No Clowning Around

Stephen King has been my favorite author for a long time now. His stories are thorough and intriguing. It was difficult to choose which of his books to write about, between "Pet Sematary", "Misery" and "Carrie", all of my top favorites. After thinking for a while, I chose my second favorite King novel, "It".

The novel "It", original cover

"It" is about a disturbing evil dwelling in the town of Derry, Maine that preys upon its people, especially children, and the group of characters who vow to take it on until the end. This evil can take on several forms yet seems to prefer to appear as a clown, dubbing itself as "Pennywise". The transformation into a clown makes sense knowing its preferred prey is children. "Pennywise" is described by Georgie Denbrough, the first child named to be killed by it, as "a cross between Bozo and Clarabell, who talked by honking his (or was it her?-George was never really sure of the gender) horn on Howdy Doody Saturday mornings," (King 12). King elaborates that if George had been around for another year, he would've thought that the clown resembled Ronald McDonald.

Pennywise from the 1990 movie adaption

Pennywise in the drain as George Denbrough meets him 

 The evil being has no real name, yet says that the closest thing to it would be "Robert Gray". Though called "Pennywise" in clown form, the main characters who fight it know that it really isn't a clown. Since there is no real form or name, they call the being "It", thus the book title. This creature, "It", hibernates for a period of two or three decades before eventually coming out of slumber to wreak havoc, which is forgotten by those who witness it.

 The story begins in the 1950's, "Pennywise" lurking in a storm drain and eventually eating the kid brother of one of the main characters. The main characters consist of a group of six people, children at the beginning of the story. Their names are Bill Denbrough, Beverly Marsh (later Beverly Rogan), Ben Hanscom, Stanley Uris, Richie Tozier, Mike Hanlon, and Eddie Kaspbrak. After "Pennywise" kills Bill Denbrough's brother, he and his friends confront the evil being in the sewers afterwards, finally able to suppress it for a couple of decades. However, the children know that it could possibly come back and make a blood oath to re-group if such happens.

Funnily enough, the group of children forget about each other and what happened with the evil being during that time as they grow up and move away. Nearly twenty years later, what would you know, it turns out that the evil being returns. When Mike Hanlon phones his friends to tell them about it, their memories return to them. They all agree to come back, except for Stanley Uris, who cannot bare to go through the experience again and commits suicide. The remaining friends track the evil being down in order to stop it once and for all.

They again track "It" to the sewers where Bill Denbrough takes it on again. He eventually manages to crush the being's heart, and the friends return to their lives. The story ends with Mike writing in a journal, talking with rapid loss of memory about the events. He ends with how he loves his friends, and the story is closed.

This book is long and detailed, an instant positive mark for me. Anything by Stephen King is sure to be worth reading, but the theme and overall story of "It" has captured my heart. The psychological challenges the characters go through and the bond that keeps them together to defeat the creature that wandered the world for so many years before is excellently portrayed.

"It" has been made into a movie adaption in 1990, which is good, yet of course changes a few details that had to be left out or could not be recreated with the limited resources from back then. If you're looking for a thriller, "It" is the book for you.

To Let Music Make You Happy

I'm a huge fan of "feel-good" songs that make my day brighter. I just like being positive in general, so songs that express the desire to pick one's self up and enjoy life really get to me. I've always like "Good Life" by One Republic, however one of my very favorite and less-known songs is "Face Up" by Lights.

Lyrics:

It's late and I am tired, wish I could spark a smile
The place is flying high but right now I want to be low
Don't want to move an inch, let alone a million miles
And I don't want to go but I know I gotta go

[Chorus:]
I just want to feel alive
The times you don't wanna wake up
'Cause in your sleep it's never over when you give up
The sun is always gonna rise up
You need to get up, gotta keep your head up
Look at the people all around you
The way you feel is something everybody goes through
Dark out, but you still gotta light up
You need to wake up, gotta keep your face up

Seems like the more you grow, the more time you spend alone
Before you know it you end up perfectly on your own
The city's shining bright, but you don't see the light
How come you concentrate on things that don't make you feel right

[Chorus]

I'm looking for more than a little bit
I'm gonna have to find my way through it
Gonna leave a mark, I'm gonna set a spark
I'm coming up off the ground
I won't be looking down

[Chorus]

 

       Obviously the first stanza expresses a sadness and loneliness. The singer is disconnected from the world, indicated by how she feels low in comparison to everything else flying high. She's too tired and worn down to even try, nor does she really feel like trying. Everyone can relate to this.

 

The chorus begins with the feeling of wanting things to change. Finally there's a will to get over what's dragging them down. There's that urge, that change.

The next lines address the listener, indicating that the singer wants them to know that they know how they feel. It's not unusual, it's something the singer has known before.

You want to stay asleep, where the world is yours to control and live in, where troubles aren't real. In your sleep, things can keep going without horrible consequences. They are referring to sleep as a restful thing, obviously without nightmares.

 

Yet the singer goes on to say that you don't have to stay asleep for good things to come your way. "The sun is always gonna rise up," lets the listener know that bad times come to pass and light will shine your way once again. It encourages you to keep going, keeping your head up and realizing that not everything around is bad. The people around you feel the same way, you aren't alone in what you feel. It may be dark sometimes, but even you can make yourself feel better by knowing that it will come to pass.

 

The four lines after the chorus are almost like another person arguing with the chorus. As you grow up and leave your parents behind, the adult world grows bigger with more strange people. You will feel a bit more alone. It can be difficult to see the light through all the mess of new experiences. You're scared and you want to hide.

 

After a repeat of the chorus, the stanza shows a change of heart from the previous ones and seems to be encouraged to fight past the unhappiness. They are going to "leave a mark, set a spark" by showing that they do exist, they aren't alone and they don't have to feel that way. Finally the singer wants to leave completely by "coming up off the ground", and they won't be looking back down to the "ground" where their sad feelings are. They leave those behind.

 

The song ends on the happy note of the chorus again, letting listeners know that the bad times won't persist. It picks me up when I feel down and I hope it does so for others.