The Shining Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 14, Up on the Roof Summary

Chapter 14, Up on the Roof Summary

Jack Torrance is working on the roof of the Overlook during an unseasonably warm fall afternoon, thinking of his play, when a large wall wasp stings him. Peeling away the old shingling he is in charge of repairing, Jack sees a large wasp nest, crawling with slow moving wasps made sluggish by the cool air. As Jack sits, watching, he contemplates the similarities between the wasp nest and his life. Jack decides that his drinking problem, temper, failing marriage, failed profession, and all other occurrences are not his fault, but that he is simply a passive participant in these things which occur to him. He compares the situation to sticking one's hand in a wasp's nest unwittingly, and asks himself if one can be responsible for his actions when his hand is being stung. He thinks back on George Hatfield, the student he beat following an argument in the parking...
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