Stephen King has created a number of the most well-known and terrifying villains in horror. Amongst these villains is Pennywise, who originates in King’s 1986 novel “IT”. Pennywise is a murderous creature that takes on the type of a clown and kills its victims by shifting into their worst worry and feeding off of stated worry. Pennywise is difficult to explain as a villain, within the sense that we don’t completely know what it’s. The tv and film variations don’t dwell an excessive amount of on Pennywise’s origin outdoors of the way it solely comes again each 27 years. However the novel provides us a bit extra perception into the shapeshifting entity, together with how it calls itself “The Eater of Worlds”, and what that self-proclaimed title means.
What’s Pennywise in ‘IT’?
“IT” is notoriously lengthy, revealed at over 1000 pages, so we get to know extra about what Pennywise is and the place it got here from. The complete rationalization is lengthy and complex, however to place it merely, Pennywise comes from a void known as the Macroverse, however it got here to Earth lots of of years in the past and lived underground of what would finally develop into Derry, Maine — the place “IT” is about. As a result of Pennywise’s shapeshifting talents, its true kind is unknown, and can also be unfathomable to the human eye, and thus its species is named Deadlights.
Pennywise takes on the on a regular basis type of a clown as a result of it’s one of the frequent fears amongst folks, however it has the power to shift into any individual or creature to torment and scare its victims. Pennywise additionally primarily targets kids, since they’re simpler to control and frighten, and it prefers its victims to be scared because it “provides extra taste”. In each the novel and its variations, Pennywise shifts into many alternative types, from a librarian, to a leper, to a lady in a portray, and even a number of the Losers, to taunt and manipulate the group of children. However apart from referring to itself as “Pennywise the Dancing Clown”, it additionally deems itself “The Eater of Worlds”, which is a a lot heavier title.
Why is Pennywise Referred to as “The Eater of Worlds”?
Pennywise refers to itself as “The Eater of Worlds” on a number of events, and although this isn’t defined within the variations, and even totally defined within the e-book, it does trace at Pennywise’s final purpose: to devour all life on the planet. As talked about, Pennywise feeds on worry. The extra scared the sufferer, the tastier. And, since it might shift into no matter worry the sufferer has, Pennywise is seemingly unstoppable, one thing it mentions within the novel when Invoice confronts it:
“That is no phantasm, you silly little boy—that is eternity, My eternity, and you’re misplaced in it, misplaced endlessly, by no means to seek out your means again; you’re everlasting now, and condemned to wander within the black … after you meet Me nose to nose, that’s.”
If it weren’t for the Losers discovering a method to cease it, there was a great likelihood Pennywise would have gone forward with its plan of consuming all life on the planet. Or at the least, all life in Derry, contemplating it hibernates for 27 years at a time. Nonetheless, Pennywise has immense energy that makes its targets a daunting actuality to consider — however it does really sound prefer it’s a actuality that has occurred in different worlds. Whereas we solely see the story of Pennywise’s time in Derry, Maine, it’s prompt by King that Pennywise has really destroyed worlds earlier than, so its self-proclaimed title is probably not so far-fetched.
As if Pennywise’s origin story wasn’t complicated sufficient, it additionally ties into a much bigger a part of the Stephen King lore. Amongst King’s novels, there’s a universe created by Maturin, an enormous turtle who had a stomachache and vomited up stated universe. Maturin is nice, form, and sensible, and is the one factor Pennywise itself is afraid of as a result of Maturin’s pure compassion. It is doubtless that Pennywise has consumed different worlds purely as a result of its penchant for chaos and destruction. However, it could possibly be utilizing the title as a method to instill extra worry in its victims. We might by no means really know the reply, except King himself reveals it, however with how evil and menacing Pennywise has confirmed itself to be on Earth alone, it wouldn’t be shocking if “The Eater of Worlds” title rang true.
