- 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)
The Ritual of Chud
This is the chapter that changes everything:
In 1958, the children enter the lair and face a giant Spider. It's already been stated that King is an admirer of The Lord of the Rings, and this sequence pays allusion to the battle with Shelob (King will again feature a giant spider in the form of the character Mordred in The Dark Tower). The children are no match for the Spider physically, yet Bill challenges It through the mental Ritual of Chud. Their bodies remain put and suddenly Bill's spirit seems to float in a void, able to interact directly with It, as he is thrust through the universe, all the way to where the deadlights live, outside of space and time, and there he will be driven insane. The Turtle appears but does not interfere, simply referring to Bill as "kid." The Turtle seems almost like a cartoon character with an undefined purpose. However, Bill is able to fight back by doing exactly what It mentioned earlier: using his imagination against It. Bill professes he believes in Santa Claus, superstitions, and the love of his parents. The two battle it out!
This is Chud: the belief and optimism of a child vs. the wrath and malice of a monster. Bill becomes stronger and stronger, saying the "He thrusts his fists" line over and over, wounding It. For just as a victim's fear provides nourishment, a victim's courage and confidence provides pain. With It wounded and seemingly dying, Bill is released from the void as the Spider retreats. The children are unsure if they have killed It or not (though they all seem to implicitly understand that they have at least sent It into hibernation and ended the current cycle), but at that moment the web begins to collapse, and so our heroes exit to make their way back.
Again, while never directly stated, it's worth mentioning what happens to Henry: still screaming and running in the darkness, he eventually comes to the same door of Its lair, which he sees as a pale moon, but doesn't go in. Instead he continues running, eventually falling into running water, washes up in the canal, falls and is knocked out until dark, catches a ride home, and finds the police there waiting for him. It's not revealed why the cops were there; perhaps the old lady in the car that Henry threatened earlier called the police on him and mentioned the knife. The cops later discovered Butch's corpse killed with a knife that would match that description. This would certainly seem to incriminate Henry.
In 1985, the adults enter the lair of It to find a comatose Audra caught in the web and Tom's corpse on the floor (Richie reflects that he resembles the adult Henry). Bill again enters the void, but this time he is much weaker. The adult Bill's imagination does not have quite the amount of free-flowing serendipity as that of a child's. It taunts him, saying that the Turtle has died. Richie also jumps into the void and, using his humor, is able to hurt It. We also learn that outside, Derry continues to be destroyed in the ongoing storm and that Officer Nell dies, saying exactly what Richie says in his Irish Cop voice at the same time. It would seem that Richie's talent of impersonation is not due to technique but to a psychic connection he has always had with Nell. However, Richie is no match for It either, and soon it is Eddie, in a scene reminiscent of his encounter with the Crawling Eye, who jumps forward to save them by spraying the Spider with his asthma medicine, which his imagination believes is poison, thus making it so. Bill and Richie are freed from the void, but Eddie's arm is bit off by the Spider and he is throw aside to his death. The Spider again retreats, but our heroes, empowered by Eddie's sacrifice, give chase. While fleeing, the Spider unleashes its eggsac of miscarried newborns, and Ben quickly stays behind to stomp them out.
I've always been disappointed by Tom Rogan's fate; after being built up so much in the "Three Uninvited Guests" chapter, he does seem to be killed off abruptly, simply from having seen It in Its true form. I think it would have been nice to have had a final confrontation between him and Beverly in the sewers, and then have him be killed by the falling web or something similar. I also often wondered if the revelation that It was pregnant feels a little tacked on; having Ben stomp on the eggs seems a little anti-climatic. What is interesting is how It has been progressively dehumanized throughout. Initially It was presented to us as Pennywise the Clown who, despite having supernatural powers, appeared human. Slowly, the use of Pennywise has been progressively phased out by more and more use of monsters, until now, at the very end, It is just an insect. Seeing It as a Spider makes us think of It not as an intelligent villain with an ego but as a Creature that feeds just like any other. The Creature has no grand plan; it just needs to survive: pure id.
This chapter infamously ends with Love and Desire. As the seven children make their way back, they become lost in the sewers. With no idea what to do, and feeling that their strength is wearing off now that they have confronted It, Beverly suggests that they make love. What follows is very surreal; as with the risque content in the Patrick Hockstetter chapter, it is awkward for the reader and King is again tap-dancing on the line of what is appropriate. Yet he proceeds with the scene confidently, showing no shame in what he's writing. As Beverly engages in prepubescent sex with Eddie, Mike, Richie, and Stan, one senses that this act is the true threshold, the final dance of the Ritual of Chud. "It" no longer refers to the monster but to the act of sex. Now they are truly adults and will share a bond that is beyond mere romantic love. It is King's way of showing us that while childhood is a positive thing, so is the act of coming of age. It also is a purification for Beverly; her father has verbally and emotionally abused her, making her feel ashamed of sex. Now she reinvents sex and makes it a positive thing. She continues to think of birds during the act, as if to her this sensation is more amusing and lovely than it is stimulating. Finally she makes love to Ben and Bill, both of whom have stronger feelings for. Ben is described as being very "big" and being the the first one to actually make Beverly climax. We know Ben has had this crush for months. Bill also makes Beverly climax as he will years later, a sign that her love is communal.
It is particularly interesting that Beverly is the only girl in the group; does that make this scene seem to degrade her? How would the scene feel if it was one boy and six girls? Or a more evenly-mixed group? This is a subject King fans have had discussions about for years and hopefully will continue to do so. But the bottom line is that the act doesn't appear to be a sensual one so much as a mystical one. It eases the tension and makes the group stronger as a single unit.
