The Body

[dwalters]

I am about 4/5 of the way through my second read of Different Seasons, and I just wanted to say I am thoroughly enjoying The Body. My first time through it I don't think I gave it enough credit, but I really think this may be my favorite story in the book so far. For one thing, although I was born 20 years later than the events in the story, I have more fond memories of my childhood than I can even begin to count and I think this story captures a lot of the essence of what it was like to be a pre-teenage boy. But the bulk of my appreciation for the story is how utterly believable it is.

There have been more than a few times so far that I completely forgot I was reading the memoirs of a fictional character. One particular moment that jumped out at me was after reading Gordon's story "Stud City" and listening to his thoughts on the whole thing. I marked my place in the book, stood up and had a good stretch, and then it hit me: oh my God, that was a character talking just now. I really did lose myself for a minute and think I was reading a real person's story and hearing their actual thoughts (which I guess in reality that was true, but you know what I'm saying). I've said it before and I'll say it again, Stephen King is a true master of storytelling. I don't think anyone could have told this story better.

[omm poppa mow mow]

I still don't get it, though. There's a body lying there and nobody knows but these kids? How'd that work? One? How'd they learn of it? I forget. Two. If they learned of a dead body, how'd they learn about it? Three. If they learned about the body from another, then why didn't that other tell someone, hey, yoo-hoo, Mr. Wilson! there's a dead body so and so at such and such. Never has made sense.

[Patricia A]

I've mentioned before that one of my quests in life is to get young people to learn to love reading. This story, The Body, has been an invaluable tool in this effort, especially when dealing with males.
There's not a smilie for pulling your hair out or I'd post it.

[king family fan]

I found the body to be a great read. My son love the movie Stand by me.

[~Ally~]

There's not a smilie for pulling your hair out or I'd post it.

[omm poppa mow mow]

I know where I wouldn't go...not in a million flogging years. Heh!

[GNTLGNT]

especially when dealing with males.
There's not a smilie for pulling your hair out or I'd post it.

Believe me-ya'd be bald as a soup bean in no time tryin' to figure out us testosterone scented knuckle draggers...

And yeah, "The Body" REALLY sucks you in doesn't it...it's one of those you can hold up and say-"This is a man at the top of his craft."...

[Jojo87]

The Body in Different Seasons was a wonderful story. And Stand by me, is still my favorite one.

[Haunted]

The Body is a story about friendship and isn't it is so like kids to want to see a dead body? Death, they think, is unheard of to anyone as young as they are and so they are fascinated by it.

Once again the only horror in this story is in the imagination of the boys.

[dwalters]

I still don't get it, though. There's a body lying there and nobody knows but these kids? How'd that work? One? How'd they learn of it? I forget. Two. If they learned of a dead body, how'd they learn about it? Three. If they learned about the body from another, then why didn't that other tell someone, hey, yoo-hoo, Mr. Wilson! there's a dead body so and so at such and such. Never has made sense.

If you re-read the first part of the story it's explained pretty well, but the answers to your questions are as follows (spoilers ahead):

1 - How did that work? = Roy Brower went berry picking and got lost, then ended up getting hit by a train and killed. Nobody knew where he was or what happened to him until...

2 - How did they learn of it? = ...Vern's older brother Billy and his (Billy's) buddy Charlie Hogan stole a car and went necking with their girlfriends out on a backcountry road and stumbled across the body. Vern was under the porch looking for his buried penny jar and overheard them talking about not only what they had found, but where they had found it. Afterward, Vern went back to the clubhouse and told the other boys what he had just overheard.

3 - Why didn't that other tell someone? = Billy and Charlie were joyriding in a stolen car when they found Roy Brower's body, so they didn't want to incriminate themselves by alerting anyone else.