ACADEMIA Letters

How Objects and Bodies Trigger Emotions

ALVARO CANDIA VERA

When it comes to defining objects, there is no denial that certain things are mere items. How-
ever, it gets harder when we need to identify living beings as objects in some cases, such as
animals and plants. It is even more difficult when we think about parts of a living entity as
objects; such as organs, nails and blood. In this paper, objects will be considered as every-
thing that is altered in any way by humans that detach them from their status as living entities,
or part of them. For example, in the case of taxidermy, the animal is altered to be used as
decoration or as furniture, so it will be considered an object. The same happens with hair that
is no longer part of the body, it will be considered an object as its purpose is lost by not being
part of its original source.
In the 2017 film It, based on the homonym Stephen King’s novel, objects take an important
part in the development of the entire story. To understand this, we need to take in consideration
how the logic of this movie works. In It, the main villain is a trans-dimensional entity that
wakes up every twenty seven years in order to torment people, especially kids, as it feeds
on fear. In order to get what it needs, this creature transforms itself and alters reality of its
victim’s biggest fears which usually takes the form of a creepy clown named Pennywise, as to
be closer to humans while also leaving an uncanny feeling in them. The film takes place in the
80’s, when It torments a group of children from the town it has lived since it came to earth.
This group calls itself the “Loser’s club”, as they are constantly bullied by their classmates.
The only girl from the group, named Beverly, bears a terrible reputation in town. By the
comments of various characters, we get to see that she is believed to be a bad influence on
other kids, as the whole town judges her for rumors about her sexual life at a very young age.
She also suffers from bullying because of her socio-economic status, as she lives in the poorest
part of the town. In a particular scene, Beverly goes back to her home, a filthy and neglected
house where she lives with her dad, with a box of tampons. She tries to go to her room very

Academia Letters, May 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: ALVARO CANDIA VERA, arcandia@uc.cl

Citation: Candia Vera, A. (2021). How Objects and Bodies Trigger Emotions. Academia Letters, Article 921.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL921.

1
quietly, so she is not caught by her father with the object she carries in a bag. Unfortunately,
he finds her in the middle of her way to her bedroom, and asks her about what she has in her
bag. Although she tries to avoid this, he ends up taking her bag to see what is inside. Here
is where the box of tampons gets its important meaning. It is not a secret that, at least in
European American culture, menstruation represents the point in which a girl is turning into a
woman. This is only the start of a chain of physical changes that a girl will go through. Once
the father sees Beverly’s box of tampons, he starts to realize that she is not a girl anymore. In a
very uncomfortable moment for the audience, her father starts to caress her neck and face and
asks her if she is still his little girl. Completely scared, she answers positively, so the father
leaves her right there. The box of tampons lead to a reaction with different interpretations.
First of all, the scene reveals to the audience that Beverly was constantly abused by her
father. This also explains her bad reputation, and why she does not trust anyone. However, the
box of tampons has more meaning than what is shown explicitly. In this sense, we get to see
how disturbed Beverly’s father is. He starts to question the whole situation with his daughter
once he saw the tampons, as he realizes by the object that she is not a little girl anymore. This
questioning reveals that his paraphiliac behavior goes beyond the family connections: he is
actually worried about not having sexual relations with an underage anymore, and that she
can go away from his control at any moment. This shows that he only cares about what he is
interested in, rather than looking for the right development of his daughter, just as everyone
else in the town.
As it was said before, this box of tampons is a physical representation of Beverly growing
up. However, it does not only carry physical changes, but also a psychological development
in her. This goes in hand with the next scene, in which she is (understandably) angry for what
just happened with her dad minutes ago. As she is not thinking consciously, and rather acting
by instinct, she decides to cut her hair. Every lock of hair that goes to the sink represents
her desire of rebellion towards her father. She is able to, for the first time, take a decision
for herself, taking control of her own body. The hair does not belong to her body, just as she
does not belong to her father anymore. It is a cry for freedom, a mechanism to get her own
independence. Once she cuts her hair, a new Beverly is born.
Pennywise, however, is so powerful that has the power to ruin this whole analysis of the
situation. In a later scene, Beverly hears voices coming out from the sink. In a desperate
attempt to understand what is happening, she goes for a measuring tape in order to see what
is inside. It seems to be an infinite sink, until she gets to the end after a long time. Once
she makes it go back, she sees one of her locks of hair covered in blood. Pennywise makes
it grab her, and the hair holds her tight as she screams for help. According to Bennet, “vital
materiality can never really be thrown away” (6), which is exemplified in this scene. Although

Academia Letters, May 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: ALVARO CANDIA VERA, arcandia@uc.cl

Citation: Candia Vera, A. (2021). How Objects and Bodies Trigger Emotions. Academia Letters, Article 921.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL921.

2
Beverly tried to discard her hair, that represented his father’s oppression, Pennywise makes
her hesitant about being able to free herself from her father, as he will always come back in
order to take her. After trying to escape, blood to come out from the sink, covering the entire
bathroom with it. She tries to hide in a corner, and once her father enters, he does not seem
to notice the blood all over the place. The fact that he ignores what covers the whole room,
makes her realize that her father does not really care about what is physiologically happening
to her. In fact, he only criticizes her new haircut, leaving her covered in blood. It is clear that
blood has a direct relation with her realization of this, as things have a “curious ability … to
produce effects dramatic and subtle” (6).
It is a fact that objects have an important role in our development as people. They do not
only take part on how we use them, but they can also trigger certain circumstances in our lives.
What is even more surprising, is the fact that objects also affect us psychologically without
noticing. In the case of Beverly, we could see that objects made her aware of a number of
things about her own life, which she also tried to control by getting rid of them. Things have
a meaning on their own, which is completely related to what we have lived. At certain point,
objects are an extension of ourselves, and once we discard them, we try to get away from that
part of our personality without knowing it.

Works Cited
Bennett, Jane. Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things. Durham, Nc, Duke University
Press, 2010.

It. Dir. Andrés Muschietti. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2017. Film.

Academia Letters, May 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: ALVARO CANDIA VERA, arcandia@uc.cl

Citation: Candia Vera, A. (2021). How Objects and Bodies Trigger Emotions. Academia Letters, Article 921.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL921.