Shirley Hanlon is a minor character in Stephen King's novel It. She is the grandmother of Mike Hanlon, one of the members of the Losers Club who returns to Derry, Maine to fight the evil entity It. She is a kind and supportive woman and also a librarian who taught Mike about the history of Derry and its dark secrets. In the prequel TV series IT: Welcome to Derry, Shirley is named Charlotte Hanlon and is a main character in the first season.
Biography[]
Novel[]
Shirley Hanlon was born in Derry, Maine, and worked as a librarian at the Derry Public Library. She married Leroy Hanlon and had a son, William Hanlon, who married Jessica Hanlon and had a son, Mike. Shirley loved her family dearly and was proud of her grandson, who inherited her passion for books and learning. She was a devout Baptist and attended the Neibolt Street Church School.
Shirley taught Mike about the history of Derry and its mysterious events, such as the Kitchener Ironworks explosion and the Black Spot fire. She encouraged Mike to keep a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and photos related to these incidents, hoping that he would someday find out the truth behind them.
Shirley was aware that Derry was a dangerous and hateful place, especially for people of color. She warned Mike to stay away from the Bowers gang and to be careful of the people who might harm him. She told him to be brave and to stand up for himself and his friends. She supported Mike when he joined the Losers Club, a group of misfit kids who became his best friends. She was happy to see Mike find a place where he belonged and where he could be himself.
Shirley died of natural causes in 1985, a few months before Mike received a phone call from his old friend Bill Denbrough, who told him that IT had returned and that they had to come back to Derry to stop it. Mike was devastated by her death and missed her terribly. He inherited her house and her job as the librarian. He also kept her photo album, which contained pictures of Derry dating back to the 19th century. He discovered that a clown appeared in several of these pictures, and realized that it was IT, the ancient evil that haunted Derry and that he and his friends had faced when they were kids.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In the 1990 miniseries adaptation of It, the character of Shirley Hanlon is omitted. Mike's parents are alive and well, and he lives with them in Derry. He is still a librarian and a historian, and he still keeps a scrapbook of Derry's events.
- In the 2017 film IT: Chapter One, the character of Shirley Hanlon is also omitted. Mike's parents are dead, but they were killed in a fire. Mike lives with his grandfather, Leroy Hanlon, who is a sheep farmer and a strict disciplinarian. He does not work as a librarian, but Mike still learns about Derry's history from a book that Ben finds in the library.
- In the 2019 film sequel IT: Chapter Two, Shirley is also absent.
- In the first season of HBO prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry, she is called Charlotte Hanlon and has a major role. She is portrayed by Taylour Paige.