The IT Spot: Rereading part 26

Time for some hard truths and realizations.

The short (so short it misses the whole point) summation of this segment is Eddie is told by Mr. Keene (the druggist) that his asthma is psychosomatic, and caused by his mother.

I'm almost sure this is him in the new movie. Note the resemblance to Stephen King.

Eddie thinks Keene is calling him crazy, and flees. Afterwards, Henry Bowers finds him, and breaks his arm so badly he goes to the hospital. During his drugged out haze, he sees his ma send the other losers away while IT cavorts in the waiting room. Afterwards he gets some backbone, tells her that he knows about his asthma, that she knew too. He then states that it would be best if he kept up his meds, and kept seeing his friends. His mother knows she’s trapped, and agrees to the terms.

SPOILERS

The short explanation, however, leaves out just how devastating everything in the segment was for Eddie. He goes through the worst pain of his life (up to that point), both physical and emotional. He learns adults can be cruel, both in lies and the truth. He finds out that his mother is hurting him, intentionally, because of how twisted her love is. He also realizes that the eyes of the leper and his mother are the same: both want to consume him. And he has his arm forcefully broken by Henry Bowers.

The other important take away from the segment is how Eddie manages to stand up to his mother, and address some very hard truths. He barely makes it through, but terrifies her while doing so. The whole time there is talk of power, in Eddie, radiating from Eddie, and even from Bill when the losers try to visit. This is the power of Matuin, the Turtle, and IT’s counterbalance.

The turtle hasn’t been explained in the novel yet, so here’s a reminder: Matuin, the Turtle, created our universe, possibly via vomiting up the world and dying. Matuin is the one thing IT fears, but IT thinks the Turtle is dead…or at least hopes so. But Matuin isn’t dead, and is the greater force guiding and helping the Losers, as much as it can. But Bill remembers at one point ‘The Turtle couldn’t help us.’

The Turtle is a big player in other King works, namely The Dark Tower. The short, SHORT, version there is that all worlds are connected via beams running through the Dark Tower (physical and metaphysical). Each beam has a guardian on both ends. Matuin is one of them.

Also, the creators have said aside from easter eggs, the Turtle won't appear in the new film.

What is all boils down to is the kids are getting ready to go into the final battles with IT, and Matuin is doing his last push, giving them his power and guidance (remember the smoke hole?). But at a point, Matuin can no longer help them. And that point is coming soon.

As for the adults, they’re getting closer and closer to the realization/remembrance of these facts, but we’ve still got a ways to go.

SAFE

And before we get there, it’s time to watch a psychopath die and Bev almost get killed…again. Sadly, it’s not Henry who bites it. 

I’m at page 771 of 1090. We’re looking at the final stretch, people. Thanks for staying with me thus far.  At this rate, I’ll finish juuuuuust before the movie comes out. Maybe by then we’ll have some news on the casting of the adult losers. Still pulling for Seth Green as Adult Ritchie and Robert Sean Leonard as Adult Bill.