The Shining: What “The Shine” Really Is Explained (Origins & Powers)

At the core of Stephen King’s The Shining is the special ability that gives the novel its name, but what exactly is “the shine”? In 1977, King’s third novel titled The Shining was published, and it was such a big success it helped establish Stephen King as one of the best authors in the horror genre. Three decades later, a sequel to The Shining, titled Doctor Sleep, was finally released, and it continued Danny’s story many years after the events that took place at the Overlook Hotel when he was a kid.

The Shining follows Jack Torrance, an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic who takes a job as the off-season caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, in the Colorado Rockies. Jack is accompanied by his wife, Wendy, and son Danny, but when a snowstorm leaves them cut off from the outside world, the supernatural forces living in the hotel begin to mess with Jack’s sanity. Meanwhile, Danny goes through his own problems as his powers, referred to as “the shining”, awaken the hotel’s evil forces. Doctor Sleep reunited readers with Danny, now an adult still dealing with the trauma from that winter at the hotel, and who comes across another girl with “the shine” and a cult that feeds off the “steam” produced by those with “the shine” who die in pain.

This special ability of “the shine” plays a key role in both stories, as a trigger to the conflicts and a solution as well, but what it really is about changes a bit in Doctor Sleep. So, what exactly is “the shine” what can those who have it do through it?

The Shine’s Origins Explained

Within The Shining and the Stephen King universe in general, the origins of “the shine” haven’t been explored, but it’s known that many people have a bit of it and others have the full package. This ability can pass from generation to generation, but looking at the families known to have it, “the shine” might skip some generations. Dick Halloran told Danny in The Shining that he and his grandmother had conversations through it, and Abra’s great-grandmother in Doctor Sleep also had the shine. As for the shine’s origins outside this universe, in 1972 Stephen King was working on a novel about a psychic boy in a psychic amusement park, and though he abandoned that book, he returned to the idea of a psychic boy when working on The Shining.

The Shine’s Powers Explained

“The shine” is a psychic ability that enables those who have it to read minds and communicate with other shinning users through the mind, and allows them to see events that have happened in the past as well as those that will happen in the future. As mentioned above, some people have a little bit of it (such as Danny’s parents) and others have a very well developed “shine”, as is the case of Danny and Abra. However, in Doctor Sleep, Danny uses his “shine” to comfort dying patients in a hospice, while Abra can use astral projection and fool the True Knot with the help of Dan’s powers. It’s worth noting that Abra is a more powerful “shine” user than Danny, so it’s possible that she has developed even more abilities through it than other characters known to have “the shine”. At its core, then, “the shine” is a combination of telepathy and clairvoyance, and depending on who has it and how developed this power is, other abilities can be explored.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
(3270 Articles Published)

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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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