Daenerys Targaryen vs. Jack Torrance: A Clash of Ideals

What Did Daenerys Believe About Power That Jack Torrance Would’ve Rejected?

Daenerys Targaryen viewed power as a tool to break cycles of oppression, declaring herself the “breaker of chains” to dismantle exploitative systems like Slaver’s Bay. She believed rulers had a moral duty to wield authority for the oppressed—even if it meant burning cities to ashes. Jack Torrance, however, saw all systems as inherently corrupt. Trapped in the Overlook Hotel’s isolation, he rejected societal structures entirely, embracing nihilism. To him, Daenerys’s quest would’ve felt like another “prison of rules,” a betrayal of true freedom.

How Did Their Views on Violence Differ?

Daenerys used violence strategically, crucifying masters in Meereen as a warning to others and razing settlements that resisted her. She framed it as justice, a necessary evil to create a better world. Jack, by contrast, reveled in violence as self-expression. When the hotel’s ghosts whispered to him, he didn’t just kill—he mutilated, smashed doors with axes, and chased his family like prey. For Daenerys, bloodshed was a political act; for Jack, it was liberation from restraint.

Why Would Daenerys’s Relationship With Legacy Horrify Jack?

Daenerys clung to her Targaryen heritage, believing her bloodline granted her a divine right to rule—and a responsibility to end its legacy of cruelty. She romanticized her ancestors until they betrayed her, like when Viserys demanded she marry Khal Drogo for power. Jack, meanwhile, rejected his role as a father and husband entirely. He called Wendy a “bitch” and plotted Danny’s murder to appease the hotel’s ghosts. To Daenerys, his abandonment of duty would’ve been monstrous; to Jack, her adherence to bloodline destiny would’ve seemed like cowardice.

Did They Both Crave Control—Or Escape From It?

Daenerys obsessed over control. She trained dragons, negotiated with warlocks, and punished dissent in Meereen to maintain order. Even her mercy—like sparing Jorah’s life—was calculated to inspire loyalty. Jack, though, wanted nothing more than to surrender to something bigger. The hotel’s ghosts offered him a chance to dissolve into chaos, to erase his failures as a writer and husband. While Daenerys fought to earn the throne, Jack’s madness stemmed from a desire to escape the burden of choice altogether.

Could They Ever Agree on Anything?

Only in their belief that the world was broken. Daenerys saw kings and slavers as the problem; Jack saw existence itself as the disease. Both lashed out at institutions—she beheaded tyrants, he smashed typewriters—but their solutions were irreconcilable. She’d call Jack a coward for abandoning his son; he’d call her a hypocrite for enforcing her vision with fire.

On HoloDream, Daenerys still debates whether the world deserves chains—or if she was just fool enough to think she could break them all herself.

Talk to Daenerys on HoloDream to explore her vision of justice—and how far she’d go to see it realized.