of his gift, they
refuse to believe in it. Danny often misunderstands the emotional component of his
telepathy, since adult feelings are much more sophisticated than his are. However,
Danny knows his parents think of divorce, and that his father has contemplated
suicide. This time, Tony, the portion of Danny responsible for the visions, shows
Danny a terrifying future where something is trying to kill him with a "mallet."
Readers have been introduced to the roque court of the Overlook hotel in Chapter 1,
"Job Interview," and as Danny notes the familiarity of the voice in the vision, readers
are lead to assume the shape Danny sees in his vision is his father. The vision also
brings to Danny the image of the dead woman in the bathtub, introduced in Chapter 3,
"Watson." When combined with the knowledge of the fate of Grady, the previous
caretaker, Jack's constant desire for alcohol, and his anger issues, readers are left with
the sense that the move to the Overlook hotel will bring destruction to the Torrance
family. Additionally, this chapter introduces the word REDRUM, which is used
consistently throughout the book, but not deciphered until Chapter 37, "Ballroom."
Although Danny notes his parents' love for one another at the close of the chapter and
that Tony sometimes shows him events that do not take place, readers share in
Danny's sense of dread about the future.
Chapter 5, Phonebooth
Chapter 5, Phonebooth Summary
Jack Torrance and his son Danny stop at a drug store in town to allow Jack some
privacy during a telephone conversation to Al Shockley, whom he wishes to thank for
the job opportunity. As he waits for Shockley to answer, Jack thinks back on the last
year of his life. Six months ago, Jack realizes, he was teaching at a prep school with
money left over to start a savings account and thinking of buying a house in the
country. Now he and Wendy are poor and nearly destitute. Following his forced
resignation at the prep school due to him striking a student, Jack recalls fearing he
would take his anger out on Wendy and Danny. He had left the house, wanting a drink
but knowing such a move would cause Wendy to leave him. Jack's mind turns to
Shockley, and the drinking addiction he shares with Shockley. Jack remembers
endless nights coming home at 4 a.m. after he and Shockley had been on a bender. He
would sleep for an hour or two, then teach his class at the school, still intoxicated.
While Jack had not believed he was an alcoholic, he knew that his life was beginning
to deteriorate as the staff began to question his drinking, and after he had broken
Danny's arm.
Jack recalls the events that led to his decision to stop drinking. He and Shockley had
been drunk and driving along Highway 31, with Shockley behind the wheel. As they
came around a corner at seventy miles an hour, they saw a bike in the middle of the
road. Jack recalls feeling a thump under the tires. Stopping, the men had searched the
area for over two hours for a body, presuming they had struck a child. Not finding
anyone, Shockley assumed the thump was from the detached wheel of the bicycle in
the road. After changing the tires of the car, the men headed back to Shockley's home,
where Shockley informed Jack that he plans to quit alcohol. Jack had returned home,
constantly seeing the image of the bicycle flying over the car. He saw Danny in his
crib, and hated himself for breaking Danny's arm and nearly ruining his entire
marriage. He went to his bedroom and took down a Spanish Llama .38 gun from the
Chapter 5, Phonebooth 12
closet, and contemplated suicide for nearly an hour before calling in ill to work. As
Wendy made him breakfast, she began a conversation about what would be best for
her and Danny. Jack, knowing she was thinking of divorce, asked her to wait a week
to have the conversation, and Wendy reluctantly agreed. She told Jack that Danny had
a dream of Jack in an accident the night before, and Jack denied the incident. For the
next several weeks, Wendy watched as Jack successfully struggled through the shakes
of alcohol addiction as he stopped drinking. Shortly thereafter, Jack had lost his
temper while sober, and hit George Hatfield for slashing his tires, ending his teaching
career.
Shockley answering the telephone shakes Jack from his memories. The two speak
pleasantly as Jack thanks him for the position at the Overlook. After hanging up, Jack
gets into the car, where Danny begins to tell him of his dream the day Jack got the job.
However, Danny can sense his father is thinking of alcohol, and decides not to tell him
the dream. Jack looks at his son, troubled, but is soon distracted by thoughts of his
play.
Chapter 5, Phonebooth Analysis
As foreshadowed in previous chapters, the reader finally understands why Jack

Torrance stopped drinking alcohol. Jack's decision to stop drinking follows the car
accident, in which he and Shockley spend hours believing they had hit a child.
Although he desperately and constantly yearns for alcohol, the reader begins to
understand why Jack has been able to keep his resolution. Fear of his actions and an
overwhelming sense of guilt over his nearly failed marriage have allowed Jack to stay
sober. However, readers also begin, in this chapter, to see a very angry and troubled
side of Jack, as he recalls leaving his home to avoid striking his family. Additionally,
readers are informed that Jack was sober during the incident in which he struck a
student, which shows that Jack's anger problems are not controlled by his decision to
stop drinking. This knowledge foreshadows problems in the upcoming chapters.
Chapter 5, Phonebooth 13
Chapter 6, Night Thoughts
Chapter 6, Night Thoughts Summary
Wendy is lying in bed following intercourse with her husband, Jack. She recalls their
life together, beginning with Jack helping her escape her mother's verbal and mental
abuse. Shortly thereafter, Jack and Wendy married, and Danny was born. In the
beginning, Wendy recalls Jack's drinking as being under control, consisting primarily
of Saturday night debates with colleagues at home following a few drinks. As time
wore on, however, the drinking increased. When four of Jack's stories were accepted
for publication in Esquire magazine, Jack and his colleagues left for the bars and left
Wendy at home. When Jack returned at 4 a.m., stumbling drunk, he awoke Danny and,
as he tried to sooth the baby, he dropped him. Wendy, furious, chastised Jack and the
two argued. The argument ended with Wendy, for the first time in their marriage,
sleeping alone on the couch. Wendy recalls the continued downward spiral of their
marriage and of Jack's life in general, which dropped to its lowest point following the
breaking of Danny's arm. When Wendy had prepared to ask Jack for a divorce, Jack
asked her to wait a week, and she agreed. Although difficult to admit, she realized
Jack had quit drinking. Wendy was unaware of what caused the decision; but, in
retrospect, was relieved due to her immense love for both Jack and Danny.
Nearing sleep, Wendy's thoughts turn to her son, who was born with a caul over his
face. Wendy loves her son, but finds herself "in awe of her child - awe in the strict
meaning of that word: a kind of undefined superstitious dread." Wendy had kept the
caul, although she did not believe in the superstitions of a caul indicating the ability
for second sight, or psychic abilities. However, she felt Danny had known she was
thinking of divorce, and was responsible for the change in her decision, through his
unspoken words and glances. While Wendy does not openly admit to knowing her
son's abilities, she is able to acknowledge his psychic abilities as she falls asleep, and
feels as though she, Jack, and Danny are forever melded together.
Chapter 6, Night Thoughts 14

Chapter 6, Night Thoughts Analysis
During this chapter, readers are informed of the events leading up to Jack's alcohol
addiction, and of the effects that addiction has had on his family. Wendy does not
appear to associate Jack's anger with anything other than his alcohol abuse, and thus
does not appear to see the darkness that lay hidden from everyone but Danny. While
Wendy seems to not know of her son's ability, readers are led to believe that, deep
down, Wendy does in fact accept her son's telepathy and psychic capabilities, and
knows his seemingly innocent looks, questions, and observations should be noted.
Additionally, this chapter serves to thoroughly develop Wendy's character. Having

been verbally abused by her mother, Wendy sees Jack as a key person in her ability to
separate from her mother and regain her relationship with her father. Furthermore,
Wendy sees Jack as a wonderful father and as the only person capable of
counterbalancing her mother's efforts to make her feel inadequate. Thus, the reader
can begin to understand Wendy's decisions to stay with her husband despite his
obvious anger and alcohol issues. It is also clear throughout this chapter, as well as in
the novel up to this point, that Wendy is in denial of the true nature of her husband's
problems, and instead chooses to believe the alcohol addiction as the sole reason
behind his anger. Her denial leads Wendy into a sense of false security, which is later
developed within the plot.

Chapter 7, In Another Bedroom
Chapter 7, In Another Bedroom Summary
Danny awakens in a darkened room. He has had a dream of the shape coming toward
him with a mallet, threatening him in a drunken voice. Searching for Tony, Danny
rises to peer out the window, only to see a deserted street. As he stands watching, he
hears Tony warning him "not to go," but still does not see him. Giving up, Danny
returns to bed, and watches the shadows on his ceiling as they twist frighteningly into
a jungle scene of vines. He thinks of the word he saw in his previous vision:
REDRUM.
Chapter 7, In Another Bedroom Analysis
Although short, this chapter shows Danny's level of terror with the visions he has
about the Overlook. While the reader is unsure if this occurrence was a dream or
another vision, Danny is clearly distraught over its contents. Unable to locate Tony, a
portion of him that is able to see future events, Danny still hears Tony's warning.
Again, the word REDRUM, still an undefined terror at this point in the novel, appears
to Danny, as he lies fearful in the dark, furthering the already developed
foreshadowing of the terrors to come in later chapters.
Chapter 7, In Another Bedroom 16

Chapter 8, A View of the Overlook
Chapter 8, A View of the Overlook Summary
The Torrance family is making their way up the steep mountain slopes past the town
of Sidewinder toward the Overlook hotel to begin their winter employment. Jack
decides to pull over at the top of the pass to allow Wendy and Danny a scenic view.
Wendy is amazed at the beauty of the Overlook and the valley, and as Jack begins to
agree with her, he notices Danny. With no color in his face, and with his eyes blank,
Danny appears near fainting. Jack shakes him, and Danny's eyes focus. He says he is
fine, and that the sun must have gotten in his eyes. As they reenter the car and
continue the trip down into the valley, Danny thinks to himself that this is the place of
his vision, the place of the blizzard, the shape with the bloody mallet, and the place
where REDRUM, whatever it is, exists.
Chapter 8, A View of the Overlook Analysis
When Danny first sets eyes on the Overlook hotel, he is frightened to the point of near
fainting. Danny realizes now that the hotel is the place of his visions, where the shape
he knows as his father chases him and attempts to kill him. While he attempts to hide
his fear from his parents, it is clear that Danny feels a tremendous amount of dread
simply by looking at the building. Once again, readers see the word REDRUM in the
context of fear, death, and despair.
Chapter 8, A View of the Overlook 17

Chapter 9, Checking It Out
Chapter 9, Checking It Out Summary
Jack, Wendy, and Danny arrive at the Overlook and meet Ullman at the front doors,
but Ullman is soon pulled away to handle a difficult customer. The family moves to
the window to be less in the way of the closing activities. Danny thinks to himself that
he will not say anything about his feelings of dread to his parents unless he has to,
since they are so happy. Through the window, Danny sees the Roque court, and asks
his father about the game. Realizing this game uses the mallet in his visions, Danny
surprises his parents by saying he might not want to learn to play. The family also
notes the topiary, a hedge landscape of animals, and the playground. Danny feels
isolated and suffocated, but pretends to be impressed for his parents. Jack suddenly
remembers the warning of Watson about the boiler, and how the boiler will explode if
Jack forgets to let off the pressure. Danny suddenly grasps a complete thought from a
customer outside dealing with her desire to "get into the pants" of the bellhop. Danny
does not understand this concept, and would ask, but has noticed that questions such
as these often upset his parents. He snuggles between them on the couch instead, and
silently worries about the future.
Chapter 9, Checking It Out Analysis
This chapter again shows the depth of Danny's psychic abilities. Able to read his
parents, Mr. Ullman, the angry customer, and the mass of people in the hotel, Danny is
bombarded with small fragments of the emotions and thoughts of others. Wendy and
Jack seem blissfully happy in this chapter, and while Danny wishes he could share
their happiness, he is fully alert to the problems soon to come. Additionally, the reader
sees another reference to the boiler of the hotel and its potential to explode, which
gives the reader a sense of dread in relation to Jack's ability to remember to let off the
pressure. This subtle discussion foreshadows events at the end of the novel.
Chapter 9, Checking It Out 18

Chapter 10, Hallorann
Chapter 10, Hallorann Summary
Wendy is surprised at the hotel cook Hallorann's appearance. Expecting the typical
"dough-boy" chef, Wendy instead meets a large black man with a graying Afro,
dentures, and a soft southern accent. The entire family takes an instant liking to the
caring, tall man. As he meets Danny, he scoops him into his arms, and invites him to
Florida. Danny giggles shyly and declines. Hallorann then shows the family around
the vast kitchen, complete with every cooking appliance and utensil possible, as well
as large amounts of nearly all kinds of foods. As Hallorann shows the family the huge
freezer, he asks Danny if the boy likes lamb, calling him "doc" as his parents often do.
When asked how he knows the nickname, he simply replies that Danny looks like a
doc. As Danny giggles, he suddenly hears Hallorann's voice inside his head, asking if
he wants to go to Florida. Danny looks up, startled, and Hallorann winks. Later, as
Hallorann pretends to forget his own name, Danny calls out that his name is Mr.
Hallorann, or Dick to his friends. Danny's parents wonder silently if Hallorann had
ever mentioned his first name. After showing the family the rest of the kitchen, and
reminding Jack to place rattraps, Hallorann asks Danny if he would like to help with
carry his bags to the car. Danny agrees.
Chapter 10, Hallorann Analysis
This chapter introduces the reader to another main character of the novel, Dick
Hallorann, the hotel cook. Dick's knowledge of the vast kitchen and its contents is
impressive, but is somewhat intimidating to Wendy. The kitchen and the vast freezer
within become important places of events later in the novel, and thus, while the long
explanation seems almost too lengthy, it is necessary for the development of a later
plot line.
Chapter 10, Hallorann 19

As Danny and his family walk through the vast kitchen, Hallorann knows Danny's
nickname without being told, and sends Danny a telepathic message about Danny
joining Hallorann in Florida. Clearly, Hallorann is gifted with the same powers as
Danny, he not only can read thoughts, but he can also send thoughts to others.
Chapter 10, Hallorann 20

Chapter 11, The Shining
Chapter 11, The Shining Summary
Danny helps Hallorann with his bags, and struggles not to pant. Reaching the car,
Hallorann states, "You shine on, boy. Harder than anyone I ever met in my life." As
Danny questions the phrase, Hallorann explains that he and his grandmother use to
speak without ever opening their mouths, and that she called the gift "the shining." He
invites Danny into the car to talk. Hallorann explains that Danny is not the only person
he has ever met with the gift, but that he has only met fifty or sixty who appeared to
"shine" without knowing it. He states he has only met a dozen like Danny, who know
they can shine. Hallorann asks Danny to think at him, as hard as he can. As he does,
he suddenly holds back, afraid to hurt Hallorann with his power. He gathers his
concentration, and thinks "HI DICK," feeling as though he is Nolan Ryan throwing a
fastball. Hallorann winces and jerks backwards, his teeth biting through his lip. His
eyelids flutter uncontrollably, and he does not speak. Danny, frightened that he has
harmed Hallorann, offers to run for his father, but Hallorann reassures him that
everything is okay. Hallorann asks if Danny can read his parents, and Danny replies
that while he can, he tries not to, since doing so would be an invasion of privacy.
Hallorann then asks if Danny can do more than simply read thoughts and feelings,
admitting that he, himself, "dreams." Danny suddenly feels as though Hallorann is
asking him questions because he is afraid for him. Danny explains about Tony to
Hallorann, and admits to him that Tony has shown him very bad images of the
Overlook. Hallorann holds Danny as he weeps, afraid.
Hallorann admits to also having moments of precognition, such as seeing and sensing
the death of his brother. Hallorann explains that, like when Danny sees Tony right
before a precognition, Hallorann himself smells oranges. He warns Danny that he has
seen and felt "nasty" things while working at the hotel, and while he will not specify
what he saw, he mentions the hedge animals and something in Room 217. He asks
Danny to promise not to enter Room 217, and Danny agrees. Hallorann then explains
Chapter 11, The Shining 21

that although he can see visions on occasion, he does not believe those visions can
hurt anyone; they are similar to pictures in a book. Hallorann believes that the images
he sees in the hotel are simply visions of past events, and tells Danny that if he should
see something, he should just turn around, and the vision will vanish. Danny, soothed,
hugs Hallorann.
As Wendy calls out to Danny to come back inside, Hallorann tells him to give "a big
loud holler" like he did in the car if there is trouble over the winter, and states that he
will "come on the run." Danny thanks him and runs to the hotel. As he watches the
boy, Hallorann thinks to himself that his reassuring statements about the hotel not
hurting anyone might be incorrect. Hallorann knows he will not return to the hotel,
following the vision in Room 217 of a dead woman in a bathtub, and, glancing at the
hedge animals cautiously, he begins to drive away, hoping the boy will be all right.
Chapter 11, The Shining Analysis
This chapter is perhaps one of the most important foreshadowing chapters within the
novel. There are numerous references to events the reader has been introduced to in
prior chapters, and those events are soon to become vital to the storyline. First, readers
are shown the true power of Danny's ability when he thinks loudly towards Hallorann.
Although he stopped himself from doing so, Danny still nearly knocked the older man
unconscious simply by using the power of his thought. Later, this topic is brought up
again as Hallorann tells Danny to "yell" as hard as he can if he ends up in trouble, and
that he will come running. This information serves two purposes: to show the power
of Danny's ability, and to foreshadow events later in the novel.
Additionally, Hallorann mentions two topics that readers have been exposed to
previously: those of the circumstances surrounding the firing of the house cleaner who
had seen a ghost in Room 217, and the hedge animals. According to Watson in
"Watson," a housekeeper had seen the ghost of an old woman in a bathtub that had
died in the hotel. In "Shadowland," Tony shows Danny a vision of the Overlook with a
dead woman in a bathtub with blood running down her hand. Hallorann himself, at the

end of this chapter, admits to seeing an old woman in a bathtub. Additionally, in
"Checking It Out," the family notes the hedge animals, and there is a subtle
appearance of Danny being disturbed by the hedge animals. With Hallorann's thoughts
of the same hedges in this chapter, the reader can sense a future event surrounding
those animals.