With the act over and done with, they continue, calmly, and find their way in the dark.
In 1958, the children enter the lair and face a giant Spider. It's already been stated that King is an admirer of The Lord of the Rings, and this sequence pays allusion to the battle with Shelob (King will again feature a giant spider in the form of the character Mordred in The Dark Tower). The children are no match for the Spider physically, yet Bill challenges It through the mental Ritual of Chud. Their bodies remain put and suddenly Bill's spirit seems to float in a void, able to interact directly with It, as he is thrust through the universe, all the way to where the deadlights live, outside of space and time, and there he will be driven insane. The Turtle appears but does not interfere, simply referring to Bill as "kid." The Turtle seems almost like a cartoon character with an undefined purpose. However, Bill is able to fight back by doing exactly what It mentioned earlier: using his imagination against It. Bill professes he believes in Santa Claus, superstitions, and the love of his parents. The two battle it out!
This is Chud: the belief and optimism of a child vs. the wrath and malice of a monster. Bill becomes stronger and stronger, saying the "He thrusts his fists" line over and over, wounding It. For just as a victim's fear provides nourishment, a victim's courage and confidence provides pain. With It wounded and seemingly dying, Bill is released from the void as the Spider retreats. The children are unsure if they have killed It or not (though they all seem to implicitly understand that they have at least sent It into hibernation and ended the current cycle), but at that moment the web begins to collapse, and so our heroes exit to make their way back.
Again, while never directly stated, it's worth mentioning what happens to Henry: still screaming and running in the darkness, he eventually comes to the same door of Its lair, which he sees as a pale moon, but doesn't go in. Instead he continues running, eventually falling into running water, washes up in the canal, falls and is knocked out until dark, catches a ride home, and finds the police there waiting for him. It's not revealed why the cops were there; perhaps the old lady in the car that Henry threatened earlier called the police on him and mentioned the knife. The cops later discovered Butch's corpse killed with a knife that would match that description. This would certainly seem to incriminate Henry.
In 1985, the adults enter the lair of It to find a comatose Audra caught in the web and Tom's corpse on the floor (Richie reflects that he resembles the adult Henry). Bill again enters the void, but this time he is much weaker. The adult Bill's imagination does not have quite the amount of free-flowing serendipity as that of a child's. It taunts him, saying that the Turtle has died. Richie also jumps into the void and, using his humor, is able to hurt It. We also learn that outside, Derry continues to be destroyed in the ongoing storm and that Officer Nell dies, saying exactly what Richie says in his Irish Cop voice at the same time. It would seem that Richie's talent of impersonation is not due to technique but to a psychic connection he has always had with Nell. However, Richie is no match for It either, and soon it is Eddie, in a scene reminiscent of his encounter with the Crawling Eye, who jumps forward to save them by spraying the Spider with his asthma medicine, which his imagination believes is poison, thus making it so. Bill and Richie are freed from the void, but Eddie's arm is bit off by the Spider and he is throw aside to his death. The Spider again retreats, but our heroes, empowered by Eddie's sacrifice, give chase. While fleeing, the Spider unleashes its eggsac of miscarried newborns, and Ben quickly stays behind to stomp them out.
I've always been disappointed by Tom Rogan's fate; after being built up so much in the "Three Uninvited Guests" chapter, he does seem to be killed off abruptly, simply from having seen It in Its true form. I think it would have been nice to have had a final confrontation between him and Beverly in the sewers, and then have him be killed by the falling web or something similar. I also often wondered if the revelation that It was pregnant feels a little tacked on; having Ben stomp on the eggs seems a little anti-climatic. What is interesting is how It has been progressively dehumanized throughout. Initially It was presented to us as Pennywise the Clown who, despite having supernatural powers, appeared human. Slowly, the use of Pennywise has been progressively phased out by more and more use of monsters, until now, at the very end, It is just an insect. Seeing It as a Spider makes us think of It not as an intelligent villain with an ego but as a Creature that feeds just like any other. The Creature has no grand plan; it just needs to survive: pure id.
This chapter infamously ends with Love and Desire. As the seven children make their way back, they become lost in the sewers. With no idea what to do, and feeling that their strength is wearing off now that they have confronted It, Beverly suggests that they make love. What follows is very surreal; as with the risque content in the Patrick Hockstetter chapter, it is awkward for the reader and King is again tap-dancing on the line of what is appropriate. Yet he proceeds with the scene confidently, showing no shame in what he's writing. As Beverly engages in prepubescent sex with Eddie, Mike, Richie, and Stan, one senses that this act is the true threshold, the final dance of the Ritual of Chud. "It" no longer refers to the monster but to the act of sex. Now they are truly adults and will share a bond that is beyond mere romantic love. It is King's way of showing us that while childhood is a positive thing, so is the act of coming of age. It also is a purification for Beverly; her father has verbally and emotionally abused her, making her feel ashamed of sex. Now she reinvents sex and makes it a positive thing. She continues to think of birds during the act, as if to her this sensation is more amusing and lovely than it is stimulating. Finally she makes love to Ben and Bill, both of whom have stronger feelings for. Ben is described as being very "big" and being the the first one to actually make Beverly climax. We know Ben has had this crush for months. Bill also makes Beverly climax as he will years later, a sign that her love is communal.
It is particularly interesting that Beverly is the only girl in the group; does that make this scene seem to degrade her? How would the scene feel if it was one boy and six girls? Or a more evenly-mixed group? This is a subject King fans have had discussions about for years and hopefully will continue to do so. But the bottom line is that the act doesn't appear to be a sensual one so much as a mystical one. It eases the tension and makes the group stronger as a single unit.
With the act over and done with, they continue, calmly, and find their way in the dark.