Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Shining, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Fear, the Paranormal, and Reality
Precognition, Second Sight, and the Shining
Family
Isolation and Insanity
Alcoholism and Abuse
Time
Summary
Analysis
After Hallorann and Danny load Hallorann’s luggage into the trunk, Hallorann invites Danny to sit in the car with him, though he worries momentarily that someone will think he is trying to kidnap the boy. In the car, Hallorann tells Danny that he has the strongest “shine” he has ever seen, and Hallorann will be 60 this winter. Hallorann can shine as well, at least that is what his grandmother called it, and she had the “shining,” too. Hallorann asks Danny if he has been lonely thinking he was the only one, and Danny nods. There are others, Hallorann says—lots of people shine and don’t even know it. “Give me a blast,” Hallorann tells Danny. “Think at me.” Danny concentrates and sends a message: “!!! HI, DICK!!!” Hallorann immediately recoils, stunned by Danny’s strength.
Danny’s ability to shine is often isolating. He sees and hears things that he doesn’t understand and can’t talk to anyone about them because no one understands or believes him. For Danny, the idea that there are others who shine is incredibly comforting. The “blast” that Danny sends Hallorann demonstrates the power to “shine” that he and Hallorann share, as well as the powerful telepathic connection between them. Hallorann’s strong reaction to Danny’s message suggests that the young boy’s shining is particularly powerful.
Themes
Danny hesitates, and finally asks Hallorann if he can do anything else besides enter thoughts. Sometimes, Hallorann says, there are dreams. Danny says that he sometimes dreams, too, only he is awake when this happens. Tony brings the dreams, Danny explains. Wendy and Jack call Tony his “imaginary friend,” and when Tony comes, Danny kind of passes out and sees things. Hallorann explains what Danny has is called “shinin on.” Some call it visions or precognition, but it is really just seeing the future. When Hallorann shines, he smells oranges, but the dreams and feelings he perceives don’t always come true.
Tony is more that Danny’s “imaginary friend”—he is part of Danny’s subconscious, the part that knows things. By creating Tony and distancing himself from his ability to shine, Danny can feel more like a normal kid. This way, Danny isn’t shining, Tony is, and he just conveys messages to Danny.
Themes
Hallorann tells Danny that he has worked at the Overlook for two seasons now, and he has had some bad dreams and seen some bad things. There was even a maid, Delores Vickery, who saw something in room 217. She could shine, Hallorann says, but she didn’t know it. He tells Danny that something bad happened in room 217, and that Danny should never go in there. Many bad things have happened in the hotel, and people who can shine will see them, but the visions can’t hurt Danny. Hallorann says the visions are like pictures, and Danny shouldn’t be afraid.
Hallorann’s disturbing dreams and experiences at the Overlook validate Danny’s premonitions about the hotel, suggesting that he has good reason to be afraid. Hallorann’s explanation that people who shine can see the bad things that have happened at the Overlook establishes a sense of warped time at the hotel, as apparently Hallorann, Danny, Delores, and others are able to see remnants of past events that others can’t perceive.
Themes
Hallorann asks Danny if his parents can shine, and Danny says he doesn’t think so. Hallorann tells Danny that he’d tried to send Wendy a thought, and that she’d jumped a little bit. All mothers can shine, Hallorann explains. Hallorann had tried to send Jack a thought, too, but Jack’s mind was blocked, as if he was hiding something. Hallorann doesn’t bother telling Danny this and instead says he doesn’t think Jack can shine at all.
What Jack is hiding here is debatable—perhaps it is his lingering cravings for alcohol or his mental instability. Although Hallorann tells Danny that Jack can’t shine, but it is implied that he might actually be able to. Thus, it is possible that what Jack is hiding is his own shine.
Themes
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Danny becomes aware of Wendy’s thoughts. She is starting to wonder what he is doing in the car and wants him to come back. He tells Hallorann that he must go, and Hallorann tells Danny that if he ever needs help, he should send him thoughts in Florida. Danny’s shine is so strong, Hallorann knows he will hear it. As Danny walks away, he is still frightened. Hallorann doesn’t think anything at the hotel can hurt Danny.
Hallorann’s instructions for Danny contradict his former reassurance that nothing Danny sees at the Overlook can hurt him—clearly, if Hallorann expects that Danny might need help, this means that whatever is present at the hotel could very well cause harm. Likewise, Danny is left still feeling afraid of the Overlook and uncertain of what the future holds.
Themes
