The Body

The Body is a 1982 novella by Stephen King. It originally appeared in the collection Different Seasons and was adapted into the popular film Stand By Me in 1986. Set in the summer of 1960, The Body tells the story of four young boys who walk 20 miles to see a dead boy’s body near a river. This novella is different in tone from King's typical writing; he is a well-known modern icon of the horror genre, writing such classics as Carrie (1974), Firestarter (1980), Misery (1987), The Outsider (2018), and The Running Man (1982)..

Plot Summary

Gordon Lachance—who goes by Gordie as a child—narrates the story from an undetermined point in the future. A wealthy author, he uses stories to make sense of his past. He writes The Body to grapple with the events surrounding the death of Ray Brower, who was hit by a train.

As the story begins, Gordie’s friend Vern Tessio asks his him and two other friends, Teddy DuChamp and

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