Memory as Monster

This chapter examines the role of memory in the lives of the Losers, tracing how remembering or forgetting certain parts of their past helps or hurts them in overcoming their literal and figurative demons. Just as Pennywise assumes the form of what scares them most, the memories of the Losers twist or become lost as they leave Derry following the initial “victory” over Pennywise. It is only through the Losers Club itself, their form of group therapy and confrontation, that the Losers are able to defeat Pennywise. In remembering together and facing their traumas, they win. However, the novel ends with the remaining Losers and the townspeople forgetting all about “It.” This begs the question: why would Pennywise and the resulting horrors, their biggest possible traumas, be so easily forgotten? Are more personal traumas, the intimate ones that often happen behind closed doors, the ones that stick in our memory?