The Shining: A Close Up On Danny Torrance

Danny Torrance is one of the main characters in The Shining by Steven King. He is the son of Wendy and Jack Torrance and he is definitely a special child.

When Danny was born, Wendy's first impression of her son was a faceless baby. Danny came out with the caul, which is the innermost membrane inclosing a fetus, over his head. Immediately, Wendy screamed but realized her initial impression of her son was incorrect. Danny indeed had a face. There is an old wives tale which claims that children born with the caul over their head has a "second sight". Although Wendy didn't believe in this wives tale, she kept the caul in a jar after his birth. As Danny got older, his second sight became apparent.

Danny is able to tell the emotions shared between his parents. One of the scariest feelings he was able to grasp from them was their contemplation over getting a divorce.

"They came to him only as colors and moods. Mommy's DIVORCE thoughts centered around what daddy had done to his arm, and what had happened at Stovington when daddy lost his job... Daddy's DIVORCE thoughts were more complex, colored with dark violet and shot through with frightening veins of pure black" (40).

Along with being able to tell, feel and see peoples emotions, Danny goes through what his parents think are "fainting spills".

"And because it had seemed desperately important, he had thrown himself fully into concentration and something had happened. When he came back to real things, he was laying on the floor with beans and mashed potatoes on his lap and his mommy was holding him and crying and Daddy had been on the phone. He had been frightened , had tried to explain to them that there was nothing wrong, that this sometimes happened to him when he concentrated on understanding more than what normally came to him" (41).

In the novel, Danny's ability to read minds is known as shining. When Danny and his parents get to the hotel for the winter, Danny meets a man named Dick Halloran who is also able to shine. Halloran and Danny are able to send warning signs and messages to each other through their minds. Danny is a special child with extraordinary powers and abilities.