"The Body" by Stephen King
Plot: The plot of this story is a group of four boys who go looking in search of the corpse of a boy named Ray Brower. The structure of this plot is Gordie telling a story about an event that happened right before he began junior high. It is a story that is told in past tense. Throughout the story, there are mentionings about the present. This gives the reader a better understanding of the characters in the story, and see the effect certain events in the past had on Gordie in the future. For example, when Gordie sees the deer, he says right after about how he would think of that moment "when there was trouble in [his] life". Another important part of the plot is the stories that Gordie writes. The one called Stud City relates to Gordies feelings towards his family. Both he and the character lost their brother, and there is conflict with the parents. The stories he tell sometimes give the reader insight on the character of Gordie. In addition to structure, the narrative pace has an effect of the overall story. The next year after the 'adventure' is told in a very quick pace. It says how the friends drifted apart and then how Chris ended up getting into the honors courses. The speeding up of the pace of this shows how the eventual ending of the friendship didn't matter. What mattered was the time they spent together and how good of friends they were. I was reminded of when Gordie says he "never had friends like he did when he was twelve. Jesus who does?"(page 341). This proves that he really meant this because he seems to not care about what happened. Rather, he cares about what a great friendship they group of them had.
Point of View: This story is told in first person by Gordon Lachance. He is telling about something he experienced when he was twelve. He recounts the story, but throughout the story he will have sidenotes or entire chapters that are from the present. The present would be when he is writing this story down years later. An example of when he does this would be when he says things like "the story never did get out" (page 427), "I've thought of going back and looking for it"(Pg 421), or "my wife and children far off in another world"(page 421). These all show that he is looking back or providing the reader with thoughts that he has now, after the event. This also shows that he has been impacted greatly in various ways by this event. If it was just some unimportant childish adventure, he may have remembered it, but it would have been told in a more childish upbeat story. While there are some funny parts, there are a lot of serious events that take place which he reflects on to the reader, such as the event with the deer or the almost speech that Chris gave him about friends. The things he learned stuck with him, so he tells this story. Also, the first paragraph is very important in regards to the point of view. He tells why he wants to tell the story. He says he tells it for the "want of an understanding ear"(page 293). We saw how the family life of Gordie was not so great, but this event was very important to him. He tells this story to recount its importance. By having that first chapter, Gordie relays to the reader that this is a difficult story to tell, but it must be done. Through this point of view, the story is given a deeper meaning and shown to not be just some childhood experience. Rather, it was a life-chaning experience.
Characterization: There is both indirect and direct characterization that takes place in this story. Mostly, there is indirect characterization. In the second, third, and fourth chapter, there is a lot of description about each of the characters. Sometimes it is directly said about the character. For example, it says that"Teddy couldn't see very well"(page 295). While Gordie tells the reader explicitly about the character, he uses a lot of stories to give the background information. This happens when he tells of how Chris was suspended for school because the "milk-money disappeared"(page 307). A lot of the past stories are used to tell about the characters. At first, they may seem shallow or obvious, but throughout the rest of the story actions that each character does reveals a much deeper characterization. At the beginning, Teddy seems macho through the story of how he does "truck-dodging"(page 297). Later, though, Milo calls his dad a "loony" (page 348). After this, Teddy "burst into tears" (page 351). This shows that Teddy has a deep love for his father, and he is not so tough and isn't just a daredevil. He has feelings. Lastly, the character of Gordie has a direct relation to Stephen King. I was looking up information about the story and came across this. Gordie wrote short stories in college, which many were published in "small literary journals and men's journals". "His first novel and story were hugely successful". "He goes on to write several supernatural novels, and he has a wife and three kids". All of this is paralled with Stephen King. This relationship between the two shows that he had a connection to this person, and that the person has realistic qualities. It is a deep, almost real character.
