The Wasps' Nest Incident

The wasps' nest serves as a symbol of hidden danger and Jack's failure to protect his family.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Discovering the Nest

The Roof Work The Sting While reshingling the roof, Jack uncovers a large wasps' nest. He is stung once. He decides to destroy the nest with a bug bomb. The Symbol Jack sees the nest as a symbol of the hidden dangers in life. He thinks he has dealt with it. The Irony Jack's confidence is misplaced. The wasps will return, just as the hotel's dangers will return.

The Bug Bomb

The Treatment The Bombing Jack uses a bug bomb to kill the wasps. He follows the directions carefully. He believes the nest is safe. The Gift Jack gives the empty nest to Danny as a curiosity. Danny puts it in his room. The False Security Jack is proud of his work. He does not realize that the bomb was defective. The wasps are not all dead.

The Night Attack

The Stinging The Awakening In the middle of the night, Danny wakes to find wasps crawling on his hand. They sting him repeatedly. He screams in pain. The Panic Jack and Wendy rush to help. Jack kills the wasps and takes the nest outside. Danny's hand is badly swollen. The Aftermath Jack is furious and guilty. He blames the bug bomb manufacturer. The incident shakes Wendy's trust in Jack's judgment.

The Frozen Nest

The Evidence The Photographs Jack takes Polaroid pictures of Danny's stung hand, planning to sue the manufacturer. The photos are evidence of his failure. The Disposal Jack puts the nest outside to freeze. He is disturbed that the wasps seemed to come back to life. He wonders if the hotel is responsible. The Omen The wasps' nest becomes an omen of the hotel's malevolence. It foreshadows the supernatural dangers to come.

October 20

October 20, later that day

October 20, that night

October 21, the next morning