Chapter 12, The Grand Tour
Chapter 12, The Grand Tour Summary
Wendy finds herself jealous of Danny's relationship with Jack, but tries to shake the
feeling as Ullman offers to take the Torrance family through a tour of the hotel. The
family and Ullman travel by an old, rickety elevator to the third floor, which opens to
show a deep blue rug entwined with images of a jungle, including vines and birds.
Danny, when asked for his opinion, states colorlessly that he likes the rug. Ullman
first shows the family the Presidential Suite; and, while his parents are in awe of the
view through the picture window, Danny sees nothing but a wall covered in dried
blood, with flecks of gray-white matter. Remembering what Hallorann said, Danny
turns away, and when he looks back, the vision is gone. However, as Ullman leads
them out, he glances again to find that the vision has returned, this time with fresh
blood. As Ullman shows them the rest of the third and second floors, Danny sees no
other visions, but is oddly frightened of a fire extinguisher he sees, and notes the room
number as they pass Room 217. As Ullman shows the family their quarters, everyone
is relieved at the hominess and comforting small space. Danny's room is designed with
a western motif, which Danny loves. A dumb-waiter runs from the kitchen to the
living room. As the family and Ullman return downstairs, they find Watson waiting
for them. He reminds Jack to check the boiler every day, since "it creeps." They watch
as Watson exits the hotel, and Danny suddenly feels very alone.
Chapter 12, The Grand Tour Analysis
In this chapter, as with others, the reader is once again given insight to future events,
insights that are linked with previous information gathered in prior chapters. Danny,
while appearing to look innocently at the rug, recollects that he has previously seen
the rug in his vision of a shape coming to kill him in "Shadowland." In addition,
following his dream in "In Another Bedroom," Danny compares the shadows on his
ceiling to "vines and creepers in a jungle," like patterns woven into carpet. Clearly, the
Chapter 12, The Grand Tour 24

reader knows that an event in the novel will occur within this hallway. Additionally,
although only briefly mentioned, the dumb-waiter will also become a point of possible
escape later in the novel. Watson's reminder again about the boiler also foreshadows
the events to come at the end of the novel. Furthermore, this chapter shows some of
the issues Danny will have to face throughout the rest of the novel. As Hallorann
mentioned, Danny can see images of either the future or past, and although they do not
seem to be able to harm him, they frighten him badly. Readers were told in "The
Shining," that Hallorann is unsure of his reassurances, foreshadowing a conflict
between these visions within the hotel and the Torrance family.
Chapter 12, The Grand Tour 25

Chapter 13, The Front Porch
Chapter 13, The Front Porch Summary
The Torrance family is standing on the porch of the hotel, saying goodbye to Ullman.
Ullman reminds Jack of the boiler then wishes them well, telling Jack to take care of
the Overlook. As Jack replies that it will still be there in the spring, a thought flashes
through Danny's mind; "but will we?" They watch while Ullman drives away, pausing
a moment to reflect on the loneliness of the now deserted hotel. Wendy notes that
Danny's nose is running and the family goes inside, closing the door tightly against the
wind.
Chapter 13, The Front Porch Analysis
The Torrances are now alone in the Overlook hotel. Ullman's reminder of the boiler
again indicates later events, as seen in previous chapters. In addition, while it is
unclear if the thought passing through Danny's mind is his own or is that of his father,
it clearly shows a sense of dread about the upcoming winter months alone in the hotel.
Chapter 13, The Front Porch 26

Chapter 14, Up on the Roof
Chapter 14, Up on the Roof Summary
Jack Torrance is working on the roof of the Overlook during an unseasonably warm
fall afternoon, thinking of his play, when a large wall wasp stings him. Peeling away
the old shingling he is in charge of repairing, Jack sees a large wasp nest, crawling
with slow moving wasps made sluggish by the cool air. As Jack sits, watching, he
contemplates the similarities between the wasp nest and his life. Jack decides that his
drinking problem, temper, failing marriage, failed profession, and all other
occurrences are not his fault, but that he is simply a passive participant in these things
which occur to him. He compares the situation to sticking one's hand in a wasp's nest
unwittingly, and asks himself if one can be responsible for his actions when his hand
is being stung. He thinks back on George Hatfield, the student he beat following an
argument in the parking lot of Stovington Prep. George was on the debate team Jack
headed, but had a stuttering problem that caused him to not do well, despite constant
efforts. Jack, pitying the boy, had set the debate timer ahead to force George out of
debate. Following Jack's dismissal of him, George slashed Jack's tires. Jack then beat
the boy senseless, thereby losing his job. As Jack climbs down the ladder to get a bug
bomb from the storage shed, he thinks to himself that he is getting better, and plans to
give Danny the empty wasp nest to put into his room, once the bug bomb has been set
off.
Chapter 14, Up on the Roof Analysis
This chapter introduces readers to the true Jack Torrance, a man who refuses to take
responsibility for his problems. Throughout the chapter, Jack compares the things he
has done and the resulting effects on his life to a wasp's nest. He notes that he feels as
if his participation in the events that ruined his career and nearly ruined his marriage
was passive. Rather than accepting responsibility for his anger problems and
alcoholism, Jack chooses instead simply to blame his problems on those character
Chapter 14, Up on the Roof 27

traits. Denial and a lack of responsibility is a major theme throughout the novel.
Further, this scene was clearly represented in Danny's vision in "Shadowland," as he
saw the hotel with new shingles and knew his father had replaced those using nails
from Sidewinder, which at the time he did not even know existed. Clearly, Danny's
visions are of future events, and are not imaged hallucinations, again showing the
recurring theme of Danny's ability to see the future.
Additionally, this chapter serves to give readers more information pertaining to the
Hatfield incident at Stovington Prep School, and lends more insight to the theme of
Jack's anger issues. Throughout Jack's recall of events, he consistently claims to
himself that he was not jealous of Hatfield, and that he did not set the timer forward to
force Hatfield to fail. However, later in the chapter, readers learn that Jack did in fact
set it forward. The reader gets the sense that, despite Jack's continued denial, his
jealousy and hatred toward Hatfield were responsible for his eventual severe beating
of the boy. Again, the reader can see that Jack's denial of reality and his unwillingness
to see the truth has caused problems in the past, and will likely do so in the future.
Chapter 14, Up on the Roof 28

Chapter 15, Down in the Front Yard
Chapter 15, Down in the Front Yard Summary
Wendy and Danny return from town and Jack, finished with his roof repairs, goes to
greet them. Danny shows Jack a model VW Wendy has bought for him as a reward for
when he completes the first Dick and Jane series he is learning to read. Jack agrees to
help him put it together, and then instructs him to go look on the porch. Watching
Danny, Jack asks Wendy is she is happy, and she says she is. Jack tells her he loves
her as Danny finds the wasp nest Jack has cleaned out for him. As Danny runs back to
them to show his mother, Wendy asks Jack if it would be appropriate to schedule an
appointment for Danny with a physician for a physical, since he appears to be losing
weight. Jack states that he would not mind if they all had physicals before the winter
snows, and Wendy agrees to make the appointments. When Danny shows Wendy the
nest, she recoils automatically, and Jack reassures her it is safe and free of wasps.
Danny runs to put it into his room, and Wendy restates her dislike of stinging insects.
Jack hugs her, and again assures her that the nest is safe.
Chapter 15, Down in the Front Yard Analysis
Jack and Wendy appear to be very happy in this chapter, illustrates how life at the
hotel is having a cleansing effect on their relationship. Danny, however, is quiet as he
looks to the roof his father has repaired, having seen it in his visions. Such events are
easily forgotten, and Danny is thrilled with both his wasp nest and his new model car.
However, with Wendy's disapproval and Jack's consistent reassurances, the novel
foreshadows the problems with the wasp nest in upcoming chapters.
Chapter 15, Down in the Front Yard 29

Chapter 16, Danny
Chapter 16, Danny Summary
As Wendy watches her son labor furiously over his primers and hears Jack typing his
play, and she is extremely happy, thinking it shows his resolve to put the pat behind
him. However, she is worried about Danny as he obsessively pours over his readings,
nearly desperate to learn how to read. When she forces him to stop, Danny is clearly
unhappy and enters the bathroom to brush his teeth. Realizing Danny has been in the
bathroom for longer than usual, Wendy goes to check on him and finds the door
locked. As she yells frantically and receives no answer, Jack appears and breaks down
the door. Entering, they see Danny perched on the edge of the bathtub in a trance,
muttering incoherently. Jack runs to him and shakes him, but Danny does not seem to
see him. He mutters about roque as Jack shakes him again, finally forcing him from
his trace. Danny stutters as he looks around, confused, and Jack screams at him to stop
stuttering. Flinching, Danny begins to cry and Wendy soothingly picks him up, and
takes him to the bedroom. When Danny calms, Jack asks what happened. Danny
replies that he is not sure, but mutters something about a timer. Jack, recalling
Hatfield, leans forward sharply, stating "What?!" Danny flinches in fear, and Jack
backs off, wiping his mouth with his handkerchief, reminding Wendy of the same
gesture he had when he still drank. Danny tells them he was brushing his teeth when
he saw Tony in the mirror, and decided to follow him. When pressed for information
on what Tony showed him, Danny vehemently states that he cannot remember, and
seems distraught as he asks them not to ask again. Finally lying down, Wendy offers
to stay with him, but he requests his father instead. As Jack smoothes Danny's hair
back, Danny asks sleepily if Jack would ever hurt him or his mother, and Jack replies
no. Danny also mentions that Tony has told him about roque, and asks Jack what
"redrum" means. Jack misunderstands the word, hearing it as "red drum." As he
explains, he realizes Danny is asleep. Going back to the bedroom, Jack feels shame at
his anger toward his son as he stuttered. He wonders how Danny knows about roque,
not believing in Tony, and wonders how Danny knows of Hatfield and the timer. He
Chapter 16, Danny 30

quietly wishes for a drink.
Back in the bedroom, Jack tells Wendy that if the doctor finds something wrong with
Danny, he is planning to send her and his son to Wendy's mother. Wendy refuses,
saying that they will go to Boulder where she can find work. As they go to bed, they
leave the door open. Danny, asleep in his room, is having a nightmare about the shape
coming for him with a roque mallet. Waking, Danny finds wasps on his hands, and
begins to scream. Jack and Wendy run to the room and Jack screams to Wendy to kill
them as he swipes them from his son, and takes him to their bedroom. Jack then runs
to get a bowl from the grand kitchen downstairs and uses it to cover the wasp nest.
Wendy has been stung once, and as they examine Danny, they find at least eleven
stings. Jack takes pictures of Danny's hand and the wasp nest, planning to sue the bug
bomb company. As he photographs the nest, he notices that the inside of the bowl
covering it is now filled with live wasps. He takes the nest outside, and returns to bed
with Wendy and Danny. On his way back, he realizes he has begun to dislike the
Overlook.
Chapter 16, Danny Analysis
This chapter links together information from previous chapters to show the depth of
Danny's psychic abilities, as well as to foreshadow events to come. First, as Wendy
sits waiting for Danny to return from the bathroom, she recalls her and Jack's attempts
at having another child. In "The Shining," Danny recalls Tony showing him a new
baby in the household. When Danny comes out of his trance, he stutters and mentions
a timer, both of which relate to Hatfield and Jack. Danny also mentions Tony's
teachings about roque. In all these cases, Danny is clearly picking up the thoughts,
emotions, and memories of his parents, showing again his vast psychic abilities.
Additionally, Danny's visions, resembling those from previous chapters, again show
the reader the events to come later in the novel as the shape pursues him with a roque
mallet. The shape in the vision uses phrases the reader has heard Jack say in previous
chapters, such as "take your medicine," mentioned in "Up on the Roof" as a phrase

Jack used before hitting Hatfield. This, combined with other information, introduces
the possibility that the shape in the visions is Jack Torrance. Further, as illustrated in
chapters such as "Up on the Roof," Danny's visions are often factual. This leads to a
sense of dread about the sanity of Jack Torrance.
Finally, this chapter shows how quickly Wendy judges Jack in relation to his angry
actions, and how quickly she blames Jack for situations, as well as how quick Jack is
to lay the blame elsewhere. When Jack yells at Danny for stuttering, Wendy is quick
to pull Danny away, showing her fear of Jack's anger. Additionally, when the wasps
that Jack has said are dead appear in Danny's room, Wendy blames Jack. On the other
hand, Jack takes photographs to sue the company, again showing his inability to take
responsibility. While Wendy claims to forgive Jack for his past mistakes, she clearly
does not trust him, and Jack is aware of that mistrust. While they may appear to be
happy, their relationship is clearly not as blissful as they believe it to be.

Chapter 17, The Doctor's Office
Chapter 17, The Doctor's Office Summary
Danny is lying on a table in Doctor Bill Edmonds office having an EEG done to
determine the possible cause for Danny's traces. Following the test, Edmonds asks
Danny to tell him about Tony, and Danny explains that Tony shows him things. When
asked, Danny tries to make Tony come. He begins by pushing his thoughts out
towards his parents in the other room, and senses that his mother is thinking of her
deceased sister, and worrying about Danny. Hearing Tony, he follows him into the
darkness, where Tony shows him an image of his father in the basement of the
Overlook, looking through old papers and crawling toward a scrapbook that Danny
senses is very bad. As the vision continues, Danny hears the boiler beginning to
overload. As Jack grasps the scrapbook, the room fills with the smell of alcohol, and
Danny again sees himself in the hallway, hiding from the shape with the roque mallet.
Danny can hear Tony repeating the phrase "This inhuman place makes human
monsters" as he tears himself away and is back in the doctor's office. He refuses to
answer any questions, but does mention that prior to hearing Tony, Danny sensed his
mother thinking about her sister. Edmond sends Danny out to the waiting room, and
asks to see his parents.
Edmond tells Wendy and Jack that he can find nothing wrong with Danny, other than
an overactive imagination and depression about the move, and states that his trances
are self-induced hypnosis. During their conversation, the couple mentions Danny's
abuse, Jack's alcoholism, and their unspoken thoughts of divorce. Edmond attributes
Danny's knowledge of these issues and his seemingly accurate visions of the future as
an acute sense of perception, combined with lucky guesses and the power of wishful
thinking. Wendy, however, believes it to be more, when she considers the numerous
times a day Danny seems to read her thoughts. Edmond points out that Danny's
nickname for Tony is clearly representative of what Tony really is, and the couple
agrees that they are aware of the link. Edmond believes that Danny may have been on
Chapter 17, The Doctor's Office 33

the road to schizophrenia, but since the situation has changed, he believes Tony will
soon be forgotten. As they leave, Edmond asks Wendy if she has a sister, and if she
was thinking about her in the lobby. Wendy is surprised and states that she does, and
was thinking of her. The couple greets Danny affectionately in the lobby, and the
doctor tells them to call if there are problems.
Chapter 17, The Doctor's Office Analysis
Dr Edmond is clearly concerned about Danny but attributes his visions to childhood
schizophrenia, which he believes Danny will outgrow, and an overactive imagination,
high intelligence, and a troubled home life. It is unclear whether the doctor believes
this in earnest, since his reactions to Danny's knowledge of his mother's thoughts
appear to disturb him. His comments about Tony's name foreshadow events in a later
chapter, "Tony," where readers learn that Danny's full name in Daniel Anthony
Torrance. While the doctor's explanations make sense when viewed on their own, the
reader has seen the power of Danny's visions and their level of their accuracy. In fact,
Danny's vision in this chapter foreshadows the beginning of Jack's problems at the
hotel, and the conclusion of the novel. Danny sees Jack opening an old scrapbook,
which becomes a key issue within the novel, as well as senses the overheating boiler,
which foreshadows the explosion of the hotel at the end of the novel. Further, this
chapter serves to show the reader that while Danny clearly is gifted, both Jack and
Edmond are willing to deny reality and seek an explanation that fits more cleanly into
their rational minds. Wendy, on the other hand, knows the explanations are
inadequate.
Chapter 17, The Doctor's Office 34

Chapter 18, The Scrapbook
Chapter 18, The Scrapbook Summary
Jack is checking the boiler and looking for rats in the basement of the Overlook as
Danny and Wendy hike outside. Rooting through the old newspapers, invoices, and
ledgers, Jack has the idea to write a novel about the history of the Overlook. As he
begins to search through the piles in earnest, he sees a scrapbook. Within the
scrapbook, Jack finds a nearly complete history of the Overlook, from its seedy
association with wealthy investor Horace Derwent, to the numerous murders, suicides,
and business dealings. He also finds a cream-colored invitation card from Derwent
relating to a costume ball given to announce the grand opening of the hotel in 1945.
While reading, Jack learns that Derwent sold the property in the 1950s, but secretly
became involved with it again later. Following the purchase of the property by an
Organized Crime investment front called High Country Investments, run by Derwent's
once key vice president, Charles Grondin, the Overlook was turned into a key club for
wealthy executives. However, according to one article, the guests of the hotel were
involved in murder, drug trafficking, tax evasion, prostitution, bootlegging and illegal
gambling. After a fatal three-man gang style shooting in the Presidential Suite, the
property was sold.
As Jack ponders the scrapbook, he takes notes, intending to look up the key players of
the articles at the library. He finds himself wishing for a drink, and rubbing his mouth
constantly. When Wendy returns and finds him in the basement, he sees her smelling
for alcohol. He is resentful, but walks to her and hugs her, flirting with her. He has
hidden the scrapbook. She notes his lip is bleeding from his constant rubbing. The
couple heads up the stairs and Jack wonders to himself to whom the scrapbook
belongs.
Chapter 18, The Scrapbook Analysis
Chapter 18, The Scrapbook 35

Jack's finding the scrapbook, foreshadowed in "The Doctors Office," clearly
represents a turning point in the novel. In Danny's vision of the event, he was aware
that the scrapbook led Jack down a path of self-destruction and insanity, and in this
chapter, the reader begins to see a small portion of that anger and madness. As Wendy
finds Jack, he has to force himself to go to her, and finds himself angry with his wife.
Up to this point in the novel, Jack has shown a genuine love for his wife; but for an
instant within this chapter, the reader can sense a change in Jack as he must force
himself into playfulness with her.
In addition, the reader is now told what Danny's vision in "The Grand Tour" relates to.
Danny had seen blood and brain fragments on the wall of the Presidential Suite as the
family was given a tour, and now the reader knows that the vision was actually a
representation of the murder of a crime lord in the room. Further, the reader now
knows of the various seedy dealings, suicides, murders, and changeovers of the hotel
throughout the years. While seemingly unimportant, the invitation found within the
scrapbook foreshadows major events seen later in the novel.
Chapter 18, The Scrapbook 36

Chapter 19, Outside 217
Chapter 19, Outside 217 Summary
Danny finds himself standing outside the door to Room 217 while his mother naps and
his father works around the hotel. Although he has promised both his father and
Hallorann he will not use the passkey to unlock any rooms, particularly 217, he finds
himself with the passkey in his pocket. After thinking of the story of Bluebeard and
the terror of the locked door, Danny puts the key back into his pocket and walks away.
As he nears the hall, he remembers the fire extinguisher that reminds him of a snake is
in that hall, and is afraid that if he tries to pass by it, the hose will bite him. Deciding
he is being childish, Danny proceeds closer. The brass nozzle sitting on top of the
curled hose suddenly falls on the floor, stopping Danny in his tracks. He suddenly
thinks that perhaps the hose is full of wasps, and begins to run. As he leaps over the
hose and darts down the hall, he hears the hose following him, almost catching him.
Reaching the stairs, he dares a glance backward to find the hose innocently lying in
the hallway in its original position.
Chapter 19, Outside 217 Analysis
This chapter shows the reasoning behind Danny's unexplained fear of the fire hose in
"The Grand Tour." While it is unclear in this chapter if the hose truly chased Danny, it
is clear that Danny believes it did. This chapter is the first instance of the hotel as an
animate object in the novel, which is a continuing theme. Additionally, this chapter
foreshadows Danny's eventual opening of the door to Room 217.
Chapter 19, Outside 217 37

