Hey man, first of all, as someone who has spent a not inconsiderable amount of my adult life under some degree of ‘chemical assistance’ (so-to-speak lol) as well as having fancied myself a bit of a writer on occasion, I will absolutely be the first one to say that some pages that sounded like absolute fire as you’re writing them when you’ve been up for three, four, seven days (as one does) they may end up hitting a little different like 20, 30-ish odd years later, when you’ve had a chance to get some sleep. :-p
In all seriousness, I think I can understand what he was going for with that part… My take on it is that he wanted to show that even though they had ostensibly “beaten” (for the time being, anyway) the big bad, it hadn’t come without exacting a terrific price. From then on, no matter, how old they may have been chronologically, their innocence itself (what little that could be said to remain at that point anyway) was completely and irrevocably shattered. And while sure, King could’ve just said as much - perhaps tossed in a few examples showing the kids utter lack of interest in any of their former frivolities or adopting a new outward affect of unflinching stoicism. maybe - but he has always been a bit more of a show-er than a tell-er, hasn’t he?
It’s certainly extreme, I doubt there are many who have read the book who would disagree with that… But - and granted, it’s been awhile since I last re-read It, so my memory very well might be failing me here, so please, correct me if I’m wrong about this - I think it’s made abundantly clear from the very start that it isn’t being written to titillate, and, honestly, perhaps not necessarily even to shock… At least, not as much as you might imagine at first brush. Sure, it’s undeniably shocking, and, given the way it almost seems to come outta left field, largely, may even seem to suggest that, on the surface, it’s there just to be over-the-top and uncomfortable. However, the more I’ve considered it over the years, when it invariably pops up online and gets people talking about it here and there for a minute, I’ve come the think that it may have ultimately just been what King considered the best and most immediate, “in-your-face” way to aggressively demonstrate that even if - against all odds - you do manage to somehow eke out a victory against this abomination who’s existence predates time itself, there will still be consequences to suffer.
Alternately, I’ve also considered that it could simply be intended in more of… Well, the best way I can think to relate it is actually from a racing movie called Days of Thunder, in which - at one point - the crew chief of the protagonist tells him to hit the pace car before it pulls off the track to return them to racing speed. When he asks why, the crew chief simply says, “Well, you already hit every other damn thing out there.”
Hey man, first of all, as someone who has spent a not inconsiderable amount of my adult life under some degree of ‘chemical assistance’ (so-to-speak lol) as well as having fancied myself a bit of a writer on occasion, I will absolutely be the first one to say that some pages that sounded like absolute fire as you’re writing them when you’ve been up for three, four, seven days (as one does) they may end up hitting a little different like 20, 30-ish odd years later, when you’ve had a chance to get some sleep. :-p
In all seriousness, I think I can understand what he was going for with that part… My take on it is that he wanted to show that even though they had ostensibly “beaten” (for the time being, anyway) the big bad, it hadn’t come without exacting a terrific price. From then on, no matter, how old they may have been chronologically, their innocence itself (what little that could be said to remain at that point anyway) was completely and irrevocably shattered. And while sure, King could’ve just said as much - perhaps tossed in a few examples showing the kids utter lack of interest in any of their former frivolities or adopting a new outward affect of unflinching stoicism. maybe - but he has always been a bit more of a show-er than a tell-er, hasn’t he?
It’s certainly extreme, I doubt there are many who have read the book who would disagree with that… But - and granted, it’s been awhile since I last re-read It, so my memory very well might be failing me here, so please, correct me if I’m wrong about this - I think it’s made abundantly clear from the very start that it isn’t being written to titillate, and, honestly, perhaps not necessarily even to shock… At least, not as much as you might imagine at first brush. Sure, it’s undeniably shocking, and, given the way it almost seems to come outta left field, largely, may even seem to suggest that, on the surface, it’s there just to be over-the-top and uncomfortable. However, the more I’ve considered it over the years, when it invariably pops up online and gets people talking about it here and there for a minute, I’ve come the think that it may have ultimately just been what King considered the best and most immediate, “in-your-face” way to aggressively demonstrate that even if - against all odds - you do manage to somehow eke out a victory against this abomination who’s existence predates time itself, there will still be consequences to suffer.
Alternately, I’ve also considered that it could simply be intended in more of… Well, the best way I can think to relate it is actually from a racing movie called Days of Thunder, in which - at one point - the crew chief of the protagonist tells him to hit the pace car before it pulls off the track to return them to racing speed. When he asks why, the crew chief simply says, “Well, you already hit every other damn thing out there.”