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Title and author:
"The Body" by Stephen King: Horror
Stephen King: 1947 in Portland, Maine, U.S.A.
Additionally he wrote the not less famous books "Christine", "Tommyknockers", "It", etc.
Place and Time:
The book is written in 1986. The story happens in a small town, called Castle Rock.
Plot:
Four boys, Gordie, Vern, Teddy and Chris, get to know from Vern's older brother that he found a dead body.
They think about the possibility of being the dead body of Ray Brower, who got lost in the woods 40 miles away from Castle Rock, where the live. Chris, the hardest guy of the gang, takes a gun with him as a protection for their long journey. This journey teaches them as much about life as about death and as they face the dangers on their way, they begin to learn what it means to grow up.
Finally they find the body but not only the body . . .
Message:
Friends come and go like waiters in a restaurant. A friendship may last forever but the contact can stop abruptly either. It doesn't matter, how great the adventures you experienced with your friends, were, that has nothing to do with the duration of the relation to your friends.
Motifs:
The main motif deals with friendship. How much you con trust your friend; that you've to accept some guys the way they are. Everyone has his character weaknesses and strengths, and you've to learn to cope with them too.
Style of the book:
It is a first person narrative and written in American slang, which let the story appear a lot more realistic. The book is written from a 34 years old man's point of view who remembers an adventure of his childhood. It's not a real horror story, unlike most of King's work, more a cut of Gordie Lachance's life. The story is greatly gripping and breath-taking.
You can't define that book to "fiction" or "non-fiction", because I think it's an invented story but it could have happened in real.
Characters:
Gordie Lachance:
He is the 34-year old guy who remembers an adventure of his childhood. He was born as a surprise. He had an older brother, named Dennis. Although his parents loved Dennis much more than him, he hadn't any real disadvantages. He just felt a bit sad about that. When Dennis dies in the war, it hasn't change anything for him. They never noticed him very much.
He's 12 years old, likes playing cards and reading magazines. He's the smartest guy of the gang, besides he thinks a lot.
Chris Chambers:
He's the brave and tough one in his gang, probably because he's got an older brother, Eyeball, who is one of the roughest guys in town. Chris is also very smart and is good in making peace. He's the one who suggested taking a gun with him as a protection against bears or other wild animals in the woods.
Vern Tessio:
He's another member of the gang. Vern has also got an older brother, called Billy, who hangs around with guys like Eyeball. As his brother has an ill repute, Vern hasn't an easy being at school. He likes adventures more than anyone of his gang does. He's from a bad family and enjoys smoking cigarettes.
Teddy Burroughs:
Teddy's dumb, has bad eyes and bad ears, caused by his father, who fought in the war in Normandie. When his father returned he often got mad and often beat Teddy and even burned his ears. However, he's high-spirited. He often behaves weird, because he jumps in front of a vehicle and jumps away at the last moment.
PERSONAL Evaluation:
I think it's a very good book, because it's gripping. I read it in a very short time, but not only because it's a slim book. It's easy to read, and there were a lot of aspects, which I've never thought about, but make me think about afterwards. The plot is very thrilling, and therefore I would recommend it to every fan of thrilling books.
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