Chapter 20, Talking to Mr. Ullman
Chapter 20, Talking to Mr. Ullman Summary
Jack is sitting in the Sidewinder Public Library, looking through old newspapers on
microfilm to discover more history related to the Overlook hotel. The lens of the
machine is warped, and Jack has developed a terrible headache. When Wendy comes
in, he is angry at her questions regarding what he is doing, and why. The constant
inquisition reminds Jack of his drinking days, and he finds himself yelling at her,
without reason. Apologizing, he explains his headache, and asks for aspirin. When he
drank, he used to chew Excedrin to ease hangovers, and when Wendy only has another
brand, he thinks to himself how stupid she can be. When she offers to get him water,
he screams at her in his head to get out, but manages to say pleasantly that he will get
some on the way out.
After Wendy leaves to wait for Jack with Danny in the park, Jack goes to the
drugstore to use the pay phone, and stops to buy Excedrin. It has begun to snow
outside, and Jack wishes for a drink as he waits for the operator to connect him with
Mr. Ullman's winter hotel. When Ullman finally picks up the telephone, Jack lets him
know he has uncovered the true history of the hotel. Ullman states that he sees no
connection between the hotel's seedy past and Jack's job, and Jack begins to belittle
the hotel by claiming it was a whorehouse at one point. Ullman threatens to fire Jack,
and when Jack states that Al Shockley would object, Ullman points out that he
believes Jack has overestimated Shockley's commitment to him. Jack explains that he
plans to write a book about the hotel, and Ullman assures him he is calling Shockley,
who is the main stockholder of the hotel. Ullman states he wants Jack out of his hotel.
Jack screams that it is not Ullman's hotel, and hangs up.
As he walks outside to find Wendy and Danny, Jack wonders why he has called
Ullman and gotten him upset. He fears that he has now lost his position, and knows it
is due to his inability to control his temper. He thinks again of the wasp's nest,
Chapter 20, Talking to Mr. Ullman 38

replaying his anger in his mind. He realizes that in this case his anger is much more
pronounced that it was at that time. He meets Wendy and Danny on the sidewalk and
as the snow becomes thicker, the three climb into the truck and go home to the
Overlook hotel.
Chapter 20, Talking to Mr. Ullman Analysis
This chapter is crucial in showing the gradual changes in Jack's character. His cruel
thoughts about Wendy as she offers to help him, his increased profanity in relation to
the wasp incident, his phone call to Ullman, and his constant craving for a drink show
that Jack is beginning to change into a far more angry and dark character. The chapter
also illustrates once again Jack's unwillingness to take responsibility for his actions, as
shown by how he blames Wendy for driving him to drink, and how he blames Ullman
for his anger, noting the way Ullman belittled him in the interview. Ullman's
assurance that Shockley will be called in relation to the book concept and the phone
call in general foreshadow the events of the next chapter, "Night Thoughts."
Chapter 20, Talking to Mr. Ullman 39

Chapter 21, Night Thoughts
Chapter 21, Night Thoughts Summary
The three family members lie awake in their rooms, believing the others to be asleep.
Jack is thinking back on his phone call during the evening from Al Shockley.
Shockley was highly critical of Jack's phone call to Ullman, and of his idea for a book.
Jack, unable to say anything in return due to the fear of losing his job, begins to resent
Shockley, as Shockley tells Jack his opinion of how Jack is acting. Shockley forces
Jack to promise not to call Ullman again, and not to write the book about the shady
past of the Overlook. Jack, nearly shaking with anger, agrees, and ends the
conversation with anger and bitterness in his mind. Now, while lying in bed, he is still
seething with anger, and promises himself that he will write the book eventually to
gain revenge.
Wendy, lying next to him and believing he is asleep, is thinking of Jack's recent
behaviors. She notes that many of his old drinking behaviors, such as increased anger,
profanity, rage, a constant rubbing of the lips, and silence, have returned, but she
knows he is not drinking. She is also concerned about the phone call from Shockley,
knowing that he did not simply call to see how things were. She recalls noticing
Danny when Shockley called, and how his body positioning and actions were
seemingly copied directly from Jack. Knowing Danny is psychically listening to the
conversation, Wendy casually wonders aloud if Shockley called because he was angry
with Jack. Danny states that he was angry about the book. Wendy decides that it is
time to talk to Danny about what he has sensed concerning the Overlook. She now
believes more intently than ever that his psychic abilities are real, and she fears for
their safety.
In his own bedroom, Danny lays awake listening to his parent's thoughts, and fearing
sleep. Danny also senses his father's change in character, knowing that he is often
angry and wishing for a drink, much more so than before. Danny senses the hotel's

effect on his father, but is powerless to prevent it.
Chapter 21, Night Thoughts Analysis
Again, this chapter shows the breakdown of Jack Torrance as his anger issues increase
and his need for revenge becomes nearly overwhelming. Wendy, too, has noticed the
change, and is clinging to the idea of discussing it with Danny. Her fears finally lead
her to believe in Danny's abilities. Danny, on the other hand, sees his father changing
and knows it is the hotel that is responsible, but can do nothing but keep a watchful
eye on them both. In essence, the reader can sense the breakdown of the nearly
mended family unit of just a few days prior. Additionally, this chapter foreshadows
the conversation between Wendy and Danny in the next chapter, "In the Truck."

Chapter 22, In the Truck
Chapter 22, In the Truck Summary
Wendy and Danny are traveling to Sidewinder for last minute supplies. Wendy asks
Danny if he would be happier if they did not stay the winter at the Overlook, and
Danny replies that while he would, he knows Jack would not. Wendy finally admits to
him that she believes in Tony, and states that if Tony wants to leave, they will go.
Danny, at first hopeful, is distraught to learn that they would not stay in a hotel if they
left, but rather, with Wendy's mother. Danny says he would rather be at the Overlook
that at his grandmothers, since he knows of the hatred between Wendy and her
mother. He states that while they are visiting, Wendy's mother is constantly thinking
of how much better she is for Danny than Wendy is, and how she should try to steal
him. Wendy is appalled the think of her son being forced to hear the cruel thoughts of
herself by her mother. She asks Danny if Jack has been drinking again, and Danny
says he has not, but thinks to himself that it is simply a matter of time. She asks Danny
to make Tony come, and ask him if they should stay or go, and Danny begins to cry,
saying he tried this morning, but Tony did not come. Danny asks to stay at the
Overlook with his father, and Wendy agrees to stay.
Chapter 22, In the Truck Analysis
This chapter shows another pivotal point in the novel, in which Wendy begins to trust
Danny's knowledge of the future, and believe in his psychic abilities. While somewhat
frightened by Danny's revelations, Wendy is also reassured to hear that her husband is
not drinking. Again, the reader can see that Wendy relates all of Jack's problems to his
alcoholism, rather than to a distinct personality disorder and anger issues. Danny
clearly sees his father's spiral downward, but Wendy is convinced they will still be all
right. This chapter also foreshadows Jack's return to alcohol later in the novel.
Chapter 22, In the Truck 42

Chapter 23, In the Playground
Chapter 23, In the Playground Summary
Jack is heading toward the topiary to trim the hedge animals as the forecasters are
calling for a large snowfall. Jack realizes he is speaking aloud in the quiet topiary and
finds it somewhat unnerving, so he begins to trim the rabbit. He steps back to check
his work, and, after ensuring that the rabbit looks appropriate, Jack takes a break and
heads toward the playground. As Jack climbs the slide, he thinks about his childhood
with his alcoholic father. Jack can recall trips to the park with his dad where they
would giggle and feed the birds. He knows he was his father's favorite and was very
close to him, but Jack also recalls being beaten when his father was drunk. Jack
mentions loving his father for as long as he could, even after the rest of the family had
begun to hate and fear him.
Jack walks to the fence and looks out, but hears a noise behind him and turns. Jack
notices that the topiary animals have changed position. Originally displayed in
amusing postures, the animals now appear to be blocking the path between him and
the Overlook, crouching in attack positions. The lions are near the fence, and the dog
is directly on the gravel pathway. Petrified, and believing he is losing his mind, Jack
moans and forces his hands over his eyes until he can no longer stand not to look.
When he finally does, the animals have returned to their normal positions. Shaking,
Jack speaks aloud to the cold air that he has been under stress, but is all right now. He
walks directly past the hedge animals, walks to the Overlook kitchen for Excedrin, and
wanders to the basement to look through the old papers again as he waits for his wife
and son to return. He thinks to himself that he does not need to mention his
stress-induced hallucination.
Chapter 23, In the Playground Analysis
Chapter 23, In the Playground 43

This chapter serves to give some insight as to Jack's character, such as the relationship
between Jack and his father. His father, like Jack, was an alcoholic who adored his son
when sober, but who had a temper that, when drinking, often resulted in child abuse.
The reader can see a clear link between Jack's relationship with his father and Danny's
relationship with Jack. Additionally, this chapter shows Jack's denial of reality as he
passes off the situation with the hedge animals as a hallucination, and does not even
mention it to his family. Had Jack been able to face reality, he would have mentioned
his encounter, foreshadowed by Hallorann in "The Shining."
Chapter 23, In the Playground 44

Chapter 24, Snow
Chapter 24, Snow Summary
Danny, Wendy, and Jack are standing on the porch of the Overlook, watching the
heavy snowfall on the landscape. All of them feel some level of relief as the winter
they have been dreading begins. Wendy wonders aloud if it will ever be spring, and
Jack says it will be spring before they know it. They head inside to the warmth of the
kitchen for dinner as the wind howls outside. The Overlook stands, as it has for
decades, indifferent.
Chapter 24, Snow Analysis
While short, this chapter shows another turning point in the novel. The Torrances have
come to the point where they can no longer turn back. They are now trapped in the
Overlook hotel as the snow falls, regardless of what situations occur. The description
of the hotel at the end of this chapter also shows again the hotel as a character. It is
described as possibly being "pleased" with the snow, an adjective used for animate
objects.
Chapter 24, Snow 45

Chapter 25, Inside 217
Chapter 25, Inside 217 Summary
Danny again finds himself outside of Room 217 with the key that his father forbade
him to touch. Danny hears voices in his head that seem to come from the outside, but
he does not connect this with any danger. Danny unlocks Room 217, peers inside and
switches on the light. The door opens to a calm sitting room with a white quilt-covered
bed and a soothing rose-colored carpet. Danny sees nothing, but notes that the
bathroom door is slightly ajar. Walking to the bathroom, he opens the door to a white,
sparking bathroom, where the shower curtain is drawn. Almost in a dream, Danny
opens the curtain to find a dead bloated female corpse grinning up at him with glassy
dead eyes. Frightened beyond speech, Danny runs to the door, wetting himself, and in
his panic does not remember that the door is unlocked. As he begins to cry in terror,
Hallorann's voice echoes in his head, reminding him that nothing in the hotel can harm
him. Closing his eyes, he waits for the hallucination to pass. As he begins to relax, he
feels the hands of the dead corpse close around his throat, forcing him to turn around,
and finds himself staring again into the eyes of the long deceased woman.
Chapter 25, Inside 217 Analysis
This chapter brings full circle the previous foreshadowing of the dead woman in the
bathtub. Seen by Danny in his vision in "Shadowland," mentioned by Ullman in "The
Job Interview," and mentioned again by Hallorann in "The Shining," the woman in the
bathtub is far more terrifying than anything else that has occurred within the hotel.
This is a turning point in the novel, since the hotel and its ghosts are shown to be able
to interact physically with the Torrance family. Hallorann's assurances that nothing in
the hotel can harm Danny turn out to be incorrect, as was foreshadowed in Hallorann's
closing thoughts in "The Shining."
Chapter 25, Inside 217 46

Chapter 26, Dreamland
Chapter 26, Dreamland Summary
Wendy is knitting while listening to Bach, and falls asleep. Upstairs, the dead corpse
of Room 217 is silently attacking Danny. Jack, too, has fallen asleep in the basement
as he pours over old bills and ledgers, looking for links between the hotel and its past.
Jack has decided that the episode with the hedge animals is a sign of his need for
self-respect, and has decided to write the book about the Overlook, despite Shockley's
disapproval. As he begins to fall asleep, he thinks of his father, whom he loved dearly
until he nearly killed Jack's mother when Jack was nine. Following a car accident, his
father had begun to carry a cane, which he used to beat his family. One night during
dinner, his father unexpectedly began to beat their mother senseless, hitting her full
force in the face and the back of the head, and cracking open her skull and bloodying
her nose and head. Jack remembers him saying, "You'll take your medicine now.
Goddamn puppy." When Jack was thirteen, his father passed away from a stroke.
Still dreaming, Jack sees himself breaking Danny's arm. Transported back to the hotel,
he sees the CB radio. Turning the dial, he hears his father's voice, demanding that Jack
kill his son, who is exploring upstairs with the passkey. The voice also instructs Jack
to kill his wife, stating that all artists must suffer. Jack screams to the voice that his
father is dead and not in Jack himself at all. He thinks to himself that it is not fair: Jack
has been through hell to rid his soul of his father's legacy and to find him turning up in
a hotel 2,000 miles from his grave is unfair. Jack picks up the radio in his dream and
smashes it to the floor. Waking to the sounds of Wendy's concerned voice, Jack finds
himself in the office, having in reality smashed the CB radio. He thinks to himself that
the only connection to the outside world is the snowmobile, since the phones are out.
Chapter 26, Dreamland Analysis
Chapter 26, Dreamland 47

This chapter again shows the blurred line between reality and unreality within the
Overlook hotel. As Jack dreams of his father, he "dreams" of events currently
happening in the hotel, such as Danny's theft of the passkey. His dream of his mother's
beating is more memory than dream, and in his semi-awake state, Jack sleepwalks to
the CB radio, smashing it. Since the reader is now aware of the dangers within the
Overlook, the knowledge that there is no longer outside contact proves disturbing.
Additionally, this chapter serves to show the pattern of abuse, alcoholism, and cruelty
that exists in Jack's family. His father was a severe alcoholic and abusive, both
verbally and physically, to his family. The wording used in the memory of his
mother's abuse matches those in Danny's visions in "Shadowland," "In Another
Bedroom," and "The Doctors Office," as the shape comes for him with a roque mallet.
Jack's admission that he has attempted to purge his father's traits from his character
shows the reader that Jack, too, sees a link between himself and his father, but is
apparently unable to stop the cycle of violence and mental illness. This chapter
foreshadows Jack's impending mental disturbances, and the violence that will ensue.
Chapter 26, Dreamland 48

Chapter 27, Catatonic
Chapter 27, Catatonic Summary
Wendy hears Jack's screams following his dream, and runs to find him in the office of
Ullman, with the CB radio demolished under his feet. Wendy listens as he struggles to
tell her of his dream. She finally asks Jack if he knows where Danny is. Jack is angry
that Wendy still does not trust him with their son after the broken arm incident. The
couple walks up the stairs to check for Danny in his room, and Jack stops short on the
stairs, his eyes locked on Danny standing in the hallway ahead of him. Danny's neck is
swollen from bruises and he is standing very still, sucking his thumb. Wendy and Jack
run to him but as Wendy picks him up, Danny is unresponsive and catatonic. Jack
begins to examine the bruised neck, but Wendy pulls Danny away, screaming that
Jack will never touch him again. Jack, bewildered, watches Wendy take Danny to their
room.
Inside the room, Wendy is frightened and trying to think of what to do. She knows she
has to get Danny out of the hotel, but also knows she cannot do so without Jack's
assistance. She is sure that Jack caused the bruises while sleepwalking, and finds no
alternative than to ask for his help in getting Danny to a doctor. She believes that Jack
is safe while awake. She picks up Danny, and heads into the hallway, calling for Jack.
She receives no answer, but suddenly hears Jack's voice, bitter, angry, and cynical,
singing from somewhere on the main floor.
Chapter 27, Catatonic Analysis
This chapter is vital in showing the true relationship between Jack and Wendy
Torrance. While Wendy has stated she forgave Jack, this incident shows that Wendy
will never truly forgive him for his actions. After Jack states he was sleepwalking
when he broke the CB radio, Wendy shows concern for Danny instead, even prior to
finding Danny catatonic in the hall. Rather than soothing her husband who is clearly
Chapter 27, Catatonic 49

distraught over his dream, Wendy instead immediately assumes something has
happened to Danny. Jack is resentful towards Wendy, and angry about her constant
refusal to accept that he has changed. On the other hand, while Jack firmly believes he
would never harm Danny, even in his sleep, his thoughts of his father's beating of his
mother at this point show Jack's honest lack of faith in himself.
This chapter shows once again Wendy's denial of reality. Instead of seeing Jack's true
mental issues, she again attributes his anger to his dreams, rather than to his
personality. She believes he is safe while awake, just as she believed he was safe when
sober, prior to recent events. Despite consistent evidence to the contrary, Wendy
continues to attribute Jack's problems to outside influences, rather than to Jack
himself. Even when confronted with his singing, angry voice from below, Wendy
continues to seek him out.
Chapter 27, Catatonic 50

Chapter 28, It Was Her!
Chapter 28, It Was Her! Summary
Jack listens at the doorway of the suite he and his family share, and listens to his wife
soothing their son. His bewilderment over the situation turns to anger at his wife. He
believes he has earned a second chance. Wendy's constant searching for alcohol on is
breath and her continuous blame towards him for any damage to Danny has begun to
wear away his patience. As he wanders towards the Colorado Lounge, he finds
himself imagining what the bar would have looked like in the era of the dinner
invitation he found in the scrapbook. When he first enters, Jack can smell alcohol
fresh on the air, and can see bottles of alcohol lining the shelves. As he turns on the
light the image disappears, and as he sits down at the bar, his need for a drink is nearly
unbearable.
Jack begins a conversation with a bartender named Lloyd, whom Jack imagines
behind the bar. He orders twenty martinis, and is suddenly certain that the people in
the booths behind him are making fun of him behind their masks. Whirling around, he
realizes no one is there. As he chews Excedrin, he continues to talk with Lloyd as he
"drinks" his martinis, discussing his journey on the "wagon," or during his sobriety.
He tells Lloyd that while in the throes of alcoholism, the wagon looks like the best
possible solution, but once on it, one finds that it is uncomfortable and simply a
church for women and a prison for men. Suddenly, Lloyd is gone, and Jack realizes he
was never there in the first place. Jack is now nearly certain he is going insane, and
begins to sing loudly, rather than giving in the urge to destroy the entire bar.
Jack hears a timid voice behind him, and turns to find his wife with their catatonic son.
Jack restates that he did not touch Danny, and as Wendy and he argue, Danny
suddenly comes alive in Wendy's arms, shrieking at the top of his lungs. Wendy is
forced backwards by the power of his body, and Jack screams Danny's name. Seeing
his father for the first time, Danny breaks free of his mother and sprints toward Jack,
Chapter 28, It Was Her! 51

screaming, "It was her!" Jack holds his young son close, and looks at his wife. "What
did you do to him Wendy?" he asks.
Chapter 28, It Was Her! Analysis
This chapter shows the spiraling insanity of Jack Torrance in response to the pressures
of the ghosts and evils within the hotel, as well as to the pressures within himself. Jack
clearly blames his wife for his severe depression, noting that the wagon is simply a
tool for women to keep their husbands behind bars. Jack is furious with Wendy's
reaction to Danny's bruises, and with her immediate assumption that Jack is to blame.
As Jack imagines a conversation with a barkeep in a crowded bar, filled with people
from a dinner party over 50 years ago, it is clear that Jack is beginning to lose his
mind. When Danny screams, "It was her," Jack naturally assumes he is speaking of
Wendy. It seems that Jack feels almost pleasure at being able to ask her what she did
to Danny. Again, the reader can see that the relationship between Jack and Wendy is
deteriorating rapidly.
Chapter 28, It Was Her! 52