Setting: The setting of this story overall is Castle Rock. The importance places in the town where things occur would be mostly the railroad, and Castle River. A very important phrase made by Gordie(when he is older) about the setting would be when he says something about Castle river and how it "is still around" (page 436). After he says this, he says "so am i"(page 436). This shows that he relates the river to himself. The river holds his memories of that journey and reminds him of it. As long as the river is still there, so will his memories of his friendships and that journey. This provides a major theme of the fact that memories last a lifetime. Also, even though his friends have died, he still remembers and will never forget. Time may have passed, but he still remembers. He is still there to remember. Also, Gordie says that "desire to get away from Castle Rock and out of the mill's shadow seemed to me to be my best part"(page 435). This refers to Chris and how he was labeled by his family. Everyone knew him, yet no one knew him. This shows the theme of moving on and going onto a new life. The setting is important because Gordie holds on to it in order to keep the memories of his friendship alive. Also, in the past, it is shown as an obstacle that keeps Chris from reaching goals, such as the honors classes and how old lady Simons used this against him(page 383). The little town where everyone knows everything is seen as both bad and good. This is because of Chris' situation with his status in society as a result of their opinions of his family, and how it held him back. It was good because of how great of friendships the boys had when they were younger.
Theme: The major themes of this story are friendship, becoming older, and the way society and its perceptions can hold you back. The theme of friendship is that no matter what, friendships last forever. Whether they talk or not, the memories are what keep people friends. People hold onto these memories. This is shown when Gordie says that the river and him are both still there(page 436). Also, the theme of friendship is that you are a part of your friends. This is seen when Gordie says "if he had drowned, that part of my would have drowned with him"(page 435). People grow attached to each other, and sometimes they almost become one. This is not something that just goes away. Instead, the friendship will last even if they are not together. At the same time, certain friendships are not right because they can "drag you down"(page 381). Friendship is a major importance, but friendships change as people grow up, which is another important theme. The drifting away of the friendship with Teddy and Vern show this because they were best friends, but then as they got to junior high they began to hangout with different people and change. This shows that growing up causes some losses, but the strong friendship between Chris and Gordie show that not everything has to change. Lastly, society and the setting reveal the theme of the negative effects of the perceptions of others. Chris' brothers cause others to assume he'd "turn out bad"(page 307). Also, the continuous comparison of Gordie to Denny causes him to feel like he is the "Invisible Boy"(page 298) and inferior or not good enough. His dad shows this through his disapproval of what he is, such as his choice of friends when he says "Those are the only people you want to be with, aren't they, Gordon?"(page 309). It is also seen through the scene with Mr. Dusset(page 343-344). These themes are supported through the various elements of the story, as shown before.
Plot: The plot of this story is a group of four boys who go looking in search of the corpse of a boy named Ray Brower. The structure of this plot is Gordie telling a story about an event that happened right before he began junior high. It is a story that is told in past tense. Throughout the story, there are mentionings about the present. This gives the reader a better understanding of the characters in the story, and see the effect certain events in the past had on Gordie in the future. For example, when Gordie sees the deer, he says right after about how he would think of that moment "when there was trouble in [his] life". Another important part of the plot is the stories that Gordie writes. The one called Stud City relates to Gordies feelings towards his family. Both he and the character lost their brother, and there is conflict with the parents. The stories he tell sometimes give the reader insight on the character of Gordie. In addition to structure, the narrative pace has an effect of the overall story. The next year after the 'adventure' is told in a very quick pace. It says how the friends drifted apart and then how Chris ended up getting into the honors courses. The speeding up of the pace of this shows how the eventual ending of the friendship didn't matter. What mattered was the time they spent together and how good of friends they were. I was reminded of when Gordie says he "never had friends like he did when he was twelve. Jesus who does?"(page 341). This proves that he really meant this because he seems to not care about what happened. Rather, he cares about what a great friendship they group of them had.
Point of View: This story is told in first person by Gordon Lachance. He is telling about something he experienced when he was twelve. He recounts the story, but throughout the story he will have sidenotes or entire chapters that are from the present. The present would be when he is writing this story down years later. An example of when he does this would be when he says things like "the story never did get out" (page 427), "I've thought of going back and looking for it"(Pg 421), or "my wife and children far off in another world"(page 421). These all show that he is looking back or providing the reader with thoughts that he has now, after the event. This also shows that he has been impacted greatly in various ways by this event. If it was just some unimportant childish adventure, he may have remembered it, but it would have been told in a more childish upbeat story. While there are some funny parts, there are a lot of serious events that take place which he reflects on to the reader, such as the event with the deer or the almost speech that Chris gave him about friends. The things he learned stuck with him, so he tells this story. Also, the first paragraph is very important in regards to the point of view. He tells why he wants to tell the story. He says he tells it for the "want of an understanding ear"(page 293). We saw how the family life of Gordie was not so great, but this event was very important to him. He tells this story to recount its importance. By having that first chapter, Gordie relays to the reader that this is a difficult story to tell, but it must be done. Through this point of view, the story is given a deeper meaning and shown to not be just some childhood experience. Rather, it was a life-chaning experience.
