The Shining

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1977

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-4

Part 1, Chapters 5-7

Part 2, Chapters 8-10

Part 2, Chapters 11-13

Part 3, Chapters 14-18

Part 3, Chapters 19-23

Part 3, Chapters 24-25

Part 4, Chapters 26-32

Part 4, Chapters 33-37

Part 5, Chapters 38-42

Part 5, Chapters 43-47

Part 5, Chapters 48-52

Part 5, Chapters 53-58

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Part 2, Chapters 8-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “Closing Day”

Part 2, Chapter 8 Summary: “A View of the Overlook”

Wendy worries that the family’s Volkswagen bug won’t make the drive through the mountains. Danny enjoys the mountains and pays attention to a sign that says SIDEWINDER PASS. The town of Sidewinder is the farthest point that snowplows can reach in the winter. Wendy thinks of the Donner Party, a group of 19th century pioneers who became snowbound in the mountains on the way to California, some of whom resorted to cannibalism to survive. She then asks about the Overlook’s pantry.

From a scenic overlook, they see the Overlook across the canyon. Danny holds the guardrail and then turns gray and begins to shake; he tells his parents he is fine. What he doesn’t tell them is that he saw the Overlook in a vision; it is where the figure chased him with a hammer, shouting at him to take his medicine. Tony warned him about the Overlook, which is also where he saw the word REDRUM.

Part 2, Chapter 9 Summary: “Checking It Out”

When they reach the Overlook, Mr. Ullman is warm with Danny. Wendy remembers her honeymoon at the Beekman Tower in New York; it was one of the best times she and Jack ever had. A clerk talks to a belligerent woman—Mrs. Brant—who is arguing that they have to take her American Express card. Ullman approaches her and placates her somehow. Danny understands that Ullman was only pretending to like Mrs. Brant. He also senses that the Overlook reminds Wendy of a place where she was happy once. It is hard for Danny to remember that Tony’s warnings don’t always come true, but he tries. His parents seem so happy that he does not want to bring up anything negative.

Outside, they look at the roque court—a game similar to croquet—which is surrounded by topiary animals, including a trio of lions. Jack says if he does not trim them, they will move and lose their shape. Danny watches a bellboy handle Mrs. Brant’s luggage. He hears her thought: “I’d like to get into his pants” (68). He resists the urge to ask his mother what that means. As they sit on a couch together, Danny is happy that his parents seem content, but he is worried.

Part 2, Chapter 10 Summary: “Hallorann”

The head cook, Dick Hallorann, is a tall, African American man who gives them a tour of the kitchen after making friends with Danny. The sheer amount of food makes Wendy think of the Donner Party again. She remembers that the medics arrived 10 minutes after Danny broke his arm. If Danny has any sort of health episode after it begins snowing, it will take much longer for help to arrive from Sidewinder.

Hallorann calls Danny “Doc,” and Jack says that’s their nickname for him. Hallorann says that Danny must just look like a Doc. As Hallorann, who is staying in Florida for the winter, looks at Danny, Danny hears Hallorann’s voice inside his head: “Sure you don’t want to go to Florida, doc?” (73).

Hallorann shows them a turkey he left for their Thanksgiving. Then he tells them about one of Watson’s descendants; he and his youngest son were caretakers one winter. The old man died when he put his finger in a light socket. Hallorann then shows them the bar—which has no alcohol stocked in the offseason—The Colorado Lounge. Wendy, unsure why she feels so uneasy, wishes they could leave. Hallorann takes Danny outside, asking him to help with his bags.

Part 2, Chapter 8-10 Analysis

The drive to the Overlook is calm enough until the Torrances get their first sight of the hotel. Danny reacts badly and remembers the horrible vision of the figure chasing him with a hammer in the halls. He also remembers when Tony showed him the word REDRUM. His memory turns him pale and makes him shake, but it passes quickly. Now there is no doubt: the Overlook is the place he saw in his visions. The beauty of the scenic vista contrasts with the horrors awaiting the family inside.

At the hotel, when Danny hears Mrs. Brant’s thoughts, it’s the first sign of how annoying and comical—in addition to invasive and terrifying—having his ability could be. Danny is forced to deal with the constant, mental reminders of his parents’ difficulties, and he is under siege from the chatter of others’ superfluous thoughts.

The size of the pantry is a sobering reminder of how long the winter will be, and of how many guests the Overlook is meant to accommodate. It is not the last time that Wendy will think of the Donner Party, the doomed group of settlers who were forced to resort to cannibalism during an ill-fated journey across America. Like the Torrance family, the Donner Party began its trek with good intentions and aspirations.

The Torrances’ meeting with Hallorann introduces the only character who can mentor Danny in his use of the shining, which is still unnamed at this point. Hallorann is warm, welcoming, and congenial with all three of them. His reaction to Danny is the first sign that someone else has Danny’s ability, or at least, a form of it. After jokingly inviting Danny to come to Florida with him, he thinks, “Sure you don’t want to go to Florida, doc?” (73). Danny hears the thought, even though Hallorann’s mouth does not move. It is clear—especially given their upcoming conversation in Chapter 11—that Hallorann directed the thought at Danny intentionally.