Chapter 29, Kitchen Talk
Chapter 29, Kitchen Talk Summary
Jack hands Danny back to Wendy, and makes tea with cooking sherry to calm Danny
down. Jack admits to himself that while it gave him satisfaction to think Wendy had
harmed Danny, he knows she would never do so. Wendy is remorseful as she realizes
that Jack has done nothing wrong and that she will always automatically blame him,
just as her mother had continuously blamed her father.
Jack asks Danny to tell them what happened, and he agrees. First, Wendy and Danny
talk to Jack about their conversation in the truck, and about how the hotel seems bad
for his sanity. Wendy also tells Jack of Danny's knowledge about Jack's phone
conversation with Shockley about the Overlook book. As Danny explains the attack
on him by the dead woman, he also discusses Hallorann and the "shining," and what
he feels it means. He explains about being able to see the blood on the wall of the
Presidential Suite. Jack, remembering the picture in the newspaper, is again stunned.
Danny also mentions that Hallorann saw something in the topiary, and when Jack
jumps, Wendy asks if he has seen anything. Jack replies he has not, and Danny looks
at him knowingly. When Danny finishes, Jack gets up to go look in Room 217, and
Wendy screams at him not to leave them alone. Jack, angry, tells her she sounds just
like her mother, and leaves the room. Danny tells Wendy not to worry, since there is
nothing that can hurt Jack in the hotel, and Wendy states she does not believe that at
all.
Chapter 29, Kitchen Talk Analysis
Danny has finally admitted to his parents the depth of his abilities, which they have
accepted. . However, Jack is still in denial about his own experiences with the hotel,
and therefore does not fully connect Danny's experiences with his own, which
foreshadows problems to come. Had Jack been able to admit his own experiences, the
Chapter 29, Kitchen Talk 53

family would have known they needed to leave to remain safe. Without full
knowledge of the situation, Jack still believes Danny may have hallucinated the
woman in Room 217. This failure to disclose information foreshadows the events in
"The Hedges" later in the novel, as the same animals attack Danny. Wendy,
frightened, sees Jack's determination to check on Room 217 as an abandonment of
them, rather than as a responsible action on his part. She has admitted during this
experience that although she recognizes her actions are mirror images of those of her
mother's, she is helpless to alter those reactions. Jack is again angry with her for those
very behaviors she herself despises.
Chapter 29, Kitchen Talk 54

Chapter 30, 217 Revisited
Chapter 30, 217 Revisited Summary
Jack is confident as he takes the elevator to the second floor. As he nears the door to
Room 217, he feels angry with Danny for stealing the key in the first place, and tells
himself that he needs to have a stern conversation with Danny. As Jack enters the
room he sees nothing out of place. He walks to the bathroom, finds nothing, even after
pulling back the drawn shower curtain. Walking back toward the main door, he
suddenly smells lavender soap, and the fear returns. He notices the door to the hall,
which he had left open, is now closed. As he turns the handle, he hears a metallic
sound from the bathroom. Fearfully, he walks back, and sees that the shower curtain is
once again closed, and can see the shape of a woman behind the pink cloth. Now
terrified, he rushes to the hall door and exits the room, closes the door, and locks it
firmly. From inside the room, Jack can hear the sounds of footsteps, and as he cringes
against the wall, closing his eyes, he can hear the sounds of the doorknob turning back
and forth. Certain that he is losing his mind, he keeps his eyes closed until the sound
stops, then forces himself to walk back down the hall. He notices the fire hose
extinguisher, and is certain the position has changed. He says aloud that he saw
nothing at all.
Chapter 30, 217 Revisited Analysis
Again, Jack is in denial about the true nature of the hotel. Even when presented with
clear and compelling evidence for a second time that there is something drastically
amiss at the Overlook, Jack still denies the facts and prefers to convince himself that
he is either simply hallucinating or going insane. Jack seems to be teetering between a
feeling of closeness and bonding with the hotel and a desperate fear of what lies
within its walls. This foreshadows Jack's continued torn feelings of the hotel, and his
eventual need to make a choice between his fear or his sanity, and his sudden
compelling love for the hotel.
Chapter 30, 217 Revisited 55

Chapter 31, The Verdict
Chapter 31, The Verdict Summary
As Jack returns to the kitchen, he bounces the passkey in his hands, and looks at
Wendy and Danny firmly. He tells them he saw nothing in Room 217, and is surprised
by the clarity and certainty in his voice. As he watches their faces break into relief, he
realizes he wants a drink more than he ever has in his life.
Chapter 31, The Verdict Analysis
As foreshadowed, Jack has made his choice between admitting the obvious problems
of the Overlook and his overpowering obsession with the hotel. Unfortunately, his
obsession with the hotel has taken precedence. As Jack lies to his family, readers can
see the link between the title of this chapter and the plot line as Jack makes his verdict,
essentially deciding between his sanity and the safety of his family and the Overlook
hotel. This decision foreshadows the end of Jack's sanity and the link between himself
and his family as the Overlook now begins to take full control over him.
Chapter 31, The Verdict 56

Chapter 32, The Bedroom
Chapter 32, The Bedroom Summary
Jack and Wendy are sitting in their bedroom, and while Wendy watches Danny sleep,
Jack looks over his play. Wendy asks how he plans to get Danny off the mountain and
Jack laughs, explaining angrily that they are snowed in. As Jack admits that he is
angry with himself for breaking the CB, Wendy leans against him, comfortingly. Jack
begins to stroke her breast as they talk. He tells her he can snowshoe Danny down, but
that she would have to stay behind. Suddenly, Wendy sits up, excited, remembering
that the hotel has a snowmobile in the shed. Jack explains that the snowmobile may
not have gas or spark plugs, and may not work. As he speaks, he has an urge shut her
up by twisting her now exposed breast until she screams. Jack walks over to Danny,
filled with love for his son and concern for his safety. He tells Wendy he will get them
out as quickly as possible. When he turns back to her, she is naked in bed, waiting for
him.
After sex, the couple discusses Danny again. Jack proposes two theories of how
Danny received the bruises on his neck. First, Jack thinks it is possible that the marks
are stigmata, or simple reactions of the body to Danny's honest belief that someone
was strangling him. On the other hand, Jack says he is more convinced that Danny has
actually created the bruises himself. Jack notes that Danny does have psychic abilities,
and can certainly see visions of the past and the future. He believes that when Danny
is in a trance, he is in a highly suggestible state, and that he then acts out what he
believes to be occurring. Wendy, frightened, asks if Jack is talking of mental illness,
such as schizophrenia, and Jack replies that he is, at least in a limited sense. However,
Jack also disagrees that the hotel is dangerous for someone like Danny, since it was
his own disobeying of rules that caused the problem in the first place. Wendy
reiterates that they need to get Danny out of the hotel, and asks again if Jack will take
them by snowmobile. Jack is inwardly furious at her nagging, but states that he will.
As she falls asleep, Jack feels resentment toward Wendy for making them leave and
Chapter 32, The Bedroom 57

suddenly thinks of killing her. Danny is twisting again in his sleep, and as Jack moves
to him, his anger dissolves, and he knows he must get Danny out of the hotel. Jack
returns to bed, and dreams of George Hatfield, dead, in Room 217. After a chase, Jack
finds himself beating Hatfield with a roque mallet, but when Hatfield looks at him,
bloodied, he realizes it is Danny's face. Awakening, Jack is standing over his son, and
repeats that no matter what happens, he will not harm his son. He waits until seven
a.m., then goes to check the boiler.
Chapter 32, The Bedroom Analysis
This chapter again focuses on the theme of Jack's oncoming insanity. As his wife fears
for his son, and as his son lay sleeping after a dead creature attacked him, Jack
attempts to seduce his wife into forgetting the situation. Clearly, Jack does not want to
leave the Overlook. His thought to twist her nipple until she screams to keep her quiet
about leaving shows his decline into insanity quite well. However, as Jack watches his
son sleep, he again changes his mind, and knows he must get Danny away from the
hotel, and that his love for his son must overpower the pull of the hotel. Further, Jack's
explanations for Danny's bruises again show the theme of a denial of facts. Instead of
admitting that the hotel is in fact its own entity, Jack would rather believe his son is
schizophrenic. Jack's thoughts of viciously killing Wendy as she sleeps peacefully
shows the depth of Jack's volatile nature and the increasing effects of the hotel over
him.
However, following a nightmare about killing his son with a roque mallet, Jack is
again ripped back to reality and promises himself he will not harm his son. This event
foreshadows Jack's eventual choice he makes at the end of novel, a choice between
himself and his son.
Chapter 32, The Bedroom 58

Chapter 33, The Snowmobile
Chapter 33, The Snowmobile Summary
Jack is in the shed, attempting to repair the snowmobile in order to take his family in
to town. As he works, he thinks of how unfair it is that the situation has turned out
badly. He picks up a roque mallet and thinks briefly of smashing the snowmobile, but
knows Wendy is right. When he cannot find a battery, however, he is relieved until he
sees Danny across the snow, attempting to create a snowman. Suddenly, Jack
understands that the hotel is working on him as well as on Danny, for different
reasons. Jack is a weak link due to his alcoholism and violent temper, and also since
his mental state is somewhat unstable. Danny, on the other hand, is strong, and has a
special power that Jack believes the hotel wants. He turns back to repair the
snowmobile.
As he works, however, Jack again turns his mind toward Danny, and feels resentment.
He believes the entire situation is Danny's fault, since he is the one with the curse of
the shining. Jack realizes he does not want to leave the Overlook, and is torn between
his choices. As he wonders how long it would take after leaving the Overlook for him
to regress to alcoholism, he suddenly yanks the magneto from the snowmobile, and
throws it far out into the deep snow. At peace, he stops to have a snowball fight with
Danny before telling his wife they are unable to leave.
Chapter 33, The Snowmobile Analysis
This chapter shows another turning point of the novel: that of Jack's now certain
commitment to the Overlook hotel, despite his knowledge of the evident danger.
Jack's conscious choice to disable the snowmobile even after his realization of the
powers of the hotel foreshadows the demise of the Torrance family. Unable to stop the
hotel from entering his thoughts, Jack has now committed the family to whatever
horrors lie ahead.
Chapter 33, The Snowmobile 59

Chapter 34, The Hedges
Chapter 34, The Hedges Summary
Danny decides to play outside while his parents doze in the afternoon. Reaching the
playground by snowshoe, Danny tunnels through the snow into the concrete ring play
set, and gets inside. As he sits, trapped on one end by packed snow, he suddenly fears
that the snow will cover the other end, trapping him. As he begins to crawl out, the
snow does collapse slightly, leaving Danny in darkness. He is suddenly sure that
something is with him in the pipe, and envisions a dead child scrambling towards him.
He struggles to escape, finally breaking free of the snow, and as he adjusts his
snowshoes, he sees a dead hand, waving to him from the tunnel.
Danny hears a soft thump behind him, and turns to find the snow has fallen from the
hedge dog. As he tries to stay calm, he notices more snow has fallen, and the hedge
animals have edged closer to him. Determined, Danny attempts to escape quickly, but
falls into the snow as his snowshoes tangle. As he hears the animals nearing he
quickly gets up, then sees the animals within five feet of him, gathering speed. Danny,
legs exhausted from the snowshoes, scrambles to the porch as the hedge animals
pounce, growling and scraping his leg through his snowsuit. His parents rush through
the door, and Danny begins to cry.
Chapter 34, The Hedges Analysis
This chapter again shows the power of the hotel and its clear determination to harm
Danny. Trapped in the pipe, Danny is certain that something is with him and even
when he escapes, the hedge animals attack him. Again, the reader can see physical
evidence of the attack, proving that the attack is not simply a matter of imagination.
Additionally, Danny's resolve to flee shows the strength of his character, which
becomes a vital point in the novel throughout the remaining chapters.
Chapter 34, The Hedges 60

Chapter 35, The Lobby
Chapter 35, The Lobby Summary
Danny tells his parents everything that has occurred outside, except the incident with
the child in the pipe, since he cannot bring himself to relive the incident. Jack's face
remains firm throughout Danny's story, and when he finishes, Jack asks him to come
to the window. Jack shows him that the animals are still covered in snow, and that
there are no tracks on the lawn, other than Danny's. In a flash of psychic ability,
Danny knows that his father has seen the animals move, and begins to tell him so
when Jack slaps him. Wendy screams and grabs Danny's arm as Jack pulls Danny
towards him, apologizing. Caught between them, Danny pleads to be let go, and both
parents release him. Danny begins to cry. The couple puts Danny to bed, and begins to
talk. Jack admits to his mistake of hitting Danny, and Wendy forgives him, stating that
when the ranger comes for them, they will all go down together. Jack agrees. Jack
wishes Wendy would ask about Danny's comment, and thinks to himself that he would
then tell her everything. Instead, Wendy simply asks if he would like tea.
Chapter 35, The Lobby Analysis
The theme of denying factual information is again present in this chapter, as Jack
strikes his son rather than admitting to seeing the hedge animals move. Wendy is also
in denial as she again forgives her husband for striking their son and does not pursue
the clearly troubling knowledge her son implied about Jack and the hedge animals.
Wendy is unwilling to admit that the situation has grown drastically more dangerous
as Jack shows he is fully capable of hurting his son. The reader, previously nearly
convinced that Jack could control his rage in relation to his son, is now shown that this
is not the case. When combined with the increased violence of the hotel and the
previous visions of Danny, the reader can begin to sense immense danger for the
entire family.
Chapter 35, The Lobby 61

Chapter 36, The Elevator
Chapter 36, The Elevator Summary
Jack, Wendy, and Danny are awoken by the sounds of the elevator running up and
down the shaft. Jack, believing it to be a short circuit, goes to investigate, and Danny
and Wendy follow him. As they walk to the elevator, Wendy finds herself repeatedly
thinking thoughts about a party, thoughts that seem to come from outside her head.
She is frightened and asks Jack what is going on, and explains that she is hearing
voices in her head. Jack simply tells them they are both crazy, and having mutual
hysterics. He breaks the glass covering the elevator emergency key, and grinds the
elevator to a stop in front of them, with the floor settling slightly above Jack's chest.
He looks in for a long period, and then tells his wife and son that the elevator is empty.
Surprisingly, Wendy rushes past him and struggles to lift herself into the elevator car.
Hysterically, Wendy begins throwing confetti, streamers, and masks from the interior
of the car into the lobby, asking Jack if they are short circuits as well. Jack simply
shakes his head.
Chapter 36, The Elevator Analysis
This chapter shows the increasing power of the hotel as, for the first time, Wendy
experiences a physical symbol of its power. Prior to this chapter, Wendy has only had
deep, unfounded fears, and has only experienced the power of the hotel through her
son. Now, Wendy too has seen physical manifestations of ghosts, showing that the
hotel is growing ever stronger. Jack's thoughts in "The Snowmobile" foreshadowed
this development of power, as he realized the hotel was drawing energy from his son
and his deteriorating relationship with his wife. Now, that energy is becoming capable
of producing more than just images and can physically move objects and create
concrete materials.
Chapter 36, The Elevator 62

This chapter also shows a continued state of denial for Jack as he clearly pretends not
to see the objects within the elevator, and ignores the thoughts and music in his head.
However, Wendy's character shows a burst of strength and a much-needed admittance
of fact in this chapter, giving the reader hope that she will finally come to terms with
the fact that Jack cannot be counted on to protect her or her son.
Chapter 36, The Elevator 63

Chapter 37, The Ballroom
Chapter 37, The Ballroom Summary
On the first of December Danny is sitting in the ballroom, looking at a clock inside a
glass dome. Danny knows he needs to call for Tony, since the situation at the hotel is
becoming more dangerous, and he understands that he is the key to the hotel's power.
Tony appears, and in Danny's vision, he is in the hallway outside the Presidential
Suite, hearing the booming voice calling for him to take his medicine as the sound of
the roque mallet echoes. However, this time, Danny also sees Dick Hallorann leaning
against the wall, reminding him to call if he needs help. Danny begins to call for him,
weakly. In the vision, Hallorann turns, leaving Danny alone. Tony too departs, stating
that the hotel will not let him come anymore, but that Danny should call to Hallorann.
The vision then takes Danny to his parents' room, which has been torn apart in an
angry, violent struggle. Danny notices the light is on in the bathroom, and goes to the
door, seeing the word REDRUM flashing in the medicine cabinet mirror. A huge
clock behind glass suddenly appears in front of the mirror with the date December 2
written in red. Danny screams as he sees the backward reflection of the word
REDRUM: MURDER. In the ballroom, Danny falls from the chair to the floor,
waking from his trace. Using all of his psychic power, Danny begins to scream
mentally for Hallorann to come help them.
Chapter 37, The Ballroom Analysis
During this chapter, readers finally discover the meaning of the much-repeated word
"redrum," which means murder. Additionally, readers now know that the events
foreshadowed throughout the entire novel are about to happen, as the clock in the
bathroom shows the following day's date in relation to the word murder. Danny,
terrified for his life and for his family, uses the blast of his psychic power to call
Hallorann, as was foreshadowed in "The Shining." Having been introduced to
Chapter 37, The Ballroom 64

Hallorann's character, and knowing the immense force of Danny's ability, readers are
led to believe that Hallorann will soon be en route to the hotel, providing hope for the
family's future.
Chapter 37, The Ballroom 65

Chapter 38, Florida
Chapter 38, Florida Summary
Dick Hallorann is enjoying his work in Florida as a limousine driver, but is plagued by
a hunch to create a will. As he drives along the interstate, a sudden strong smell of
oranges occurs, and he knows he is about to have a psychic vision. Suddenly, he hears
Danny Torrance's voice loudly in his head, terrified, screaming for him to come to the
Overlook. Coming out of his trace, Hallorann wonders how he ever could have left
Danny alone at the Overlook, knowing how powerful his abilities were. Hallorann
drives back to his employer's office, and requests three days off, making up an excuse
about an injured son. As Hallorann plays the part of a poor, sorrowful black man, the
owner of the limousine company is sympathetic and gives him the requested time. As
Hallorann gets back into his car, the smell of oranges reoccurs, and he again hears
Danny screaming for his help. As he enters his apartment to pack, his will falls to the
floor, and Hallorann is filled with a sense of dread. His recent hunch to create a will,
Hallorann fears, is related to the call from Danny to come help them, and Hallorann is
suddenly faced with the possibility that his hunch was actually a precognition of his
own death. He contemplates the idea of not going to the Overlook, but shortly realizes
that the bond between people who shine is far too strong for him to ignore. As he
packs, he recalls his own experience in Room 217, and experience similar to that of
Danny's. The dead, bloated woman in the bathtub had risen to attack him, and he had
fled. He also recalls other instances where the hotel not only frightened him, but also
actually seemed able to harm him. On the way to the airport, he calls to make a plane
reservation, but is delayed by a patrol officer, and misses the flight. Again, while
waiting for the next flight, Hallorann hears Danny loudly in his head, his voice near
terror.
Chapter 38, Florida Analysis
Chapter 38, Florida 66

Hallorann, as foreshadowed in "The Shining," is summoned by Danny to help at the
Overlook hotel. Hallorann is remorseful as he prepares to leave; he knows he should
never have left the small boy alone in the hotel, yet he also understands it is quite
possible that he is going to his own death. While he knows this is unfair, he cannot
deny his responsibility to the small boy. When Hallorann misses his flight, readers are
left with a sense of dread, knowing that time is very short for the Torrance family.
Chapter 38, Florida 67

