Stuart Ullman Character Analysis

The manager of the Overlook Hotel. Jack thinks that Ullman is an “officious little prick” the first time he meets him, and Ullman indeed admits he is a “bastard.” He takes his job running the Overlook Hotel seriously, and he fiercely guards its secrets and scandals. When Ullman interviews Jack for the job as the winter caretaker, he specifically brings up Jack’s history with alcoholism and the fact that he was fired from his last job as a means to embarrass him, and he tells Jack he wouldn’t hire him if not for Al Shockley’s insistence. Ullman manages a Florida resort during the offseason, and Jack calls him there in early November to ask about the scrapbook. As their conversation deteriorates (Jack is determined to get revenge on Ullman for embarrassing Jack during his job interview), Ullman forbids Jack to write a book about the Overlook and threatens to fire him. Jack hangs up on Ullman, and Al tells Jack never to call Ullman again—not even if the hotel is on fire. There is no evidence to suggest that Ullman is involved in the hotel’s more sinister side, but he diligently works on the hotel’s behalf, almost obsessively, as if compelled by the hotel itself.