Tony Character Analysis

Danny’s “imaginary friend.” Tony brings Danny visions that allow Danny to see into the future. With his power to “shine,” Danny concentrates and asks Tony to come to him, and he shows Danny what might happen. Tony is always situated far away, somewhere in Danny’s periphery, and Danny never gets a good look at him. Tony shows Danny things, like the location of Jack’s lost trunk and a huge building with lots of snow. Tony also shows Danny visions of a strange figure wielding a roque mallet and chasing him through the Overlook Hotel, and as well as images of mirrors with the word “Redrum” written on them. When Jack and Wendy take Danny to see a doctor, Dr. Edmonds, about Danny’s catatonic spells, Edmonds tells them that Danny invented Tony at a time when his life was stressful—Jack abused Danny and broke his arm, and Danny was constantly worried that his parents would get a divorce. But now that Danny doesn’t need Tony anymore (Jack and Wendy are happy and Jack is sober and not abusing Danny), Tony has become a terrifying presence. During the course of Danny’s time at the Overlook Hotel, Tony stops coming to him, blocked by the hotel’s power. Tony manages to come through near the end of the novel and tells Danny that he, Tony, is a part of him. Tony is the part of Danny that “knows things,” the part that “shines,” and he is the part of him that knows Jack is the figure with the mallet and that “redrum” is murder. Tony stands in front of Danny for the first time, and it is like Danny is looking into a mirror in 10 years. Tony tells Danny the last time he sees him that Danny will remember something Jack forgets, and Danny indeed remembers that Jack has forgotten to check the hotel’s boiler—right before it blows up, killing Jack and destroying the hotel.