➤ Title: The Body
➤ Author: Stephen King
➤ Genre: Coming-of-age / Drama / Psychological fiction
➤ Summary:
➤ The Body follows Gordie Lachance, a quiet and thoughtful twelve-year-old boy growing up in the small town of Castle Rock, Maine.
➤ Gordie and his three friends — Chris Chambers, Teddy Duchamp, and Vern Tessio — learn that a missing boy’s body has been spotted near the railway tracks outside town.
➤ Believing that finding the body will make them heroes, they decide to go on a long journey through the woods to reach it.
➤ The journey:
➤ The boys walk miles along train tracks, camp in the forest, and face dangers such as a train chase, leeches, and hunger.
➤ During the trip, they share painful stories about their families.
➤ Gordie struggles with grief over his older brother’s death and feels invisible at home.
➤ Chris, the smartest of the group, fights against being labeled a “bad kid.”
➤ Teddy and Vern also carry emotional wounds from neglect and abuse.
➤ Growing up:
➤ The journey becomes more than an adventure — it becomes a test of courage, loyalty, and identity.
➤ When they finally reach the body, the boys realize they don’t want to exploit the tragedy for fame.
➤ They decide to report it anonymously, choosing empathy over glory.
➤ The confrontation:
➤ A gang of older boys, led by Ace Merrill, arrives to take the credit for finding the body.
➤ The younger boys stand together and defend each other, showing new maturity and strength.
➤ After the journey:
➤ Gordie reflects years later that the trip marked the end of childhood for all of them.
➤ The boys drift apart as they grow up, but the memory of their friendship remains powerful.
➤ Chris becomes a lawyer but dies young while trying to stop a fight, which deeply affects adult Gordie.
➤ Themes:
➤ Friendship and loyalty: Childhood bonds that shape a person’s life.
➤ Loss of innocence: The trip marks the transition from childhood to adulthood.
➤ Identity and self-worth: Each boy struggles with how others see him and who he wants to become.
➤ Memory and nostalgia: Gordie narrates how some friendships are never repeated in adulthood.
