*Clown Warning and Spoilers for It: Chapter 2 ahead*
In the original film adaptation of Stephen King's It that came out in 1990, the characters aren't explored as deeply as they are in the two-part remake of 2017 and 2019. Richie Tozier is one of the main characters of the film, being a part of the "losers club". It is shown in both films that Richie is bullied by his peers and often called slurs towards gay people. The relationship Richie Tozier has with his sexuality in the 1990 version of the film is subtle and not ever explicit within the text but in the 2019 adaptation of the film, it is explored a lot more. Pennywise feeds on the fear of the "losers club", and Richie's biggest fear is for others to know his true self. When Pennywise chases Richie and tells him "I know your secret, your dirty little secret" it becomes more clear what exactly Richie's secret is.
The syntagmatic relationship between Richie and his best friend Eddie also plays into how Richie's discomfort with his sexuality affects the way he builds relationships. The fear of having someone know his true self causes Richie to keep people at arm's length and use comedy as a way to cope with his internal conflict. The articulation of this is shown when Eddie dies, and Richie has this moment of intense emotion as he comes to realize the fact that the only person he has ever loved just died.
To help build your argument I think you should add ideology, genre, and the social history. I think talking about the social History of the LGBT community in movies during the time of the first movie would help build your arguement and what we discussed in class 10/10/19 should help you.
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