Short Story Blog 1 The Body by Stephen King

Plot:

The main characters of this short story consist of four childhood friends. Their names are Gordon Lachance, Chris Chambers, Teddy Duchamp, and Vern Tessio. They have always been friends, and they decide to go on an adventure to find a dead body. Throughout their travels, the boys encounter challenges, such as the outdoors, leeches, gangs, and even problems within themselves. They not only survive these challenges but become closer friends. Gordon reflects on the experience saying, “And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you’ve said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it” (P.293). Gordon is actually the writer within the story retelling what he and his childhood friends went through. The story was a highlight of his life, and all of his friends later on died as young adults. 

Point of View:

“I was twelve going on thirteen when I first saw a dead human being. It happened in 1960, a long time ago… although sometimes it doesn’t seem that long to me” (P.293). The point of view is told by the older, wiser Gordon. He is retelling a story from his childhood. He is the smartest on of the group of friends, and he is the only one with a legitimate shot in life. The whole story is told in his point of view. The downside to this is that we can only see the adventure and lives of the young men from his prospective. All his friends have drunks as parents or brothers in gangs. All these events may have been normal to them. Gordon tells it though, and him doing so means that it was an important time of his life.  

Characterization:

Gordon or Gordie is the main character of the story and he is also the one telling the story. Out of all his friends he is the one who seems to have a future. “When I read the news item- STUDENT FATALLY STABBED IN PORTLAND RESTAURANT- I told my wife I was going out for a milk-shake. I drove out of town, parked, and cried for him” (P.435). He is talking about his friend Chris. Chris lived the longest besides Gordie. Chris’s father was a drunk, his brothers were all criminals, and no one even Chris thought he would have a good life. Chris actually was able to get into college and may have made someone of himself. Even though he had nothing going for him he was able to get out of his troubled life until he was stabbed. All of the boys have it rough and you can see that at the end of the story each is killed, with the exception Gordie.

Setting:

“We had a treehouse in a big elm which overhung a vacant lot in Castle Rock” (P.293). The four boys did all of their so called bonding time in their tree house. It was made out of scraps and wasn’t the nicest place. Even though the tree house wasn’t the nicest place, they all still hung out there. They usually played blackjack and other card games, hustling money out of other kids. Every group of friends when they are growing up has that one place they go to just to hang out. They may go to a specific friend’s basement, a mall, or anywhere they can just be themselves. The boys' tree house is that place for them. They didn’t have to worry about anything when it was just them hanging out in their own little house.

Theme:

The theme of the short story by Steven King is that no matter how rough life is and no matter how hard challenges are, friends can help you get though anything. “Chris proposed we keep a guard and everyone was agreeable to that. We flipped for watches and Vern sat up cross-legged by the husk of the camp fire while the rest of us lay down again. We huddled together like sheep” (P.390). Gordie is talking about how the boys had to protect each other from cold, and the dangers of wildlife. They are always there for each other. Through out their childhoods they have to deal with drunk or mentally unstable parents, or brothers that are criminals or in gangs. Just like typical best friends, they stick up for each other and would do anything for each other. The necessity of best friends is a major theme throughout the short story, and the narrator's retelling of his childhood adventure proves this point.