Characterization: There is both indirect and direct characterization that takes place in this story. Mostly, there is indirect characterization. In the second, third, and fourth chapter, there is a lot of description about each of the characters. Sometimes it is directly said about the character. For example, it says that"Teddy couldn't see very well"(page 295). While Gordie tells the reader explicitly about the character, he uses a lot of stories to give the background information. This happens when he tells of how Chris was suspended for school because the "milk-money disappeared"(page 307). A lot of the past stories are used to tell about the characters. At first, they may seem shallow or obvious, but throughout the rest of the story actions that each character does reveals a much deeper characterization. At the beginning, Teddy seems macho through the story of how he does "truck-dodging"(page 297). Later, though, Milo calls his dad a "loony" (page 348). After this, Teddy "burst into tears" (page 351). This shows that Teddy has a deep love for his father, and he is not so tough and isn't just a daredevil. He has feelings. Lastly, the character of Gordie has a direct relation to Stephen King. I was looking up information about the story and came across this. Gordie wrote short stories in college, which many were published in "small literary journals and men's journals". "His first novel and story were hugely successful". "He goes on to write several supernatural novels, and he has a wife and three kids". All of this is paralled with Stephen King. This relationship between the two shows that he had a connection to this person, and that the person has realistic qualities. It is a deep, almost real character.
Setting: The setting of this story overall is Castle Rock. The importance places in the town where things occur would be mostly the railroad, and Castle River. A very important phrase made by Gordie(when he is older) about the setting would be when he says something about Castle river and how it "is still around" (page 436). After he says this, he says "so am i"(page 436). This shows that he relates the river to himself. The river holds his memories of that journey and reminds him of it. As long as the river is still there, so will his memories of his friendships and that journey. This provides a major theme of the fact that memories last a lifetime. Also, even though his friends have died, he still remembers and will never forget. Time may have passed, but he still remembers. He is still there to remember. Also, Gordie says that "desire to get away from Castle Rock and out of the mill's shadow seemed to me to be my best part"(page 435). This refers to Chris and how he was labeled by his family. Everyone knew him, yet no one knew him. This shows the theme of moving on and going onto a new life. The setting is important because Gordie holds on to it in order to keep the memories of his friendship alive. Also, in the past, it is shown as an obstacle that keeps Chris from reaching goals, such as the honors classes and how old lady Simons used this against him(page 383). The little town where everyone knows everything is seen as both bad and good. This is because of Chris' situation with his status in society as a result of their opinions of his family, and how it held him back. It was good because of how great of friendships the boys had when they were younger.
Theme: The major themes of this story are friendship, becoming older, and the way society and its perceptions can hold you back. The theme of friendship is that no matter what, friendships last forever. Whether they talk or not, the memories are what keep people friends. People hold onto these memories. This is shown when Gordie says that the river and him are both still there(page 436). Also, the theme of friendship is that you are a part of your friends. This is seen when Gordie says "if he had drowned, that part of my would have drowned with him"(page 435). People grow attached to each other, and sometimes they almost become one. This is not something that just goes away. Instead, the friendship will last even if they are not together. At the same time, certain friendships are not right because they can "drag you down"(page 381). Friendship is a major importance, but friendships change as people grow up, which is another important theme. The drifting away of the friendship with Teddy and Vern show this because they were best friends, but then as they got to junior high they began to hangout with different people and change. This shows that growing up causes some losses, but the strong friendship between Chris and Gordie show that not everything has to change. Lastly, society and the setting reveal the theme of the negative effects of the perceptions of others. Chris' brothers cause others to assume he'd "turn out bad"(page 307). Also, the continuous comparison of Gordie to Denny causes him to feel like he is the "Invisible Boy"(page 298) and inferior or not good enough. His dad shows this through his disapproval of what he is, such as his choice of friends when he says "Those are the only people you want to be with, aren't they, Gordon?"(page 309). It is also seen through the scene with Mr. Dusset(page 343-344). These themes are supported through the various elements of the story, as shown before.
