The Role of Storytelling in "The Body" by Stephen King

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The Role of Storytelling in “The Body” by Stephen King
In the novella The Body, Stephen King takes one on a journey that is intriguing, emotional, and mind-numbingly intoxicating. Through the eyes of a character named Gordon Lachance, King makes sure that he captures the reader’s attention from the beginning to the end. Lachance is only twelve years old but his experiences are those of someone much older. With his three friends, Lachance goes through maturity in an unusual way when the four decided to set out to find the body of Ray Brower. In The Body, King makes great use of storytelling to help take the readers through the experiences of the four boys in their adventure through Lachance. The plot is simple because the entire story is based on the journey the boys took to find Ray’s body. However, it is what happens as they were going, the changes they went through (especially Chris and Lachance), and finally, discovering the body that makes up the great storytelling utilized. So, in this paper, the focus will be on how storytelling is used by Lachance to convey his childhood traumas, emotional issues, struggles, etc. while also trying to draw a comparison between the character Lachance and King the author.
As a way to hide from what he was going through, Gordie makes use of stories to share his experiences, traumas, struggles, emotional issues, etc. One such story that he uses is called Stud City. In this story, the main character is known as Chico. Chico does not have a good relationship with his parents. He goes to the extent of calling his stepmother by her name something that showcases his disapproval of her. However, in this story, one thing that stands out is the fact that, like Gordie, Chico had lost his older brother as well. In The Body, Gordie lost his brother who was the golden boy for his parents. Gordie went through a lot after he lost his brother, and his parents even believed that their “only kid was dead” (King, 304). He went as far as to blame himself and even had nightmares in which his brother was telling him that “it should have been you Gordon” (King, 309). Even thou...