Good vs Evil
The major theme in this novel is the fight of good against evil. Pennywise epitomizes all that is evil, not just through the terrifying appearance but also through his motivations and actions towards killing children. The Loser’s club, alternatively, are a physical representation of goodness – children are deemed to be innocents and this may have been why King chose to write about them. However, the lines begin to get blurred on who/what really is evil. Is pennywise evil, when all he is doing is fulfilling the circle of life – he needs to hunt to survive and children are his prey – does this make him evil? Alternatively, human characters, such as Beverly’s father and Henry Bowers are shown to commit heinous acts that arguably are motivated by worse intentions than Pennywise’s. So who is truly evil?
Loyalty and friendship
This is a secondary theme throughout the books and is tested at multiple times throughout. Initially, the Loser’s band together to fight against Pennywise who is equally hunting them all. Their friendship is tied together by a collective goal. However, in the second half, they are all grown up and forget the forges of friendship that bound them 27 years ago. The journey to regain that loyalty is more difficult as adults and never reaches the same level and ease as it did when they were young children.
