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Hero

There are technically 7 heroes in this story,  so I will focus briefly on all of them, and then choose one or two specific characters for each part of the project it that's alright.

The leader of the Magic 7 is "Stuttering" Bill Denborough. Bill's younger brother Georgie was killed by the monster, and Bill wants to avenge him.  After the events of the summer of 1958, Bill grew  up to become a famous author. As a child he had a stutter, which he managed to work out of, until being called back to Derry, where it came back to him.

Ben "Haystack" Hanscom is the romantic of the group. He is the boy most in love with the heroine, Beverly Marsh.  Even as a child, he was very good at building things, and he ends up becoming a famous architect. He was a book worm as a child, and very very overweight.

Richie Tozier. The wise guy, the funny bone of the group. Richie is the Man of a Thousand Voices, the comic relief. He grows up to be a radio announcer and dj.

Eddie Kaspbrack is a hypochondriac. His mother helped fill his mind with all sorts of worries and fears, such as his psychosomatic asthma. He is also a natural compass, in that he can find his way anywhere. He ends up being a limo driver in New York City.

Stan "the Man" Uris is obsessed with things being 'right'. He has the hardest time accepting that any of the events are real. This is important when the call comes for him to return.

Beverly "Bev"  Marsh is the only girl in the group. She comes from a poor family, and is much loved by Ben, although she tends to lean more towards Bill. She's got a great eye for shooting, and ends up a very successful fashion designer married to a man just like her horribly abusive father.

And finally, we have Mike  Hanlon. Mike is the only character that ends up staying in Derry after that summer. He's fast, and has an interest in the history of Derry that is partially caused by his father, and partially caused by the monster and his experiences as a child. He is the light house keeper, the one who brings them all back when they are needed again.

Plot Summary

This is the story of 7 children who attempt to defeat an evil force in the town of Derry, Maine. The children believe that they have defeated the monster, but despite this they make a promise that should It come back, they will all return to defeat it permanently. Time passes and they all grow up and forget about their childhoods, until the one boy who remained in Derry calls them to fulfill their promise.

The wonderful thing about the book It is that there are 2 cycles of the Journey of the Hero. One cycle takes place in the summer of 1958 when the characters are children, and the other in 1985 once the characters have grown up. Thus, I will explain each section twice, sometimes with a different character for each part. Don't worry, I'll be sure to mark who I'm discussing and when it takes place.

Departure

~Call to Adventure

1958

Each character in the story receives a different call to adventure, because each character in the story has a different fear. Bill, for example, sees blood come from a photograph of his dead brother (who was killed by It). Beverley hears voices in the drain, and blood splatters over her bathroom. Stan sees the dead boys, Eddie the leper, Richie the werewolf, Mike the giant bird, and Ben has his mummy. Each of the 7 is confronted by their own demon, and that is their call. It tries to use their fear to kill them, but they win, and by winning once, they are thrust into fighting It for real.

1985

This time the group is not hunted by their fear, instead, the call comes from one of their own. Mike literally calls them on the phone, and tells them that the monster has come back, and that they need to remember their promise to destroy it.

~Refusal of the Call

1958

Stan the Man Uris. Stan was always the most unbelieving of the group. He liked to have everything neat and orderly. More than anything, he liked to have everything be real. He always had trouble accepting It, even as a child, when his imagination still worked. The first time, after discussing what everyone had seen in their separate encounters, he attempts to run. He backs away, shaking his head in disbelief and repeating "no" over and over again until he finally gives in. The adult Stan does not react the same way.

1985

As an adult, what is real and what is not is even more firmly fixed. This is where the refusal of the call is not overturned. Stan Uris commits suicide rather than go back and face It. The ultimate refusal.

~Supernatural Aid

The odd thing about a story dealing with supernatural beings, is that the group isn't given supernatural aid until the very end. The only hint of it in 1958 was  the odd coincidences that bring the group together. In 1985 the Turtle (the being that aided them in the final battle) is dead, and they are left only with the power of their imaginations.

~Crossing of the First Threshold

1958

The cycle of events in It are slightly out of order. You see, I count Crossing of the First Threshold to be when they join the group. Some of the characters join the group before there is a call to adventure. For example, before Ben ever sees the mummy, he is chased by resident bully Henry Bowers into the Barrens. It is in the Barrens where the "Loser's Club" is formed and meets. This is when Ben begins to cross the threshold. For Mike, he has already had his call to adventure upon being chased by the predatory bird, but meets with club after being chased by, again, Henry Bowers, into the place where the Loser's Club is hanging out.

1985

As the adults return to Derry, they begin to shift back into their childhood selves. Richie Tozier, who gave up his glasses for contacts ages ago, finds them excruciatingly painful, and begins wearing glasses again. Bill assumes his old role of leader.  They all go back to how things were, and once they are there, that is when they enter…

~Belly of the Whale

1958

As children, they Loser's Club decides to take down It. That very moment is when the enter the Belly of the Whale. The moment that Bill says he wants  to kill it, and the rest agree to help them, they leave the world of normalcy behind and must prepare for going against a creature so evil and ancient that there is no memory of ins origins.

1985

The adults enter the Belly of the Whale after touring their old town, and meeting up at the library. The moment they decide to try again, the are there, and things begin to get weird. It is a force that will stop at nothing to save Itself, and that is evident the moment they agree. It causes at that moment for balloons with horrible things written on them to appear and pop terrifyingly.