- After the Flood (1957)
- After the Carnival (1984)
- Six Phone Calls (1985)
- Derry: The First Interlude
- Ben Hanscom Takes a Fall
- Bill Denbrough Beats the Devil (I)
- One of the Missing: A Tale From the Summer of '58
- The Dam In the Barrens
- Georgie's Room and the House On Neibolt Street
- Cleaning Up
- Derry: The Second Interlude
- The Reunion
- Walking Tours
- Three Uninvited Guests
- Derry: The Third Interlude
- The Apocalyptic Rockfight
- The Album
- The Smoke-Hole
- Eddie's Bad Break
- Another One of the Missing: The Death of Patrick Hockstetter
- The Bullseye
- Derry: The Fourth Interlude
- In the Watches of the Night
- The Circle Closes
- Under the City
- The Ritual of Chud
- Out
- Derry: The Final Interlude
- Epilogue: Bill Denbrough Beats the Devil (II)
Derry: The Final Interlude
King often likes to have extended or multi-part epilogues. The final Dark Tower book includes both an epilogue and a coda. The Stand features a two-part epilogue, and was then given an extra section in the Uncut edition. Here we again get an extended ending, the first part of which is bittersweet.
Mike continues his diary entries from his hospital room, where he reveals he has survived and will be fine (it would seem that after killing off the gay character and the Jewish character, King figured he should let the black character live). Audra is fine physically but remains in a catatonic state and will be sent to Bangor Mental Hospital, but Mike offers to let Bill and her housesit his home while Bill tries to revive her. Ben Hanscom and Beverly Marsh make their exit from the story; they will be driving away together, now a couple. How exactly their romance was rekindled as adults was never really explored, but as all of us have been rooting for Ben since the crush was first mentioned, this is a satisfying conclusion nonetheless. Mike grows restless and one night attempts to call Ben's home in Nebraska, but only gets a message that the line has been disconnected, a further sign that the link between them is no more. He later speaks to Richie on the phone, who is back in California. Both of them admit that they are losing their memories. As the two men say their goodbyes, we understand that they will probably never speak again, a fact made even more melancholy by the fact Richie Tozier is also saying his goodbye to us.
This loss of memory is in some sense a positive thing: it confirms that It is definitely dead this time, and it suggests our heroes will lead happy lives rather than have trauma hang over them. But it also adds to the melancholy. Although the end of this tale is a happy one, we can't escape this layer of sadness, again, not unlike the story of Frodo Baggins and his quest. While Frodo is forever changed by his adventure and unable to properly rejoin society before departing for the Grey Havens, the Losers rejoin society far too well and their friendship falls apart. Mike comments that he's already forgotten Stan and Eddie's last names, and fears that their deaths will have been in vain. He also mentions that their names and addresses are fading away in his book, and concludes that all the research he has done for his diary will probably never see the light of day. Derry's true history will remain hidden; even the Losers themselves have fallen victim to the Curse of Ignorance that plagues all of Derry's grown-ups. Now childhood has ended and they have discovered that they are grown-ups themselves.
Mike Hanlon says goodbye to us, and now Bill is the only one left. His problem with Audra is the book's only remaining plotline, and we have one more epilogue, one final section, to go...
Mike continues his diary entries from his hospital room, where he reveals he has survived and will be fine (it would seem that after killing off the gay character and the Jewish character, King figured he should let the black character live). Audra is fine physically but remains in a catatonic state and will be sent to Bangor Mental Hospital, but Mike offers to let Bill and her housesit his home while Bill tries to revive her. Ben Hanscom and Beverly Marsh make their exit from the story; they will be driving away together, now a couple. How exactly their romance was rekindled as adults was never really explored, but as all of us have been rooting for Ben since the crush was first mentioned, this is a satisfying conclusion nonetheless. Mike grows restless and one night attempts to call Ben's home in Nebraska, but only gets a message that the line has been disconnected, a further sign that the link between them is no more. He later speaks to Richie on the phone, who is back in California. Both of them admit that they are losing their memories. As the two men say their goodbyes, we understand that they will probably never speak again, a fact made even more melancholy by the fact Richie Tozier is also saying his goodbye to us.
This loss of memory is in some sense a positive thing: it confirms that It is definitely dead this time, and it suggests our heroes will lead happy lives rather than have trauma hang over them. But it also adds to the melancholy. Although the end of this tale is a happy one, we can't escape this layer of sadness, again, not unlike the story of Frodo Baggins and his quest. While Frodo is forever changed by his adventure and unable to properly rejoin society before departing for the Grey Havens, the Losers rejoin society far too well and their friendship falls apart. Mike comments that he's already forgotten Stan and Eddie's last names, and fears that their deaths will have been in vain. He also mentions that their names and addresses are fading away in his book, and concludes that all the research he has done for his diary will probably never see the light of day. Derry's true history will remain hidden; even the Losers themselves have fallen victim to the Curse of Ignorance that plagues all of Derry's grown-ups. Now childhood has ended and they have discovered that they are grown-ups themselves.
Mike Hanlon says goodbye to us, and now Bill is the only one left. His problem with Audra is the book's only remaining plotline, and we have one more epilogue, one final section, to go...