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Coming Of Age Through Life Experiences In The Body By Stephen King

531 Words3 Pages

Do we come of age throughout life or through life experiences? In the novella, “The Body” by Stephen King, we see four boys: Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy, with both Gordie and Chris having already experienced life-changing experiences. The idea of friendships that may not last forever, and the concept that death is final and no one comes back from it. Maturing comes at the price of losing innocence, whether we like it or not. In the story, growing up is coming to terms with the death like the death of Ray Brower, including the losses in life like the loss of Gordie’s older brother Dennis. For example, Gordie, thinking about how Ray Brower died alone, kept listing all the things that he will never do because he’s dead, and dead is dead; there is no second chance. This shows that Gordie has already come …show more content…

This also shows that this isn't his first time having to encounter the reality of death because he had to understand death was with his older brother. The death of his older brother made Gordie realize the mortality of everyone in his life including himself, he learned there that death is final, there are no do overs in reality which furthermore his maturing at a young age. Furthermore, the concept of friendship is a topic that gets talked about in this novella. Chris is always the one to push people on the right track and make sure he’s a sensitive person when listening and gives honest feedback. Including the idea that the friendship that Gordie has with him and the other guys is dragging him down. “Your friends drag you down” (pg. 384). This quote from the book shows us that Chris understands the sacrifices that have to be made. Including the reality that friendships can drag people down even if they aren’t trying to. Furthermore, with the concept of friendships, we also see that Gordie has a dream a little after Chris makes his statement, about him drowning and that both Teddy and Vern are the ones

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