Welcome to Derry May Have Solved a Longstanding It Enigma
The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's pattern of hatred alive. The creature finds easy targets on children from fractured households — youngsters who frequently mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.
The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience
In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, especially when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his inability to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is among the few individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?
Will is a member of the collective of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason he is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the folks who come from the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.
Historical Context
Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the recent film, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see him in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt town affected him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the task it started years ago. Whether through the fear of the entity or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end gets the final victory on Will.
Leroy's Transformation
This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Because he survived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his child. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and provides an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.
“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”
Looking back, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the sickening attraction of Derry.