Chapter 39, On the Stairs
Chapter 39, On the Stairs Summary
Danny is listlessly throwing a ball between his hands as Wendy finds him on the
stairs. She sees his wounded lip and asks what happened, thinking Jack has hit him.
Danny reassures her that he simply fell. When asked by Wendy if Jack will try to hurt
them, Danny affirms that the hotel will make him try. He also tells her of his attempts
to summon Dick Hallorann, but is unsure if the calls are reaching him. Wendy goes to
the kitchen for a long, sharp carving knife. As she returns, she and Danny both hear
the sounds of the ghosts in the hotel, and a loud male voice, slurry with alcohol,
shouting for all to unmask. As they lay down to sleep, Danny realizes his father wants
to remain with the hotel forever, and Wendy, with her hand always near the knife,
thinks to herself that she will take Danny into the mountains if she has to.
Chapter 39, On the Stairs Analysis
While Danny appears to be indifferent to the knowledge of the impending doom, he is,
in reality, terrified. However, he is unable to do anything other than call for Hallorann.
The hotel has blocked Danny from Tony, and he can no longer see the future. Robbed
of his tools, the young boy can only wait with his mother and sense his father's further
decent into madness. Wendy, also terrified, appears to be growing stronger as she
finally takes the steps necessary to protect herself and her son. Determined to save her
family, Wendy knows she may die on the mountain, but is willing to face that chance
in order to escape certain death at the Overlook.
Chapter 39, On the Stairs 68

Chapter 40, In the Basement
Chapter 40, In the Basement Summary
Jack is sitting in his chair, pouring over old invoices and papers when the boiler
suddenly kicks on behind him, squealing, and clanking loudly. Jack looks at his watch
and is terrified to see that he has not depressurized the boiler in nearly twelve hours.
Remembering Watson's assurance that a forgotten boiler would explode at two
hundred pounds psi, Jack runs to the boiler to find the gauge at two hundred ten
pounds psi. As he prepares to depressurize, he suddenly thinks to himself that he
should get Danny and Wendy, escape, and let the hotel explode. Following a
visualization of the explosion, Jack's next thought is of suicide, and of a life insurance
policy. Convinced that Wendy and Danny could make it out, Jack thinks to himself
that this may be his last chance. He remembers his father, after burning a wasp's nest,
saying that fire will kill anything. Suddenly, Jack shakes out of his memory and
returns to his role as the Overlook caretaker, dumping the pressure from the boiler.
Desperate for a drink, he is suddenly certain that since he has saved the hotel, the hotel
will now reward him with alcohol, and starts upstairs towards the lounge.
Chapter 40, In the Basement Analysis
Jack, tottering on the brink of complete insanity, is showing signs of two distinct
personalities: that of the Overlook caretaker and that of loving husband and father. For
just a moment, Jack understands that the best action would be to let the Overlook
explode, saving his family from certain destruction. In the end, however, it is the
caretaker who wins, and Jack saves the hotel, believing the hotel is prepared to reward
him. This sudden shifting of personality clearly shows the depths of Jack's mental
illness, and of the tragedy that is certain to follow.
Chapter 40, In the Basement 69

Chapter 41, Daylight
Chapter 41, Daylight Summary
Waking from a dream in which the hotel exploded, Danny is certain that a tragedy has
just been avoided. In the dream, he and his mother watched as the hotel burned to the
ground, only to see his father emerge from the fire, blazing and dying. He attempts to
psychically link to his father, and finds him desperately wanting a drink. Suddenly a
voice in his head screams for him to get out of his father's mind. Getting out of bed,
Danny attempts to go to his father, only to find a man in a dog costume blocking his
path. The man's face is covered in blood, and he howls as he threatens to eat Danny
alive. Certain now that the hotel is in complete control, Danny believes it is too late to
save his family, and begins to weep. His resolve is strong, however, and he again tries
to reach out to Hallorann. Behind his closed eyes, he suddenly sees the creature with
the mallet coming for him, screaming that he is Danny's father, and will force him to
stop his summoning of Hallorann. He opens his eyes, screaming, as Wendy wakes in
terror. Both hear the sound of a roque mallet hitting the walls.
Chapter 41, Daylight Analysis
The hotel has begun to come fully alive, complete with physical beings capable of
doing great harm to Danny, as the dog man clearly portrays. The hotel has begun to
control all of Danny's abilities, from his ability to read his father to blocking his
communication with Hallorann. Without Danny's abilities, Wendy and her son are
helpless to do anything but wait for the events to occur. Danny has also partially
realized what the author has foreshadowed throughout the novel: that the shape is that
of his father. Danny's vision in this chapter foreshadows the ending of the novel, with
the explosion of the Overlook, and the burning to death of Danny's father, Jack.
Chapter 41, Daylight 70

Chapter 42, Midair
Chapter 42, Midair Summary
Hallorann is finally able to find a flight, which departs at 7:00 a.m. While waiting, he
realizes he can call the rangers in Sidewinder and warn them of the problems at the
Overlook, which may include the insanity of the caretaker. However, Hallorann's
warning falls on dead ears, as the ranger who answers the telephone explains that there
are no rangers to send to the Overlook, as they are all trying to save a group of
mountain climbers. Hallorann understands, but realizes he is now on his own. During
the flight, Hallorann again hears Danny's voice within his head, but instead of fading
away as before, the voice is suddenly cut short. Hallorann is terrified at the meaning of
the sudden silence, and prays that Danny's parents are watching over him.
Chapter 42, Midair Analysis
Hallorann's attempts at raising assistance from local authorities fails, and Hallorann is
left alone to face the situation at the Overlook. Now convinced that Danny is in
serious trouble, possibly at the hands of his father, Hallorann can only hope he is not
already too late. This chapter foreshadows Hallorann's difficulties in reaching the
Overlook, as the ranger informs him of a massive winter storm.
Chapter 42, Midair 71

Chapter 43, Drinks on the House
Chapter 43, Drinks on the House Summary
Jack, entering the Colorado Lounge of the Overlook hotel, can see and hear the hotel
coming to life. He is convinced that the decades of time have come together in a
combination of temporal space, and that soon, the Torrance era will join the mix.
Lloyd, the bartender, greets Jack warmly, and gives him a martini, telling him it is on
the house, courtesy of the manager. A small chill goes through Jack as he asks whom
the manager is. He is told that the manager is very interested in his son Danny. Jack
notices Lloyd's face begin to change, becoming corpselike. Confused and frightened,
Jack states that his son has nothing to do with this situation. As the bar stares at him
silently, Jack is told to drink his martini. Following the first drink, Jack finds it easier
to forget about Danny, but does promise himself that he will never harm Danny again.
Chapter 43, Drinks on the House Analysis
As Jack finally loses his last grip on reality, he can see the hotel as a mixing of eras,
from the 1920s through the 1960s. These visions clearly show the level of Jack's
delusions. However, as he and Lloyd converse, Jack is told that it is Danny the
manager is interested in, and Jack's confidence falters. Prompted to drink, Jack finds it
easier to relax and to consume more alcohol. Knowing that Jack has always behaved
differently when drunk, the reader begins to feel the impending tragedy faced by the
Torrance family as Jack allows his mental facilities to fade with hallucinations
induced by alcohol.
Chapter 43, Drinks on the House 72

Chapter 44, Conversations at the Party
Chapter 44, Conversations at the Party Summary
Jack is dancing with a beautiful woman in the full ballroom. Jack then finds himself
talking to Grady, the caretaker who killed both his family and himself in the hotel.
Grady tells Jack that he must take care of his son, and that his son is the key to
advancement within the hotel. As he speaks to Grady, he can see a group of
individuals, Derwent at the head, practically tormenting a man in a dog suit. Jack is
suddenly sure that he, too, is nothing by a puppet to the hotel, and that his place is not
one of high priority, but of simple servitude. He tells Grady he will take care of his
son in his own way, and Grady leads him to the clock by the mantle. Looking in, Jack
can see small figures, one of himself and one of Danny, come to meet in the middle of
the clock face. As he watches, his figure begins to beat Danny with a roque mallet,
sending blood and skull fragments flying upward to cover the clock dome. Turning
away in terror, Jack realizes the ballroom is deserted. Stumbling drunkenly, Jack falls
and his nose begins to bleed. As he enters the Colorado Lounge, he is pleasantly
surprised to find the bar fully stocked. As he climbs over the bar to get a drink, he
falls, smashing his head on the floor, and collapses.
Chapter 44, Conversations at the Party Analysis
Jack Torrance has begun to understand what the hotel is asking of him, and is horrified
at the prospect of sacrificing his son. Sickened by the crowd's treatment of the man in
the dog suit, Jack cannot help but feel used and betrayed, now that he knows the hotel
only wants his son's power. Speaking with Grady, Jack is angered at the implication
he cannot control his own family, but as Grady shows him the image of his son's death
at his own hands in the clock, Jack is sickened and begs the hotel to leave him alone.
Drunk, either by the power of his own conviction or through the powers of the hotel,
Jack stumbles, falls, and severely injures his head. While it is unclear whether the
events in this chapter are actually occurring or whether Jack's insanity has simply
Chapter 44, Conversations at the Party 73

reached its peak, it is certainly clear that there is much pain and despair in store for
Danny and Wendy Torrance, as well as for Jack.
Chapter 44, Conversations at the Party 74

Chapter 45, Stapleton Airport, Denver
Chapter 45, Stapleton Airport, Denver Summary
Hallorann's flight is caught in the Denver snowstorm, but manages to land. During the
flight, he has formed a small friendship with the woman next to him, and as he passes
her in the airport lobby, winking, she flashes a peace sign, and he hears a voice in his
head, saying, "shine." Smiling, he mentally wishes the woman well, and rents a
vehicle. However, once on the road, he finds traffic at a crawl, and the ramp he
requires has been completely closed, forcing him to detour nearly twenty miles. Now
desperately fearing for Danny's safety, Hallorann can only push the vehicle to
thirty-five miles an hour, and pray it is fast enough.
Chapter 45, Stapleton Airport, Denver Analysis
Hallorann's inability to detect the shine in the passenger next to him shows his
preoccupation with Danny and his troubles. As he struggles to reach Danny, the
weather, vehicles, and other natural elements appear to be in cooperation with the
hotel, keeping him away from the hotel long enough for Jack to complete his "fatherly
duty." Hallorann finds himself in near terror as he presses the heavy vehicle to
thirty-five, a dangerous speed in the heavy snows, which shows his determination to
reach Danny and his family.
Chapter 45, Stapleton Airport, Denver 75

Chapter 46, Wendy
Chapter 46, Wendy Summary
Wendy goes downstairs to make lunch for her and her son. On the way back, Wendy
thinks to herself that she needs to find out where Jack is, and in what condition.
Wendy finds Jack on the floor behind the bar. As he stirs, she feels pity for him and
offers to help him upstairs. Jack, however, grabs her and accuses her and Danny of
plotting against him. Rising to his feet, Jack begins to strangle her. Danny suddenly
comes from over the bar, landing on his father just as Wendy begins to pass out.
Pushing him aside, Jack regains his hold, but Wendy grabs a nearby wine bottle and
smashes it over his head, knocking him out.
Wendy then convinces Danny that it is not his father who is doing these actions, but
the hotel. She convinces him that to save them all, they have to get Jack locked in the
pantry. There he will have food, water, and warmth, and when a ranger or Hallorann
comes, they will all be safe. Together, they drag Jack's limp body to the pantry, and
just as they are putting him in, Jack awakens. As he scrabbles to his feet, Wendy and
Danny move quickly to lock him in, where he threatens to bash their brains in if they
do not release him.
Chapter 46, Wendy Analysis
In the beginning of the chapter, Wendy freely admits that she is unsure of how to be
brave in situations, noting that she has never had to be brave. However, when the time
comes for her to act, Wendy feels alive with a surge of power, as her true character
breaks free of the years of passivity. In this chapter, the reader can see the true Wendy
Torrance, strong and capable. Further, the reader can also see that the last of Jack
Torrance, loving father, is gone and the man is now fully controlled by his insanity.
Attempting to kill his wife and threatening to bash his son's brains in, Jack is clearly
no longer the man he was in the beginning of the novel.
Chapter 46, Wendy 76

Chapter 47, Danny
Chapter 47, Danny Summary
As Danny and Wendy sit in their room listening to music and attempting to drown out
Jack's screams, Danny begins to think of his father's situation, and cries. Wendy
immediately goes to him, and tells him that in the spring, the three of them will go
fishing as they did last year. Danny cannot help but wonder if there will be a spring.
Later, as the two individuals sleep lightly, Jack's screams suddenly cease, and Danny
is afraid he has escaped. The elevator begins to spontaneously run on its own again as
Wendy and her son hear the sounds of the party, silent for hours, begin again.
Chapter 47, Danny Analysis
Danny feels sorry for his father, but also fears the man who is now residing in the
pantry. Danny understands that the man is no longer his loved father but is instead a
monster. He hopes his mother's predictions of the future are true but cannot help but
believe them not to be. As the hotel returns to life around them, the reader is left to
wonder, as Wendy and Danny do, what is happening in the kitchen below.

Chapter 48, Jack
Chapter 48, Jack Summary
As Jack sits in the pantry, plotting his revenge against his wife and son, he suddenly
understands his father. Jack comes to see the episode of his father's near murder of his
mother by a cane as a simple demonstration of his demand for respect, and believes
his family needs the same lesson. Grady's voice comes soothingly through the door,
chastising Jack for his inability to discipline his wife and son. Grady states again that,
to become a part of the Overlook management, Jack must bring his son to the
manager. Jack promises to do that, even if it means killing his wife. He hears the latch
of the pantry open, and realizes that while the sound of the party has stopped the door
has now been left now ajar. A martini, fifth of gin, and a bowl of olives lie on the
chopping block, and beside it lays a roque mallet. Jack Torrance begins to smile as he
swings the mallet back and forth.
Chapter 48, Jack Analysis
Previously, it was unclear if the mental decline of Jack Torrance was completely due
to his own mental illness or if the hotel was in fact attempting to force his will. In this
chapter, the author introduces the first physical proof of the hotel's wish for Jack to
kill his wife and son, as the ghosts within the hotel free Jack from Wendy's prison.
However, the author also leads the reader to understand, through Jack's sudden
empathy with his father, that the hotel is able to work through him only because of his
already existent mental problems. Furthermore, as Grady admits that Wendy is
stronger than she appears, the reader again can see that Wendy, previously a passive
character, has changed roles and is now a force to contend with. The reader can feel a
sense of renewed hope in the strength of Wendy, but one is still faced with a now fully
insane Jack Torrance, free of his prison and drunk, armed with the roque mallet
foreshadowed in Danny's numerous visions.
Chapter 48, Jack 78

Chapter 49, Hallorann, Going up the
Country
Chapter 49, Hallorann, Going up the Country Summary
By 1:45 p.m., Hallorann is within three miles of Estes Park, but is suddenly forced off
the road by a snowplow. After fighting not to drive over the side of the pass, the
vehicle stops with the front wheels just barely on the road. Following a brief
discussion about the dangers of driving in these conditions, Hallorann angrily tells the
man he has to get to the Overlook because a little boy is in trouble, and asks him to
assist in pulling the car back onto the road. The plow driver agrees, and within
moments, Hallorann's vehicle is ready to drive. The man introduces himself as Harold
Cottrell, and tells Hallorann to stop at the gas station in Sidewinder and ask for Larry
Durkin, who can rent him a snowmobile for the remainder of the trip. As Hallorann
prepares to leave, the man notes that although he knows there is no way Hallorann can
know what is happening at the Overlook, he himself "sometimes gets feelings."
Hallorann realizes the man "shines," and they mentally wish one another good luck.
Hallorann reflects on the fact that he has met two psychics in one day. Finally,
Hallorann reaches Sidewinder, but not until nearly 6:30 p.m. As he drives, looking for
the gas station Cottrell mentioned, Hallorann smells oranges, and knows another
psychic thought is coming. Suddenly a murderous, hateful, and terrifying voice fills
his head, warning him to leave, and threatening to hang him from a tree limb and burn
his body if he does not. During the terror, Hallorann can head a thumping sound in his
vision, and fears for Danny.
Chapter 49, Hallorann, Going up the Country Analysis
Hallorann's trip up the mountain pass, knowing he is risking his life, shows his clear
determination to help Danny and his knowledge that something is terribly wrong at the
Overlook. When he meets the second psychic of the day, the reader is given the
Chapter 49, Hallorann, Going up the Country 79

impression that this, when combined with Hallorann's previous premonition about his
will, are foreshadows of his own death. At the end of the chapter, as the hotel voices
cry "murder" through Hallorann's head, the reader is left with an even more
foreboding feeling of Hallorann's future. Still, Hallorann presses forward, showing the
true bond of his friendship with Danny.
Chapter 49, Hallorann, Going up the Country 80

Chapter 50, Redrum
Chapter 50, Redrum Summary
As Wendy watches her son sleep in the silence of the hotel, she is convinced that Jack
has freed himself from the panty. Wendy believes she has heard voices from the
kitchen. Grabbing the knife, Wendy goes to ensure Jack is still locked in the pantry.
As she reaches the last stair to the lobby, the clock in the ballroom suddenly rings
midnight, and cries of "Unmask!" echo throughout the hotel. Wendy screams, and as
she turns, she sees Jack coming towards her, the roque mallet in his hands. Jack
attacks her, hitting her in the stomach, breaking two ribs, breaking her leg just below
the knee, and repeatedly attempting to strike her in the head. Wendy, however, avoids
any direct skull hits, and manages to knock Jack to his back. Rolling over to reach the
mallet, Wendy grasps the knife, and buries it in his back. She leaves Jack, believing he
is dead, and struggles to return up the stairs to the room. Behind her, Jack stirs. As
Wendy struggles to move quickly, Jack begins up the stairs behind her.
Chapter 50, Redrum Analysis
In this chapter, Wendy again shows her strength and courage as Jack attempts to kill
her with a roque mallet. Even with broken ribs, a broken leg, terrified and faint with
lack of oxygen, Wendy manages to think clearly, avoiding Jack's frontal attacks.
Knowing that any strike to the head will mean certain death for both her and her son,
Wendy successfully and cunningly forces Jack to the ground and, showing a vast
amount of power, stabs him in the back. Unfortunately, Jack is not dead. The title of
the chapter, Redrum, explained in "The Ballroom" as the word "murder" spelled
backwards, illustrates that Jack's intention is to kill his wife and son. However,
Wendy's show of tenacity in this chapter leads readers to a sense of hope.
Chapter 50, Redrum 81

Chapter 51, Hallorann Arrives
Chapter 51, Hallorann Arrives Summary
Hallorann arrives at the gas station, and Larry Durkin gives him a snowmobile, his
coat, a ski mask, and enough gas to get him to the Overlook and back. When he
discovers Hallorann is on his way to the Overlook to save Danny, whom Cottrell has
previously met in town, Durkin offers to give Hallorann a rifle, stating that Hallorann
must know things like his friend Cottrell sometimes does. When he refuses, Cottrell
tells him that, if he should happen to make it to the Overlook and needs help with the
boy, he should bring him to Sixteen Peach Lane, where Cottrell and his wife live.
With a warning to stay on the road, he waves Hallorann off.
Hallorann can feel the voice that entered his head previously, threatening him, but
blocks it out. As he nears the Overlook, he sees lights in the main lobby and upper
floor, alleviating some of his concern. However, as he turns into the drive, he sees the
hedge lion ahead, waiting for him. The lion attacks him, slashing through Hallorann's
ski mask, pants, and coat, and throws him through the air. Bleeding and severely
injured, he struggles to the snowmobile, and the lion attacks again.
Chapter 51, Hallorann Arrives Analysis
While the title of this chapter brings hope, the hedge lion at the Overlook appear
determined to stop Hallorann from entering the hotel. After his long, dangerous
journey, Hallorann is forced to battle one of his worst fears: the hedge animals. Again,
however, Hallorann's character shows a strong love for Danny and a bond with the
psychic boy that will not be broken by the hotel. Severely hurt, Hallorann is still
struggling to access the snowmobile, showing a continued courage the hotel did not
anticipate.
Chapter 51, Hallorann Arrives 82

