User blog:AustinDR/PG Proposal: Maturin

What is the work?
It is a 1986 novel by Stephen King. In the novel, an ancient evil known as It awakens every 27 years to feed on the children of Derry, Maine. After killing the young brother of Bill Denbrough, Bill and his friends: Ben, Richie, Eddie, Beverly, Stan, and Mike form the Losers Club to destroy the evil plaguing the town. The club then makes a blood oath to return if It wasn't truly gone before going their separate ways, and as such, It returns with a vengeance 27 years later. This would awaken the Losers Club's memories of their oath and they return to their home town to destroy It once and for all.

The novel was adapted into a 1990 miniseries and a 2017 horror film with part two coming out this year.

Who is he? What has he done?
"See the turtle of enormous girth! On his shell he holds the Earth. His thought is slow but always kind, he holds us all within his mind. On his shell all vows are made. He sees the truth but mayn't aid. He loves the land and he loves the sea. He even loves a child like me."

- Dark Tower series

Maturin is a turtle of enormous size who lived in the Macroverse alongside its brother The Spider otherwise known as It/Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Despite the Spider believing that it and the Turtle were the only beings in existence, the Dark Tower series implicates that they were both the creations of another being named Gan (who is referred to as the mysterious "Other" by the Spider). Debuting in the 1986 horror novel It, Maturin is noted to always be secluded in his shell at least until one day when he had gotten sick and vomited out the universe. From there, he retreated back into his shell. Despite being considered an old fool by the Spider, Maturin proves to be the key to Its' first defeat at the hands of the Losers Club in 1958. When Bill Denbrough and the Losers go into the sewers to confront It, Bill is caught in Its Deadlights and is whisked away into the Macroverse where he then met Maturin.

Bill tries to convince Maturin to help them in their battle with It, but Maturin explains that he was a spectator of the events and could not take an active role. Instead, Maturin teaches him the Ritual of Chud, a psychic battle of wits, and It is badly injured, but isn't killed. It retreats to hibernate for the next 27 years and Bill makes the Losers Club perform a blood oath to promise to return to Derry and finish It if it wasn't truly dead. Sure enough, It resurfaces in 1985 with a new wave of child murders. Six of the Losers Club members (Stan had killed himself so to not confront It again) return to Derry, Maine, and Bill engages in the Ritual of Chud again with It. Unfortunately, Bill realizes that Maturin was dead, It claiming that he must've choked on a planet or two. Despite this, the Losers Club are finally able to kill It (presumably), and they leave the town, their memories fading with them.

Maturin is also revealed to have been one of the Twelve Guardians of the Beam that upheld the Dark Tower.

Goodness Zone/Corrupting Factors
Maturin is benevolent first and foremost and provides the Losers Club with the information they need to defeat It in their first meeting. The Turtle is the Spirit of Creation combating The Spider the Spirit of Consumption, but this doesn't impede Maturin's moral agency. As for being a spectator at first before deciding to give Bill advice...it's more of a cosmological kind of thing that is wonky at best. It's been a long time since I read the novel, but from what I remember, this is not done out of malice or any indifference on Maturin's part. So it's more that the Turtle initially was remorseful for unwittingly creating the universe and thought existence was painful...until he gave Bill advice on stopping It the first time. Aside from this, Maturin is overall friendly and willing to give advice. He is flawed, but still values life.

Admiration Standard
Again, it comes across as a benevolent mentor to the Losers Club and Bill is initially distraught to learn that he had died some years ago.

Verdict
More of a slight "yes" for me.