Jake Chambers’ “Shine” in The Dark Tower is the source of his psychic powers, connecting him to Danny Torrance’s powers in The Shining and Doctor Sleep. Jake’s “shine” was a major plot point in the movie adaptation of The Dark Tower, allowing him to see Roland Deschain and speak directly to the gunslinger through telepathy.
The concept of “shine” is not unique to The Dark Tower, as Danny Torrance also has psychic abilities called shine in The Shining. However, what’s most confusing is that both Jake and Danny’s powers are referred to as “shine”, despite having different experiences. Jake sees visions of Mid-World, while Danny experiences the horrors of the Overlook Hotel.
The shine is a type of psychic power common to Stephen King’s novels, and Jake’s abilities in The Dark Tower are the same as Danny’s in The Shining. Both characters can speak telepathically and see things normal people can’t. The shine is basically a version of ESP, or psychic abilities.
The Dark Tower is not the only connection between King’s works. The titular tower is the nexus that connects everything King has ever written, holding the universe together and connecting different “levels” of reality. Stephen King himself declared that everything that happens in his books happens on some level of the Tower.
Many of King’s stories share common elements, including the shine. Characters like Carrie White, John Coffey, Mother Abigail, and Johnny Smith all have the shine, and anyone who exhibits supernatural or psychic powers likely has the shine. The shine is also used by both villains and heroes, as seen in The Dark Tower.
The universe of The Dark Tower is sprawling and vast, with many characters who shine throughout King’s novels. The shine is versatile and hard to define, with powers ranging from pyrokinesis to telepathy. The shine, like The Dark Tower itself, ties The Shining and most of King’s body of work together.