Chapter 52, Wendy and Jack
Chapter 52, Wendy and Jack Summary
As Wendy climbs the stairs in her agony, Jack follows closely behind, gaining on her.
From behind one of the room doors, a man in a ghoul mask pops out and screams in
Wendy's face, pulling the string of a party favor, frightening her. Wendy falls to the
floor just as Jack nears her, and as Jack falls forward as well, the head of the mallet
crashes against Wendy's spine. Wendy hears the snap of something breaking, and
finds she is unable to stand. Crawling, Wendy scrambles to the room and through the
door, locking it behind her. However, Danny is no longer in the room. As Jack bursts
through the door, Wendy rushes to the bathroom. She can hear Jack ripping apart the
room, knocking over her record player, ripping apart the bed, and tearing through the
walls. By the time Jack reaches the door and begins to smash through it, Wendy has
found a box of razors. She slashes through Jack's hands as they rip through the door.
Suddenly, both hear the whining of a snowmobile, and Jack rushes out of the room.
Wendy unlocks the door, hurrying to find Danny while Jack is distracted, but passes
out.
Chapter 52, Wendy and Jack Analysis
While the hotel continues to gain strength from Jack, as is shown by his continued
assault on Wendy and by the man in the mask who frightens her into falling, Wendy
too continues to show amazing strength, given to her by the love she has for her son
and by her desire to save him. Jack's destruction of the room, as foreshadowed in
"Shadowland," shows his rising fury against the continued power of Wendy. However,
Wendy notes that there is nothing left of Jack, his voice has become the voice of the
hotel, and as Wendy passes out, Danny is left alone somewhere within the hotel.
Chapter 52, Wendy and Jack 83

Chapter 53, Hallorann Laid Low
Chapter 53, Hallorann Laid Low Summary
Hallorann reaches the snowmobile and pulls the gas can from the back as the hedge
lion continues to attack him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a Zippo lighter,
and strikes a flame, setting the animal ablaze. Barely conscious, Hallorann climbs on
the snowmobile, and heads toward the Overlook. As he watches, the other hedge
animals block the path, but he charges ahead full throttle. The animals part just long
enough for him to slip through. As he enters the hotel screaming for Danny, he sees
the blood on the stairs and follows the trail to the second floor. Fearing the worst,
Hallorann tracks the blood to the caretaker apartment. Jack comes from within the
elevator and strikes him on the head with the mallet, knocking him to the wall. As
Hallorann begins to lose consciousness, Jack strikes him again, breaking his
cheekbone. Hallorann slumps to the ground and Jack takes the elevator to the third
floor, screaming for his son to come and take his medicine.
Chapter 53, Hallorann Laid Low Analysis
At first glance, the title of this chapter suggests that Hallorann is able to hide from
Jack, but in reality, Hallorann is attacked and struck down in the hotel hallway. After
his harrowing drive to Sidewinder, his attacks by the hedge animals, and his
terrorizing visions, Hallorann is left immobile while Jack hunts for Danny. The reader,
having seen the third floor carpet in Danny's vision of the creature coming for him
with a mallet, can sense the imminent danger now facing Danny.
Chapter 53, Hallorann Laid Low 84

Chapter 54, Tony
Chapter 54, Tony Summary
Danny finds himself with Tony in a hotel hallway that appears to be stretched beyond
reality. He can hear the shape coming for him, but Tony tells him he is sleeping, and
that his mother is very hurt, as is Hallorann. As Tony comes into the light, Danny
realizes he is looking at an image of himself in ten years. Tony explains that Danny
came to Tony this time, because he knows what chases him. Suddenly, Danny realizes
it is the hotel, but it is the hotel within his father. Tony tells him he must remember
what his father has forgotten, and vanishes. Danny wakes in the hallway near the
Presidential Suite. Remembering the attic door, Danny runs to the end of the hall and
hears his father approach closer. As Danny reaches the trap door to the attic, however,
he sees it has been padlocked, and realizes he is now trapped.
Chapter 54, Tony Analysis
In this chapter, as foreshadowed in "In the Doctor's Office," readers finally see who
Tony is: Danny himself. When Danny retreats into his Shadowland, he is, in essence,
disappearing into himself. Tony is Danny's own image of an older, wiser self. Danny
has retreated to his dream-like state and seeks Tony because he has finally come to
understand that his father is now the hotel and is coming to kill him. Now armed with
the knowledge that his mother is hurt, as is Hallorann, Danny knows he must face the
hotel within his father. Trying desperately to understand what Tony means by
"remembering that which his father has forgotten," Danny waits, showing his strength
and courage.
Chapter 54, Tony 85

Chapter 55, That Which Was Forgotten
Chapter 55, That Which Was Forgotten Summary
Wendy comes to in the bedroom, and remembers her son is alone, hiding in the hotel.
Rushing as quickly as she can, she calls for Danny or Hallorann, but hears no
response, other than the voice of her husband above, yelling for their son. As she turns
a corner, she sees Hallorann and goes to him, shaking him awake.
Upstairs, in the hall of the Presidential Suite, Danny sees the shape of his father
around the corner, but knows the creature coming for him is no longer a man, but the
hotel behind a mask. Danny, softly and firmly, denounces the creature as his father,
and the shape wavers. Danny tells the creature that his father knows the hotel lies, and
that the hotel could only access Jack through alcohol. Suddenly, Danny can see his
father within the shape, and looks at him with immense sorrow and anguish. As the
last of Jack tells Danny to run and that he loves him, Danny instead holds his bloody
hand and kisses it gently. Finally letting go, he tells the creature to unmask. It raises
the mallet, then smashes what remains of Jack's features. Danny can now see no face,
but instead a mixture of images, including the woman of Room 217, the dog-man, and
the dead child from the concrete tube. As the creature raises the mallet, Danny
remembers with triumph that his father and the creature have forgotten the boiler and
realizes it is about to explode. The creature screams in horror, and runs for the
basement, while Danny, in a flash of the shining, sees his mother and Hallorann alive
and runs to warn them.
Chapter 55, That Which Was Forgotten Analysis
Danny's confrontation with his father, foreshadowed throughout the novel, is a

heart-wrenching display of the tragedy that has become Jack Torrance. Danny realizes
that there is a small portion of his father left within the creature, and uses his love for
his father to gain enough time to recall what Tony was trying to tell him,
Chapter 55, That Which Was Forgotten 86

foreshadowed in Danny's visions in earlier chapters. Following Jack's final message of
love to his son, and his son's returned love, Jack is destroyed. Danny must now find
Wendy and Hallorann quickly to escape the impending explosion, foreshadowed
through the numerous references to the boiler throughout the novel.
Chapter 55, That Which Was Forgotten 87

Chapter 56, The Explosion
Chapter 56, The Explosion Summary
Danny finds Wendy and Hallorann on the second floor. Unable to convey with words
what is about to occur, Danny sends images into Hallorann's mind of the impending
explosion. Running to get his mother's coat and boots, Wendy says she does not think
she can make it down the stairs. As Danny returns, he sends another image to
Hallorann's mind, this time of a clock reading 11:59. Hallorann suddenly understands
and, picking up both Wendy and Danny, begins to run. As the creature in the basement
attempts to dump the pressure on the boiler in a last effort to save the hotel, it
explodes, just as Hallorann exist the hotel with Wendy and Danny in his arms. The
blast sends them flying into the snow, and the hotel detonates while the voices inside
scream.
Chapter 56, The Explosion Analysis
Danny uses the power the hotel tried so hard to steal one last time to impress on
Hallorann the urgency to escape the impending explosion. Hallorann, understanding,
is able to use the last of his strength to carry an agonized Wendy and her son to
freedom. Through Wendy's courage, Hallorann's friendship, and the strong love of
Danny for his father, the three are able to escape and the nightmare that is the
Overlook hotel is left to burn to the ground.
Chapter 56, The Explosion 88

Chapter 57, Exit
Chapter 57, Exit Summary
As the hotel begins to burn, Danny and Hallorann help Wendy onto the snowmobile
and Hallorann remembers there are blankets in the equipment shed. As they pass the
Overlook, Hallorann sees a black figure in the window of the Presidential Suite, and
frighteningly believes it looks like a horde of wasps. As the wind blows, it disappears.
Reaching the shed, Hallorann tells Danny to stay behind with his mother and enters
the shed, noticing the roque mallets. Thoughts of blood and death begin to fill his
mind and he thinks to himself that everything is the boy's fault. Picking up a mallet, he
hears Danny screaming for him outside, and is violently angry. As he turns to exit the
shed, mallet raised, he suddenly stops as voices cry out in his head to kill the boy and
his mother. Hallorann throws the mallet and runs to the Torrance family, wrapping
Wendy and Danny in blankets and driving away. Danny notices the hedge animals,
which are far from the fire, are in their original positions, but burned to cinders. The
shed, too, catches fire. As the trio stops to refill the snowmobile tank nearly 20 miles
from Sidewinder, Danny sees headlights coming in the distance, as Durkin and others
from town bring brandy, blankets, and Doctor Edmonds to greet them.
Chapter 57, Exit Analysis
The hotel, nearly defeated, tries one final time to gain Danny's powers through
Hallorann as he enters the only building of the Overlook left standing. As with Danny,
Hallorann's own psychic abilities leave him open to such influence and the hotel
nearly succeeds in its mission as Hallorann prepares to kill Danny. Yet Hallorann's
true character shines through, and he and the family escape from the darkness of the
hotel.
Chapter 57, Exit 89

Symbolically, Hallorann sees an image of wasps within the window of the Presidential
Suite. Referenced throughout the novel, such as in "On the Roof" as Jack contemplates
his position in life and in "Danny" as wasps attack the young boy in his bed, this
image seems to represent the entire tragedy of the Overlook hotel. Caught in its grip,
numerous individuals throughout the hotel's history have suffered the ill effects of the
hotel, from overdose to suicide to murder to despair. Its final victim, that of Jack
Torrance, and the remaining survivors, those of Wendy, Danny, and Hallorann, have
ended the horror of the Overlook, just as Jack's father ended the lives of the wasps in
Chapter 40, "In the Basement."
Chapter 57, Exit 90

Chapter 58, Epilogue/Summer
Chapter 58, Epilogue/Summer Summary
Dick Hallorann is working at a small resort in Maine called the Red Arrow Lodge, and
Wendy and Danny are staying in one of the resort cabins. After preparing for lunch,
Hallorann visits Wendy, who is in a back brace and still healing from the events at the
Overlook. Wendy tells Hallorann that she and Danny will be moving to Maryland to
accept a job offer from Al Shockley. Hallorann, getting up to go see Danny who is
fishing at the docks, tells her they will be okay. As Hallorann sits and talks with
Danny, the young boy begins to cry, and Hallorann knows he misses his father.
Hallorann explains that sometimes things happen to people, and that their job in life is
to love those who pass away, but also to move on. He also lets Danny know that
whenever he needs him, he just has to use his "shine," and Hallorann will come. As
Wendy comes to join them, Danny begins to try to reel in a large fish he has caught,
asking Hallorann to help. Hallorann, laughing, says Danny can handle it "just fine."
The three sit in the afternoon sun on the dock.
Chapter 58, Epilogue/Summer Analysis
After their ordeal, the Torrance family and Hallorann are healing slowly. Wendy, now
an independent single mother, has changed, becoming able to make her own decisions
and knowledgeable about the strength she possesses. Danny, too, has grown, and
although he will miss his father, Hallorann knows he will come to terms with the
tragedy. True to his character, Hallorann promises to come to Danny whenever he
needs him, as he has proven in the past. The bond between Hallorann and Danny is
stronger than ever, as is the bond between Wendy and her son. While the events at the
Overlook have changed these characters, their true traits have emerged, and all have
found within them the strength to carry on.
Chapter 58, Epilogue/Summer 91

Characters
Jack Torrance
Jack Torrance is a recovering alcoholic whose temper often gets the better of him. The
father of a psychic child, Danny, and the husband of a caring but overprotective wife,
Wendy, Jack is trying to make a new start as the caretaker of an old hotel in Colorado
named "The Overlook." Previously, Jack was fired from a teaching position for hitting
a student, and his relationship with his wife, while improving, had nearly ended in
divorce after he broke his son's arm. Upon reaching the hotel, however, Jack's newly
found improved character traits begin to quickly deteriorate into depression, anger,
fury, and thoughts of murder. The hotel is filled with ghosts of the past and as the
hotel's power grows stronger, Jack begins to lose his mind. Abused as a child, Jack
begins to show more signs of his violent father, and as his mind is completely taken
over by the powers of the hotel, Jack attempts to kill his family. Plagued by denial of
the facts, and desperate in the end to save the life of his child, Jack is eventually killed
as the hotel explodes. Symbolizing the strong pull of alcoholism and the
sometimes-fatal inability to accept reality, Jack's character is a saddening reminder of
how individuals can break down into madness.
Wendy Torrance
As the wife of an alcoholic and the mother of an extremely psychic child, Wendy is a
passive woman who loves her husband, but continuously doubts his motives and
abilities. Even after Jack breaks Danny's arm, Wendy allows their relationship to
continue. Wendy, too, denies factual information and attributes her husband's faults to
his alcohol problem, even when faced with Jack's same faults when he is sober.
Wendy's mother, much like Wendy, nagged her husband incessantly, and Wendy
continuously compares herself to this woman she has come to despise. However, as
the hotel begins to take over her husband, Wendy's character becomes stronger,
Characters 92
making her more capable to protect herself and her son. Showing true courage and
strength, Wendy is forced to make choices about her husband, and chooses to believe
in what she knows is true, rather than in what she would like to believe. Wendy's
character clearly symbolizes the abused woman who, when faced with the truth and
capable of accepting it, makes the choices which are in her and her family's best
interest, in spite of the knowledge that such choices will result in her husband's death.
Danny Torrance
Danny Torrance is a five-year-old highly psychic child, and through Tony, his
imaginary friend who leads him into his visions, Danny is capable of reading people's
minds, feeling their emotions, seeing the future, and seeing the past. In the past,
Danny's ability has been pleasing, but as his family's move to the Overlook nears,
Danny begins to have visions of murder and terror. Having been abused by his father,
and having been subjected to abuse toward his mother by his father, Danny still has a
need for his parent's current level of happiness to continue and therefore does not
mention his fears.. However, as he sees blood on the walls, is chased by hedge
animals, is nearly killed by a dead woman in a bathtub, and watches as his father goes
insane, Danny knows he must do something in order to survive. Using his powers, he
calls out to another psychic, Hallorann, to come assist the family. Danny is the focus
of the hotel's power throughout the novel, and symbolizes the power of love, as his
father chooses his own death over the murder of his son.
Tony
Tony is Danny's imaginary friend who leads Danny into his visions of the future.
Often helpful, Tony is forced to show Danny the murderous ending at the Overlook
hotel in an effort to stop the family from living in the hotel through the winter. Yet, as
Danny refuses to tell his parents, Tony's visits stop altogether. The hotel's powers keep
him from showing Danny the true ending. Tony is, in reality, simply a representation
of Danny's psychic ability, and is used as a method to focus Danny's concentration
Wendy Torrance 93
when he needs to use more psychic power than is normally available.
Dick Hallorann
Dick Hallorann is the cook at the Overlook hotel, and a psychic. A large black man
with a hearty laugh, Hallorann befriends Danny and can sense the power of what he
calls "the shining" within Danny. Afraid for him, Hallorann warns Danny not to go to
Room 217, where he has seen a dead woman, and to avoid the topiary. However,
Hallorann knows that the hotel is dangerous for psychics, and tells Danny to holler for
him if something happens. As Hallorann is working in Florida, he receives a powerful
psychic call from Danny and runs to Colorado to help. Risking his own life, Hallorann
helps the family escape from the now completely insane Jack Torrance. Hallorann
represents the light of true friendship throughout the novel.
The Overlook Hotel
Built nearly a century ago, the Overlook has a seedy and violent past. Numerous
deaths, murders, and underhanded business deals have occurred within the walls of the
hotel, and Hallorann, along with guests and other staff, have seen the ghosts and
representations of these events throughout the hotel. However, when Danny, a highly
psychic young boy, stays in the hotel, the ghosts and old terrors of the hotel come to
life, aiming to take the boy and his family into its grasp forever. Working through
Jack, an already weak-minded recovering alcoholic who has a violent temper, the
hotel possesses Jack, who eventually tries to kill his family. In the end, love and
friendship overtake the power of the hotel, and it explodes. The hotel acts as a main
character throughout the novel, forcing others to perform its will, and representing the
concept that past events never really disappear.
Tony 94
Al Shockley
Al Shockley is a friend of the Torrance family, and the primary stockholder of the
Overlook hotel. As the ex-drinking partner of Jack, as well as his partner in recovery,
Shockley gives Jack the position at the Overlook hotel. As Jack's mind begins to
unravel and he plans to write a book about the violent past of the hotel, Shockley uses
his power over Jack to dissuade him from writing the book, virtually ending their
friendship. Shockley represents a friendship of necessity, in that while Jack is in line,
Shockley supports him, but when their ideas clash, Shockley uses his knowledge of
Jack to force his decisions.
Stewart Ullman
Stewart Ullman is the Overlook's manager. A tightly wound, pretentious, and

