The Shining Chapter 11 Summary

The Shining

• Halloran asks Danny for help with his luggage. Danny, struggling, carries one of the big bags to Halloran's rental car.
• He tells Danny, "You shine on, boy. Harder than anyone I ever met in my life, and I'm sixty years old this January" (11.7).
• Halloran explains that he calls what Danny can do with his mind "shinin on" (11.78). His grandmother had been able to do it, and so can he. Danny is amazed.
• Halloran asks him to get in the car with him, and Danny does.
• Wendy sees Danny get in and for a minute thinks that Halloran really does plan to take Danny to Florida. But, she sees they are just talking, and relaxes.
• Halloran is explaining to Danny that people who shine are rare, but he does encounter them. Danny, he repeats, is the strongest. Of the people he meet who shine, only a few of them are actually aware of it, like Halloran's grandmother.
• Halloran tells Danny to think something at him very hard. Danny thinks, "(!!! HI, DICK!!!)" (11.36).
• Halloran's teeth clamp together, and he bites his lip drawing blood. Danny asks if he's OK. Dick says he's just a bit "scrambled" (1.41) but will be fine in a minute.
• Danny tells him that he held back some of his strength.
• Halloran wants to know if Danny can read his parents thoughts. He can, but usually tries not to, out of respect for their privacy. But, he always knows how they feel. He knows how Dick feels too, and he apologizes for hurting him.
• As far as people besides his parents, Danny can tell what they are thinking if they are thinking it loudly, like with Mrs. Brandt.
• When Halloran asks Danny about his dreams, he tells Halloran about Tony.
• Suddenly, Danny realizes that Halloran is really worried about him, and he says so.
• Danny tells him about Tony, and how Tony showed him bad things at the Overlook. Danny tells Halloran that Jack can't know about the things Tony showed him. This job is Jack's last chance, and Danny doesn't want anything to mess it up for him. If Jack doesn't finish his play, he'll start drinking again, like before.
• Halloran says that "shining on" is the same as biblical visions, and what "scientists" refer to as "precognition" (11.78) or knowing something will happen, before it happens. He explains that in the same way Danny sees Tony before his visions of the future, Halloran smells oranges before his.
• According to Halloran, the visions "don't always come true" (11.86). Danny understands this; once he'd seen a brother or sister for himself, and that didn't come true.
• Apparently, Halloran has had lots of bad visions at the Overlook – not things a kid like Danny should see. Some of them have to do with the animal hedges. He tells Danny about Dolores Vickery, the maid that was fired for reporting she saw a dead woman in the bathtub of room 217.
• (Fans of the movie will recognize that the film version changes the room number to 237. Why? We do not know.)
• In any case, it's very important that Danny stay out of 217. See, sometimes people who shine can also see things that happened in the past. The things Danny might see in the hotel are things that happened in the past. They can scare you, but can't hurt you – like pictures in a scary story book.
• Danny remembers the Bluebeard story book and the scary pictures in it.
• (In case you don't remember, Bluebeard is the guy who kills all his wives and keeps their heads in a room. Most parents don't read this kind of thing to their kids before bed anymore.)
• Halloran tells Danny just to go the other way if he sees something bad at the Overlook.
• He doesn't think Danny's parents shine, so, they'll probably be OK here.
• At this point, Wendy is motioning for Danny to come back.
• Halloran tells him to have a really great time at the Overlook this winter. If there's a problem, he's to shine as hard as he can to Halloran, and Halloran will hear him and come and help.
• Halloran drives away uneasily, hoping he's right about the things in the hotel not being able to hurt Danny and his family.
• He watches them disappear – "It was as if the Overlook had swallowed them up" (11.27).