Welcome to Derry Could Have Unraveled a Longstanding Pennywise Enigma
The clown's influence on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's pattern of animosity alive. It preys most easily on children from broken homes — youngsters who often mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.
The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance
In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, especially when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of adults who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his inability to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?
The boy is part of the collective of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have decayed internally.
Backstory Connections
Based on the It novel, we know the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the 2017 movie, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with his father surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid youth, once he became an adult, turned to drink to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt environment got to him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the task it began long before. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, instigated by Pennywise, It in the end gets the final victory on Will.
The Father's Evolution
These occurrences would clarify how Leroy changes so drastically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he appears resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. However, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.
“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”
In hindsight, this could represent a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of Derry.