maddeningly pompous man, Ullman takes great pride in what he refers to as "his
hotel." Unwilling to hire Jack but forced to do so by Al Shockley, Ullman freely
admits that he feels Jack is wrong for the job, which humiliates Jack. Later, as Jack
phones him to belittle him with his new knowledge of the seedy past of the hotel,
Ullman is responsible for telling Shockley about the potential book. Ullman
represents, in a way, the Overlook as it was designed to be: highly respected,
immaculate, and virtually flawless.
Horace Derwent
Horace Derwent is the multi-millionaire whose ownership of the hotel began the
downward spiral of the Overlook's prestigious reputation. A suspected member of
organized crime, Derwent's immense power, and somewhat seedy guests lead to
multiple deaths, suicides, and even executions within the hotel. Even far later,
Derwent's power over the Overlook is clear as images of his parties and obsession
with sex and power fill the minds of Jack and his family. Derwent and his associates
Al Shockley 95
have, in essence, allowed the hotel to come alive with darkness, representing the
never-ending search for power and the tragedy such power often brings.
Delbert Grady
Delbert Grady is a former caretaker of the Overlook hotel. After working for just a
few short winter months, and after much alcohol, Grady went insane and murdered his
wife and two daughters before turning the gun on himself. As the hotel takes over
Jack's mind, Grady's essence convinces Jack to murder his family in order to put them
back into line. Although seemingly a minor character, Grady's introduction in the first
chapter "Job Interview" foreshadows the events to come within the novel, as the
reader can see a clear link between the man and Jack.
Mrs. Massey
Mrs. Massey was a guest in the Overlook hotel. An older, married woman, Massey
was using the hotel to have a fling with a much younger gentleman. After several days
of constant drinking, the young man left in Massey's vehicle, but when the staff
offered to call in the vehicle as stolen, Massey stated she believed he would soon
return. When he did not return, she committed suicide in the bathtub through a drug
overdose and heavy alcohol abuse. Since that time, Hallorann, a maid, Danny, Jack,
and numerous other individuals have seen her deceased, bloated corpse in the bathtub
of Room 217. Massey's corpse attacks Danny, and is consistently present in Danny's
visions throughout the novel.
Horace Derwent 96
Objects/Places
The Overlook Hotel
Built in the early part of the twentieth century, the Overlook hotel has been repeatedly
sold and purchased, resulting in a vast history of intrigue and death. When given
Danny Torrance as a medium for power, the ghosts of the Overlook's past come to life
in the minds of the Torrance family, eventually causing complete breakdown of the
family and of the family's mental health. In the end, as love wins over power, the
Overlook explodes.
Stovington Prep School
The place of Jack Torrance's last gainful employment, Stovington Prep School was a
prestigious institution of higher education for the nation's elite. Following an
altercation with a student, George Hatfield, Jack is fired from his position as an
English professor, forcing him to accept the position as caretaker of the Overlook
hotel.
Room 217
This room within the Overlook hotel is well known for its resident apparition: the
dead, bloated, and evil corpse of Mrs. Massey, an older female who committed suicide
within the bathroom. The room is a core component in he novel, as Dick Hallorann, a
maid, Danny, and Jack all have terrifying experiences in which the corpse rises from
the bathtub to attack them. The room is a constant source of fear for Danny, as his
visions continuously show him the dead corpse in the bathtub.
Objects/Places 97
The Topiary
A collection of hedge animals that adorn the front lawn of the Overlook hotel
consisting of two lions, a dog, and a rabbit, the topiary is another source of evil and
power in the novel. As Jack trims them, he is nearly attacked and chased by the animal
shapes, while Danny, playing in the playground, is actually attacked. Hallorann
himself has also had experiences within the topiary.
The Shining
Called the shining by Dick Hallorann, this concept represents psychic ability. Both
Danny and Hallorann can read the thoughts of others, sense emotions around them,
and can, on occasion, see visions of the future and of the past. While Hallorann's shine
is strong, Danny's is unbelievably powerful, which allows the hotel to channel power
through him. The shining is a rare gift, according to Hallorann, and Danny, his family,
and Hallorann all know the gift can be a burden as well as a blessing.
The Presidential Suite
The location of a brutal triple murder during an organized crime execution, the
Presidential Suite is a source of fear for Danny Torrance as the past visions of blood,
brains, and skull fragments appears to him, both in visions and in reality. Jack, too,
knows the history of the room, having found newspaper clippings of the event in a
scrapbook down in the boiler room of the Overlook.
The Scrapbook
While digging through old papers in the boiler room, Jack stumbles on a scrapbook,
filled with the dark history of the Overlook hotel. Intrigued, the finding of this
scrapbook seems to be the beginning of a downward spiral of insanity for Jack,
The Topiary 98
leading to his eventual attempts at murder, and to his own demise. The scrapbook
contains a multitude of information: from the history of the organized crime owners of
the hotel to the multiple deaths, murders, and suicides all which had occurred within
the hotel over the last century. Additionally, Jack finds an invitation to a dinner party
thrown by Horace Derwent, the wealthy investor whose evil legacy lives on within the
hotel.
The Boiler
Old and nearly worn out, the boiler is a constant presence in the novel, foreshadowing
the eventual explosion of the Overlook and the death of Jack Torrance. Warned by
Watson, the seasonal caretaker, that the boiler creeps and requires thrice-daily press
releases, Jack is careful to remember to let off pressure while he is sane, but as the
hotel takes control of his mind, he forgets to do so. The boiler seems to represent the
power of repressed thoughts within the novel, which rise up to eventually destroy the
Torrance family and the Overlook it's self.
The Playground
The playground, complete with a slide, swings, a concrete tunnel, monkey bars, and a
miniature version of the Overlook, is another source of power within the novel.
Hallorann notes that many children do not use the playground, and Danny himself is
terrified by the presence of a dead corpse within the concrete tunnel that attempts to
trap him and kill him.
The Colorado Lounge
As the bar of the Overlook, the Colorado Lounge has seen numerous parties,
conversations, and seedy business dealings over the course of time. As Jack beings to
lose his mind, the room fills with the ghosts of the dead, who instruct Jack to kill his
The Scrapbook 99
family. Horace Derwent, the wealthy investor with questionable loyalties, is said to
have hired Jack as the caretaker, even though he has been outwardly uninvolved in the
dealings of the hotel since he sold it. The images and powers within the Colorado
Lounge are powerful enough to make Jack believe he is drinking, having
conversations, and even dancing with women. Clearly, the bar is a primary source of
power in the novel.
The Fire Extinguisher
Appearing as a snake to Danny and later to Jack, the fire extinguisher is of an older
variety with a brass nozzle and a long canvas hose for spraying water. Both Danny and
Jack see the hose move, and Danny is nearly attacked by the instrument. Seemingly
innocent, the fire extinguisher is yet another form of terror within the novel.
The Elevator
Like the boiler, the elevator is a run-down contraption simply waiting for tragedy.
After being led via elevator during Ullman's grand tour, the elevator seemingly short
circuits one evening, Jack sees within the box the remnants of a party. Ignoring them,
he tells his family he sees nothing. Wendy, however, enters the box and fins the
streamers, confetti, and cat mask of a party held nearly 50 years previously.
The Colorado Lounge 100

Social Concerns
The Shining, Stephen King's third published novel, avoids the sweeping social
concerns manifest in such apocalyptic visions as The Stand (1990) and The Mist
(1985), or even the more limited examination of society's treatment of the "outsider"
figure prevalent in so much of his fiction from Carrie (1974) onward. Despite its
powerful supernatural elements, careful readers of this novel have long noted that a
great deal of its core interest lies in its examination of a family attempting to function
under conditions of extreme stress, and, perhaps most particularly, in the manner in
which it depicts the gradual and ultimately total disintegration of its central character,
Jack Torrance.
Within this context, a number of motifs common to King's depiction of parent-child

relationships in a great many of his works, in particular alcoholism, child abuse,
obsessive behavior of one sort or another, and destructive guilt, are strongly evident in
The Shining.
Still, the largely naturalistic stance which seems to underlie the novel's basic
movement forces attention to a somewhat different plane of understanding and
provides an essentially nonsocially oriented frame of reference from which to explore
its thematic implications.
Social Concerns 101

Techniques
King's basic plotting technique in The Shining is similar to that found in many of his
novels: A long, leisurely buildup is used to inculcate in his readers the sense of a
disarmingly normal human situation, during which time -- with the exception of an
occasional foreshadowing -- little is done to suggest the nature of the horrors to come.
Thus, when the strange events do begin to manifest themselves -- frequently about
one-third through the novel -- they come with the shock of sudden reversal, and from
that point onward accrue with ever greater intensity as the narrative accelerates toward
its climax.
King frequently uses small towns (often situated in Maine) as relatively closed settings
within which to pursue his plots, but in The Shining he does himself one better by
choosing the claustrophobic expedient of a totally isolated, snowbound hotel as the
setting for one of his most inward-looking, psychologically-oriented novels.
Character, plot, theme -- all are vastly enhanced by this choice, and it is one of the
novel's most successful technical features.
Other elements of technique which King uses to good purpose in the novel include
multiple points of view, a limited but highly effective set of symbols ranging from the
conventional (snow) to largely innovative (topiary animals), and pointed allusions to
other literary works, principally E. A. Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" (1842),
and Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House (1959).
Techniques 102
Themes
When asked by his girlfriend about the subject of a book he is writing, Ben Mears, the
protagonist of King's 'Salem's Lot (1975), replies: "Essentially, it's about the recurrent
power of evil."
He might well have been speaking of The Shining, another work featuring a writer as
its central character, for a large portion of the latter novel's thematic impact seems to
derive from the notion that evil is both eternal and periodic in its ascendancy. It is
more complex than merely that, however, for to this basic concept King harnesses two
corollary and archetypal premises -- a) the concentration of evil's power in what,
presumably not requiring a more precise term, is most frequently referred to simply as
a "Bad Place," and b) the ability of evil to act and sustain itself only through the
subjugation and ultimate absorption of human subjects. The magnificent Overlook
Hotel, primary setting of The Shining, is the primal "Bad Place" of this novel's action,
and within its confines Jack Torrance is transformed from a flawed but empathetic
human character into a monstrous pawn of evil. And, as if to emphasize the horrible
inevitability of this darkly naturalistic trap, Jack is ultimately forced to accept the
hotel's pronouncement upon him: "You've always been the caretaker."
Themes 103
Significant Topics
Alcoholism
Throughout the novel, the themes of alcohol abuse and the effects of addiction are
prominent. Jack's struggle with alcohol has led him to near divorce, job loss,
humiliation, and abuse of his son. Each day is a battle for Jack as he struggles not to
give into temptation, but instead fights his battles while sober. This constant source of
mental anguish allows the hotel to manipulate his thoughts and actions, as it leaves
him open and weak to suggestion. Jack's father, whose effects on Jack's character traits
are clear, was also an alcoholic whose drinking interfered with his relationships. Jack
himself can recall fear of his father on a daily basis, unsure if his father would be
sober enough to be loving to him, or drunk enough to be dangerous. Al Shockley's
alcohol addiction, shared with Jack, is also a key point in the novel, as the addiction
gives way to sobriety and as Shockley uses his shared battle with alcohol as a weapon
against Jack. Delbert Grady, the caretaker who took his own life following the murder
of his wife and children, was also an alcoholic.
Wendy and Danny are also constantly affected by alcohol. As Jack spiraled down into
severe addiction, Wendy had to endure much pain and suffering at the hands of her
verbally abusive and insensitive husband. Danny was dropped, left, ignored, and even
harmed by Jack as his addiction took control. Further, Danny's psychic abilities forced
him to feel his father's constant anguish and longing for a drink. Jack's co-workers and
students suffered as well, enduring embarrassment and second-class teaching due to
hangovers and drunken brawls.
For all involved in the novel, alcohol plays a vital role in relationships and events,
showing the powerful impact of addiction even after the addiction is under control.
Jack consistently performs actions he did when drinking, such as mouth wiping,
aspirin chewing, sudden outbursts of anger, and severe depression. Known as the
actions of a "dry drunk," such a pattern of behavior indicates that while drinking may
Significant Topics 104

have triggered the initial onset of such behaviors, those behaviors are now ingrained as
character traits. Unless the individual is capable and willing to change these behaviors,
the problems that occurred during alcohol addiction, such as Jack's temper issues, will
simply continue to occur. Since Jack refuses to see his continued addiction, his
behaviors reflect not only those of an alcoholic, but those of an alcoholic who
desperately wishes for a drink. Clearly, alcohol and alcohol addiction are a key
component to the events within the novel.
Denial of Reality / Responsibility
Another predominant theme of the novel is that of the unwillingness of the characters
to accept reality. From the beginning, Jack is consistently blaming others for his
problems, such as his wife, son, coworkers, friends, and parents. Unwilling to take
responsibility for his own actions, Jack continuously finds an outside source of his
troubles, and in doing so denies the reality that he is, in all ways, much like his father.
Wendy, too, denies reality in relation to Jack, refusing to believe the fact that Jack is
mentally unwell, even without the influence of alcohol. She is forever forgiving his
actions, blaming the alcohol when he drank, and blaming his continued struggle with
addiction when he does not drink. This refusal to accept the reality of Jack's mental
state is the primary cause of the problems the Torrance family faces.
Further, Jack and Wendy both deny the fact, in the beginning, that their son is psychic.
The couple senses the truth, and can admit it to themselves, but externally continue to
seek other alternative theories for their son's behaviors. Jack is more willing to believe
Danny is schizophrenic than in mortal danger of the powers of the hotel, even after
Jack himself has witnesses the terrors within. Since he has denied these events, such as
the movement of the hedge animals and the dead corpse in Room 217, which have
occurred to him, he is unwilling to believe the same events occurred to his son. While
Wendy finally comes to terms with Danny's abilities, which allows their lives to be
spared, she does so far too late for them to save Jack.
Alcoholism 105
Danny also suffers the same issue as his parents, yet to a smaller degree. Rather than
to believe his visions and discuss them up front with his parents, Danny stays quiet in
an effort to keep his parents happy. Unwilling to believe his father could terrorize him,
Danny sees far too late that the murderous vision in his dreams is his father. Had he
been more willing to admit his fear of his father, and had he been willing to discuss
the situation with his parents, the results may have altered. Furthermore, Hallorann is
also unwilling to admit the truth about the Overlook hotel. He knows the dangers of
the establishment, particularly for someone who is psychic, yet still allows the boy to
remain at the hotel without any assistance. Hallorann convinces himself that the hotel
is not dangerous, even though his own experiences show that to be false.
This constant denial of facts is a primary and important theme throughout the novel,
and is one of the primary causes of the terrifying ending, showing that it is vital to be
honest, both with ones family and with ones self. Accepting responsibility for ones
actions and accepting the reality of those actions, no matter how difficult, is the only
salvation for Jack in the end of the novel as he finally accepts his demise in return for
his son's life.
Mental Illness
The concept of mental illness is another recurrent theme in the novel, which affects
Jack, his father, Wendy, her mother, and Danny, as well. Jack and his father have
severe addictions to alcohol, but in addition clearly have personality disorders such as
those seen with borderline schizophrenics and those with antisocial tendencies. Their
behaviors are related not to the alcohol addiction, but to their inability to control their
rage and anger. The alcohol addiction simply gives these individuals an excuse to act
the way their disorders prescribe. This preexisting mental issue is part of how the hotel
is able to work through Jack to gain access to Danny.
Wendy and her mother also share a form of mental illness, that of a dependent
personality disorder. Both mother and daughter are quick to judge their husbands, and
Denial of Reality / Responsibility 106

constantly blame them for nearly all situations. Unwilling to take any responsibility
for at least a portion of problems, these women depend on their husbands for all
feelings and emotions, and are unable to make decisions on their own. It is only after
Wendy begins to accept that her husband is a monster that she is able to break free of
her dependency and perform actions independently.
Danny too suffers from mental illness, although the illness is not schizophrenia, as the
doctors would like to believe. Danny's mental illness relates to the constant state of
awareness he is forced to live in. Having listened to his parents' thoughts of divorce,
his grandmother's thoughts of ill will toward Wendy, his mother's near hatred for Jack
at times, and his father's dark and troubled confusion of thoughts, Danny is nearly
always in a state of depression and high anxiety. Unable to relax due to his mind's
inability to turn off the visions and voices, Danny is a highly wired individual. This
depression and high stress state does make Danny more vulnerable to suggestion,
creating a cycle of psychic force and continued stress and sadness.
Psychic Abilities / "Shining"
The ability to communicate telepathically, see the future, and gain access to visions of
the past is also a primary force within the novel. Both Danny and Hallorann are
psychics, and their unique ability allows them to see the Overlook hotel for what it
really is: a house of the dead. Throughout the novel, it can be seen that Danny uses his
ability to read his parents and to judge the safety of his family. As things worsen, he
uses this power to summon Hallorann to assist his and his mother in their escape from
Jack. Hallorann's gift, much less powerful than Danny's, is still a vital component to
the story as he uses his force to hear Danny, and to assist in their rescue. This ability is
also the key to the hotel's success in gaining power, as it draws on Danny's force and
fear to access Jack and to convince him to kill Danny, thereby transferring Danny's
immense power to the hotel itself.
Mental Illness 107

Cycle of Violence
Also predominate throughout the novel is the cyclical nature of violence and abuse. A
common theme in sociological theory, the cycle of violence refers the tendency of
individuals to learn from their surroundings and to continue deviant patterns of
behavior due to this training. In the case of Jack, he has clearly learned to deal with
anger and alcohol addiction through violence from his father. Additionally, he has
learned the skills necessary to keep his violence hidden and repressed, causing it to
build up and finally release in a wave of cruel behaviors. Mixed with the ability to
sooth situations with words and counter-behaviors, Jack is a mirror image of his
father, and thereby continues the cycle of violence.
Wendy's character also shows the power of continued patterns of deviant behaviors.
Wendy has learned from her mother a pattern of accusation and guilt tactics used to
contain her husband's behaviors. Constantly nagging and forever dependant, Wendy's
actions, such as consistently checking Jack for a scent of alcohol and her continued
assumption that Jack will harm Danny, are signs of such patterns. Additionally, the
phrases used by Wendy throughout the novel suggest a woman who clearly
understands how to best manipulate those around her. Her actions in relation to Jack's
verbal and psychical abuse also show the pattern of an abused woman who continues
to forgive her husband's actions, even when faced with the same patterns of abuse
repeatedly.
Even the character of the hotel itself represents this cycle. Throughout the years, the
hotel has seen a vast number of terrible tragedies and underhanded events. Suicides,
murder, accidental deaths, dark business dealings, prostitution, adultery, addiction,
greed, and power are all prominent in the history of the hotel. As a living object, the
hotel pulls from these dark experiences to gain power over Jack and his family, using
this past knowledge of human nature to continue the cycle of violence and terror.
Cycle of Violence 108

Style
Points of View
This novel is narrated using a third-person point of view, presumably that of an

innocent witness of the events within the Torrance family. As a narration of the vast
complexities of human emotions and their relationships to one another, a constant
third party narrator is necessary to convey each character's traits, fears, and
experiences evenly, in order to ensure the flow of information that links these
individuals together. Additionally, the third person narrative allows the exploration of
the vast amount of character data vital throughout the book. This information is
insightful and exhaustive, which is central to understanding the complex themes of
alcohol addiction, violence, abuse, and mental illness presented throughout the novel.
The characters and their exclusive viewpoints would not be as clearly distinct through
any other point of view.
Setting
The novel takes place in two primary settings: those of an apartment in Boulder,
Colorado, and the Overlook hotel, near Sidewinder, Colorado. The apartment in
Boulder at the beginning of the novel is small and shows signs of misuse and age. The
halls of the complex smell of old food, and the neighbors upstairs are a young couple
whose arguments rage out of control. This setting is symbolic of the troubles within
the Torrance family life and their decision to start their lives over, providing a perfect
opening for the explanations of the previous experiences of the primary characters.
The second setting, that of the Overlook hotel, is at first a grand change to the poverty
the Torrance family experiences in the apartment. Built in a mountain valley, the view
of the mountains alone is magnificent, and when combined with the luxurious interior
of the hotel, the end result is a beautiful, vast, elegant setting for the characters to
Style 109
begin their new life. However, as the events within the hotel begin to wear on the
family, and as the hotel comes to life with ghosts from its dark past, the hotel takes on
a quite different feel. Now a massive tomb for dead memories, the vast expanse of the
hotel and its key scenic areas such as the playground and topiary are frightening in
their false beauty, and the secluded hotel becomes a prison for the family. This setting
is vital to conveying the destruction of the Torrance family members, and of the
history within the hotel itself.
The other setting worth mentioning novel is that of the trace-state of Danny Torrance.
When Danny is in complete concentration, his psychic powers lead him into a
dream-like state, where the lines of reality and vision are blurred. Although the
settings of these visions are within the Overlook hotel, the trance-state allows the
reader to see the hotel as it truly is, behind the false magnificence. Innocent rugs are
altered into writhing, living snakes, and vines, while simple wallpaper is shown to
cover the blood and brains of murdered victims. This dream-like setting is again
crucial to showing the true nature of the Overlook hotel and the evil intentions the
hotel has in regard to Danny and Jack Torrance.
Language and Meaning
The novel uses simple English to tell the tale of the destruction of the Torrance family
at the hands of the Overlook hotel. The tone of the language is generally easy to read
and comprehend, which is vital to conveying the terrors of the Overlook and the
complex issues of alcoholism, abuse, and mental illness. Rather than coming across as
"preachy" or critical of the character's faults, the simple tone of the novel is used to
convey a sense of sorrow and sympathy for all the characters within the storyline.
While some of the dialogues are lengthy and in-depth, particularly those of Jack
Torrance, the dialogue used is still common enough for the average reader to enjoy.
The tone and language used also help to show the deteriorating state of Jack Torrance
as the novel progresses. For example, in "Job Interview," Jack's thoughts, while
Setting 110
certainly critical, are not lewd or viscous but rather somewhat resentful and angry. By
the end of the novel, however, such as in "The Snowmobile," Jack's thoughts of killing
his wife are shown to be much more terrifying in their hatred, power, anger, and
viciousness. His swearing increases in intensity as the novel progresses and the
phrases he thinks are much more violent and hostile, showing Jack's downward spiral
into complete breakdown.
Another particular point of interest in the language of the novel can be found in the
use of that language as foreshadowing by the author. Subtle in its use, the author
presents the reader with specific phrases characteristic of characters within the novel.
As Danny's visions then progress, the author uses those phrases to subtly indicate to
the reader the true nature of the characters within the visions. For example, Jack can
recall his father using this phrase "come and take your medicine" prior to abusing his
family. Later, Jack himself begins to think the same phrase, showing his shift from a
loving father to a hostile and violent killer. As Danny's visions of the monster in the
hotel increase, readers are shown the language of the creature as similar to that of
Jack, using phrases such as "come and take your medicine." By using specific wording
throughout most of the novel for each character, and then by changing that wording as
the characters are changed by the hotel, the author successfully creates a reference of
deterioration that is subtle enough to blend seamlessly into the plotline, yet bold
enough to show the reader the vast changes within the characters.
Structure
The 683-page novel in paperback format is divided into fifty-eight chapters of unequal
length. Generally presented in chronological order, some portions of the novel are
flashbacks in time, and thus alter the chronological order of events. Non-traditionally,
but as used often by author Stephen King, the breaks in chapters are not necessarily
done in combination with breaks within the plot of the story. Often, more than one
event is presented within a single chapter, or a single event is played out throughout
multiple chapters, with each chapter devoted to a specific character. This method,
Language and Meaning 111

while different from traditional layouts, is easily adapted to, and necessary in order to
develop each character's response to situations fully.
The novel presents primary information from early fall to early summer, but through
news articles and narrative, secondary information is presented from the year 1908 in
relation to the Overlook hotel. This secondary information is vital to the plotline, in
that it is the history of the Overlook hotel that starts Jack Torrance's spiral into
madness. Additionally, the information gleamed about the past history of the Torrance
family is crucial to understanding the link between Jack's mental problems and the
effect of the hotel on his character.
Structure 112
Quotes
"A stupid man is more prone to cabin fever just as he's more prone to shoot someone
over a card game or commit a spur-of-the-moment robbery. He gets bored. When the
snow comes and there's nothing to do but watch TV or play solitaire and cheat when
he can't get all the aces out. Nothing to do but bitch at his wife and nag at the kids and
drink." (Jack Torrance, "Job Interview," p. 13)
"Your daddy . . . sometimes he does things he's sorry for later. Sometimes he doesn't
think the way he should. That doesn't happen very often, but sometimes it does."
(Wendy Torrance, "Boulder," p. 19)
"'Any big hotels have got scandals,' he said. 'Just like every big hotel has got a ghost.
Why? Hell, people come and go."' (Watson, "Watson," p. 35)
"It was the place he had seen in the midst of the blizzard, the dark and booming place
where some hideously familiar figure sought him down long corridors carpeted with
jungle. The place Tony had warned him against. It was here. It was here. Whatever
Redrum was, it was here." (Narrator, "A View of the Overlook," p. 93)
"'You shine on, boy. Harder than anyone I ever met in my life. And I'm sixty years old
this January."' "'Huh?' "'You got a knack,' Hallorann said, turning to him. 'Me, I've
always called it shining. That's what my grandmother called it, too. She had it. We
used to sit in the kitchen when I was a boy and have long talks without even opening
our mouths."' (Conversation between Dick Hallorann and Danny Torrance, "The
Shining," p. 117)
"He felt that he had unwittingly stuck his hand into The Great Wasps' Nest of Life. As
an image it stank. As a cameo of reality, he felt it was serviceable. He had stuck his
hand through some rotted flashing in high summer and that hand and his whole arm
had been consumed in holy, righteous fire, destroying conscious thought, making the
Quotes 113
concept of civilized behavior obsolete. Could you be expected to behave as a thinking
human being when your hand was being impaled on red-hot darning needles?" (Jack
Torrance, "Up on the Roof," p. 161)
"You know, schizoid behavior is a pretty common thing in children. It's accepted,
because all we adults have this unspoken agreement that children are lunatics. They
have invisible friends. They may go and sit in the closet when they're depressed,
withdrawing from the world. They attach talismanic importance to a special blanket,
or a teddy bear, or a stuffed tiger. They suck their thumbs. When an adult sees things
that aren't there, we consider him ready for the rubber room. When a child says he's
seen a troll in his bedroom or a vampire outside the window, we simply smile
indulgently." (Dr. Edmond, "The Doctor's Office, p. 223)
"And that's when you realize what the Wagon really is, Lloyd. It's a church with bars
on the windows, a church for women and a prison for you." (Jack Torrance, "It Was
Her!," p. 362)
"The hotel wanted Danny, maybe all of them, but Danny for sure. The hedges had
really walked. There was a dead woman in 217, a woman that was perhaps only a
spirit and harmless under most circumstances, but a woman who was now an active
danger. Like some malevolent clockwork toy she had been wound up and set in
motion by Danny's own odd mind . . . and his own." (Jack Torrance, "The
Snowmobile," p. 422)
"And of all the images, the one that bothered him the most was that dull whacking
sound, like a hammer splatting into thick cheese. What did that mean? Jesus, not that
little boy. Jesus, please." (Hallorann, "Hallorann, Going Up The Country," p. 596)
"'You're not my daddy,' Danny told it again. 'And if there's a little bit of my daddy left
inside you, he knows they lie here. Everything is a lie and a cheat. Like the loaded
dice my daddy got for my Christmas stocking last Christmas, like the presents they put
in the store windows and my daddy says there's nothing in them, no presents, they're
Quotes 114
just empty boxes. Just for show, my daddy says. You're it, not my daddy. You're the
hotel. And when you get what you want, you won't give my daddy anything because
you're selfish. And my daddy knows that. You had to make him drink the Bad Stuff.
That's the only way you could get him, you lying false face.' "'Liar! Liar!' The words
came in a thin shriek. The mallet wavered wildly in the air. "'Go on and hit me. But
you'll never get what you want from me."' (Danny Torrance, "That Which Was
Forgotten," p. 652)
"The world's a hard place, Danny. It doesn't care. It don't hate you and me, but it don't
love us, either. Terrible things happen in the world, and they're things no one can
explain. Good people die in bad, painful ways and leave the folks that love them all
alone. Sometimes it seems like it's only the bad people who stay healthy and prosper.
The world don't love you, but your momma does and so do I. You're a good boy. You
grieve for your daddy, and when you feel you have to cry over what happened to him,
you go into a closet or under your covers and cry until it's all out of you again. That's
what a good son has to do. But see that you get on. That's your job in this hard world,
to keep your love alive and see that you get on, no matter what. Pull your act together
and just go on." (Dick Hallorann, "Epilogue/Summer," p. 681)
Quotes 115
Adaptations
King's novels and short stories have formed the basis for a large number of film
adaptations and have attracted the attention of such innovative directors as Brian De
Palma, Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, George A. Romero, and Lewis Teague. Perhaps
none has been so controversial, however, as the 1980 film version of The Shining,
directed by the celebrated Stanley Kubrick. King himself was clearly disappointed
with Kubrick's handling of his novel (an attitude which he has not, incidentally,
expressed with regard to most adaptations of his work), and critics have generally
tended to view it as the sort of grand failure which men of genius are occasionally
permitted. Kubrick's essential method was to reduce the novel's themes and structures
to several monolithically sustained effects.
This involved, among other things, a vastly simplified notion of character, which may
be seen quite clearly in the stripped down versions of Jack and Wendy Torrance
played by Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. On the other hand, Kubrick enhances,
rather than deemphasizes, a number of the novel's other features, so that, for instance,
the setting (the Overlook Hotel) assumes monumental significance through the
manipulation of the film's impressive sets, while the symbolism inherent throughout
the novel is given additional vigor in the film's reiterative use of mirrors, mazes, and
other powerfully suggestive elements. Whether The Shining is the most effective of
Stephen King's film adaptations is, to say the least, open to serious debate:
Nonetheless, it remains in all probability the most interesting.
Adaptations 116
Key Questions
The Shining ranks with 'Salem's Lot, The Stand, and The Dead Zone as the best novels
by Stephen King. Remarkably, these also appeared within the first decade of his
publishing career.
The Shining is probably his most literary as well, demonstrating King's understanding
of the scope and nuances of the American canon, as well as his specific study of the
various genres of literature fantas tique--literature of the imagination, which
encompass horror, science fiction, fantasy, even mainstream literature. These
characteristics make TheShining the most-taught novel of King's collection, a
reputation which was enhanced by Kubrick's film. While some purists criticize the
film, particularly suggesting that the characters are not accurate to King's text, the film
catapulted Stephen King to brand-name status in American fiction, while bringing his
unique horror images to life.
1. King builds on the Gothic tradition of the haunted house. For King, a haunted house
has more than a creepy history and a rumor of ghosts; it is a physical structure that
embodies psychic evil. But he carries this image on step further, giving the house ill
will and malevolent impulses. How does King give the Overlook Hotel a personality,
and the power to act? What descriptions and images illuminate its nature?
2. One of the prevailing themes in King's novels is the breakdown of the family,
particularly from the child's perspective. What normal stresses does the Torrance
family suffer? What supernatural stresses? How do these stresses interact? What is at
stake for Danny? for Wendy? for Jack?
3. King's continuing fascination with writing about writing is also evident in The
Shining. Based on Jack's failed experiences with writing, what connections can you
draw between writing and madness?
Key Questions 117

4. The Shining is one of a few novels by King that does not take place in Maine. In
fact, the Overlook Hotel is based on the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. How
has he transplanted the New England gothic landscape of Hawthorne, Poe and
Lovecraft?
5. While King draws extensively from contemporary fiction, he also makes some
unique contributions to the powerful and enduring images and scenes in American
horror fiction.
What images stand out from your reading? How is it unique? How does it adapt
previously-existing images and motifs?
Key Questions 118

Topics for Discussion
Do you believe Jack's eventual decent into mental illness is the result of the hotel's
power over his mind, or a result of his own personality characteristics? Explain the
reasons for your belief.
In "Up On the Roof," Jack thinks about his theory that his problems are caused by
outside events, and that he is simply a passive recipient of the consequences. Do you
agree with Jack's theory? Why or why not?
Throughout the novel, Wendy Torrance continues to tolerate her husband's drinking,
abuse, and overall anger issues, and continues to give him second chances. Why do
you think Wendy responds this way?
Various theories are presented throughout the novel to explain Danny Torrance's
apparent psychic abilities. Those theories include an overactive imagination,
combined with a keen sense of awareness, schizophrenia, wishful thinking, luck, and
true psychic power. If Danny were your child or loved one, which explanation would
you most likely choose to believe? Why?
How much of an effect do you think Jack's father's struggle with addiction and anger
had on Jack's life? Do you believe, due to this effect, that Jack had a choice in his own
addiction and anger issues? Why or why not?
What similarities and differences do you see between Jack's own relationship with his
father, and Jack's relationship with his own son?
In what ways does the author, King, express a sense of solitude and loneliness
throughout the novel?
Topics for Discussion 119

Using examples from the novel, explain how King's use of language in the novel helps
to convey Jack's continued decent into mental illness.
Throughout the novel, King uses subtle cues hidden with Danny Torrance's visions
and Jack's nightmares to predict the ending of the novel. Give five examples of these
subtle cues, and explain how they foreshadow events in the novel.
Topics for Discussion 120

Literary Precedents
What is generally considered to be the first gothic novel, Horace Walpole's The Caste
of Otranto (1764), features at its heart a haunted castle, and of all the elements which
have come to be regarded as conventional in the roughly 200 years of gothic tradition
linking Walpole and Stephen King, the haunted house has surely been the most
frequently employed. To note that King has written a haunted house novel in The
Shining is thus to immediately place him in the distinguished company of such writers
as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James, and Shirley Jackson, to name
but several, and in his or her own way each of them has contributed something vital to
the texture of King's work.
King's frontispiece to The Shining includes a lengthy quotation from Poe's "The
Masque of the Red Death," and he both quotes from and alludes to it on frequent
occasions in the novel.
Though such homage is certainly appropriate given the novel's context, it is another of
Poe's works, "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839), which, though never explicitly
mentioned in The Shining, seems most clearly linked to a number of the author's
themes and techniques. From the use of similar details of descriptive personification
(including eyelike windows and a palpable, vital atmosphere) to cataclysmic endings
involving the total devastation of the respective structures, the works share a great
many features in common, although most telling of all is undoubtedly the manner in
which each author forges a ghastly symbiotic bond between house and character. This
is not to suggest, of course, that The Shining is little more than an updated version of
Poe's classic tale: to do so would be to absurdly oversimplify a work which addresses
itself to a wide variety of issues not in any way a part of the earlier narrative. Still,
some knowledge of this important precedent is useful in any attempt to thoroughly
evaluate King's aims and accomplishments in The Shining.
Literary Precedents 121

Related Titles
King has created one other memorable haunted structure -- the Marsten House in '
Salem' s Lot -- and utilizes this convention as a motif in several other works (e.g., the
Black Hotel of The Talisman, 1984). The notion of the "Bad Place" in contexts other
than that of the haunted house per se is explored in various ways in Cujo (1981),
Christine (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), and a number of short stories.
Paranormal mental powers, or "Wild Talents," as they are sometimes called, are
recurring elements in King's fiction, and are frequently explored with greater depth
and sensitivity than is the case in The Shining. Most notable in this regard are Carrie,
Firestarter (1980), and what is in many respects King's best effort in this mode, The
Dead Zone (1979).
The interlocking themes of recurring evil and of the ability of evil to subjugate human
endeavor to its own ends, so essential to an understanding of The Shining, are
pervasive elements in much of Stephen King's work. They lie, for instance, at the heart
of such seemingly diverse novels as 'Salem's Lot, The Stand, Christine, and Pet
Sematary, and form one major strand of a vision which, despite occasional forays into
the realms of the hopeful (e.g., Firestarter), essentially contemplates a world in the
process of being eclipsed by Matthew Arnold's darkling plain.
Related Titles 122

Copyright Information
Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults
Editor - Kirk H. Beetz, Ph.D.
Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults

Includes bibliographical references.
Summary: A multi-volume compilation of analytical essays on and study activities for
fiction, nonfiction, and biographies written for young adults.
Includes a short biography for the author of each analyzed work.
1. Young adults Books and reading. 2.Young adult literature History and criticism.
3. Young adult literature Bio-bibliography. 4. Biography Bio-bibliography.
[1. Literature History and criticism. 2. Literature Bio-bibliography]
I. Beetz, Kirk H., 1952
Z1037.A1G85 1994 028.1'62 94-18048ISBN 0-933833-32-6
Copyright , 1994, by Walton Beacham. All rights to this book are reserved. No part
of this work may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or in any information or storage and
retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner, except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information,
write the publisher, Beacham Publishing, Inc., 2100 "S" Street, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20008.
Printed in the United States of America First Printing, November 1994
Copyright Information 123

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The Shining

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Chapter 1, Job Interview..............................................................................................3

Chapter 6, Night Thoughts.........................................................................................14

Chapter 7, In Another Bedroom................................................................................16

Chapter 8, A View of the Overlook...........................................................................17

Chapter 9, Checking It Out........................................................................................18

Chapter 10, Hallorann................................................................................................19

Chapter 11, The Shining.............................................................................................21

Chapter 12, The Grand Tour.....................................................................................24

Chapter 13, The Front Porch.....................................................................................26

Chapter 15, Down in the Front Yard........................................................................29

Chapter 16, Danny......................................................................................................30

Chapter 17, The Doctor's Office................................................................................33

Chapter 18, The Scrapbook.......................................................................................35

Chapter 19, Outside 217.............................................................................................37

Chapter 20, Talking to Mr. Ullman...........................................................................38

Chapter 21, Night Thoughts.......................................................................................40

Chapter 22, In the Truck............................................................................................42

Chapter 23, In the Playground..................................................................................43

Chapter 24, Snow........................................................................................................45

Chapter 25, Inside 217................................................................................................46

Chapter 26, Dreamland..............................................................................................47

Chapter 27, Catatonic.................................................................................................49

Chapter 29, Kitchen Talk...........................................................................................53

Chapter 30, 217 Revisited...........................................................................................55

Chapter 31, The Verdict.............................................................................................56

Chapter 32, The Bedroom..........................................................................................57

Chapter 33, The Snowmobile.....................................................................................59

Chapter 34, The Hedges.............................................................................................60

Chapter 35, The Lobby...............................................................................................61

Chapter 36, The Elevator...........................................................................................62

Chapter 37, The Ballroom..........................................................................................64

Chapter 38, Florida.....................................................................................................66

Chapter 39, On the Stairs...........................................................................................68

Chapter 40, In the Basement......................................................................................69

Chapter 41, Daylight...................................................................................................70

Chapter 43, Drinks on the House..............................................................................72

Chapter 44, Conversations at the Party....................................................................73

Chapter 45, Stapleton Airport, Denver.....................................................................75

Chapter 46, Wendy.....................................................................................................76

Chapter 47, Danny......................................................................................................77

Chapter 48, Jack.........................................................................................................78

Chapter 49, Hallorann, Going up the Country........................................................79

Chapter 50, Redrum...................................................................................................81

Chapter 51, Hallorann Arrives..................................................................................82

Chapter 52, Wendy and Jack.....................................................................................83

Chapter 53, Hallorann Laid Low..............................................................................84

Chapter 54, Tony.........................................................................................................85

Chapter 55, That Which Was Forgotten..................................................................86

Chapter 57, Exit..........................................................................................................89

Chapter 58, Epilogue/Summer...................................................................................91

Topics for Discussion................................................................................................119

The Shining is a supernatural thriller, centering on a five-year-old psychic, Danny

Chapter 1, Job Interview 3

Chapter 1, Job Interview Analysis

Chapter 1, Job Interview 4

Chapter 2, Boulder Analysis

Chapter 4, Shadowland Analysis

Chapter 5, Phonebooth Analysis

As foreshadowed in previous chapters, the reader finally understands why Jack

Chapter 6, Night Thoughts 14

Additionally, this chapter serves to thoroughly develop Wendy's character. Having

Chapter 6, Night Thoughts 15