Stand by Me Analysis

Abstract
The following paper will contain an analysis of a movie based on Stephen king’s novel Stand by Me. This movie shows the background of four children in a small town in which they are growing up. The background shows they all come from somewhat of an abusive background and how they cope with having little chance of success in their lives. Throughout the paper you will read how the journey that the group goes on further develops each member as well as the group as a whole. Particularly you will see how the plot, other groups, and each significant moment along the way further develop the group and each member. As the story goes on you will read about the different stages that the group will undergo and how the group shifts its motives. The paper will contain an analysis of each group member so that the reader has enough information to understand the rest of the paper.

“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve” The movie begins with an older man who narrarates the movie, we soon find out that this is Gordie telling his story about the time him and his best friends went to see a dead body. The movie is about four young boys who are growing up in a small town who have little chance of being real successful. The boys go off on an adventure to see a dead body in hopes to become famous. Throughout the paper I will be giving background information on each character and describe how that information develops their group, describing the type of group they are, and describing the development of the group throughout the movie based on external factors. Right away, however, I will give you a summary of the movie.
In the beginning in the movie we are introduced to the group when they are playing cards in a tree house. There are four boys in this group: Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy. These boys are a social group that hangout most likely because they are around the same age and come from similar backgrounds. As they continue to hangout in the tree house, Vern comes over and tells them how he overhead his brother talking about a dead body. After the group discusses this topic for a while they decide to go find the dead body and turn it in to become famous. After Chris convinced Vern it was finalized that they were going to go find it. At this point it is clearly evident that Chris is the leader of the group. It's most likely that he emerged as a leader before the story began. As they get everything they need, they tell their parents that they are all sleeping at someone else’s house so the parents don’t wonder where they boys are at. With almost everything they think they need they start their journey of following the train tracks to the location of the dead body. It is at this point that I believe that the social group now has some characteristics of a task group as well as a social group, with a task goal. Along the way they figure out that they don’t have food so they gather their money and send Gordie to get some for the trip. As their trip continues they run into several more obstacles that will help form this group along the way. Toward the end they do find the dead body but instead of taking the fame, they decided that making an anonymous phone call was best. So now that you have a brief summary of the story I will go into greater detail of the story and describe what kind of group this is, shows some norms, and explain some stages that the boys are going through.
The movie begins with the boy’s playing cards in the tree house and smoking cigarettes. We can observe that the boys have a secret knock in order to enter the tree house. Right away you can see a norm of the group of boys is that they are an exclusive group because of this secret knock. You are only allowed in if you are a part of this group and know the secret knock. This is true for the most part because their friend Vern doesn’t remember the knock; however they still let him in. When Vern gets in he tells his friend he overheard his brother talking about a dead body. This characterizes how the group operates as a system. After the knowledge of the dead body from Vern the group starts making plans to go find it in order to become famous. Vern is cautious to say yes but after being pressured by the group’s referent power and Chris’s coercive power of a head lock he finally agrees. So as you can see these boys are a social group of boys, they are around the same age, go to the same school together and have similar backgrounds. This part of the firm can be characterized by the forming stage of group development. At this point in the film we can see how the group acts before they go on their journey and operate outside of their norms. We can see avoidance of controversy and conflict characterized by Vern and here we become acquainted with one another and the group goals. They have formed this group, I believe, for attraction to a group, interpersonal reasons, and fulfillment of unrelated needs. I believe this because I feel like every member in this group is looking for acceptance and approval that they aren’t getting outside the group and that these four boys are kind of left out from the other kids of their school. It is here also that we see openness of systems theory where Vern brings new information to his group of friends that he heard from his brother and his friend who belong to another group. At this point you can see how the group acts as a system and why this group has become a group in the first place. You should also realize that the group is going through the forming stage and soon they will begin the storming stage. The group at this point shows cohesion and as you continue to read we will see this cohesion grow as the movie develops.
As the boys prepare to set off for their journey we can first start to see how Gordie’s parents are reacting to Denny’s death. His mother ignores him and his father is distant. Gordie’s father frowns upon Gordie’s friends and asks why he doesn’t have friends like Denny’s. As they prepare to leave Chris shows Gordie his dad’s gun that he is bringing along on the journey. Not long after; we are first introduced to Ace, the leader of the other group of teenage boys in the movie, as he is stealing the hat that Denny gave to Gordie. It is here that we see that Ace has coercive power and that he’s the leader of the other group. Gordie and his group of friends I believe have now turned from a social group into a social group with a goal oriented task. The group is held together by more than just because of a task but yet they have a task at hand that they are all focusing heavily on. So as you can see we have a social group that now has a task that is not only motivating them but helping them grow together. As you will see these boys really aren’t that different and come from a similar background.
The movie is not only about finding a dead body but how the boys cope with the difficulties of growing up in a small town with little parental support and how they develop. The main character, Gordie, is 12 years old going on 13. We learn that he had an older brother who had died not too long ago. This has been hard on Gordie because his older brother, Denny, was the only one in his family who paid attention to him and his skill of making creative stories. In the movie you can see that the parents are ‘numb’ from Denny’s death and Gordie even dreams about his father saying “that the wrong kid died.” This puts a lot of pressure on young Gordie and throughout the movie you will see Gordie try to seek approval through his friends that he’s not getting from his parents. As the movie continues you will see that Gordie is the most mature of the four boys and the most sensitive too. We will also learn that Gordie is the only one who is succeeding academically and that he excels in creating stories. Gordie's best friend, Chris Chambers, hasn’t had it easy either. Chris Chambers has an abusive father who is seen as an alcoholic. Chris really didn’t have a chance of being a good kid. He was put down and saw as a bad child by the rest of the town like his father. He was convicted of stealing milk money from the cafeteria but tried giving it back but that person kept it so he was then branded as a thief. Chris is seen as the leader and the tough guy of the group. He is a good guy with a bad reputation. Much like Chris Teddy didn’t have the best father either. His father was also an abusive alcoholic. His drunken father got mad at him for not coming home one time and held his ear to a hot burner on a stove. Throughout the movie he appears to be goofy and obnoxious but also very aggressive. When the group is at the junk yard a man calls his dad loony and Teddy absolutely loses it and he wants to kill that man. Vern is the one in the group that everyone tends to pick on. He seems gullible and oblivious just through his actions and is also easily scared by stories and sounds throughout the movie. You can see that the boys really aren’t that different and as you continue to read we will see some more character development as well as some of the roles of each character. The boys soon realized not long after they leave that they forgot to pack food. They all start to blame each other and everyone starts yelling. It is Chris that plays a climate role and calms every down and relieves the tension in order to see how much money they all have in order to buy food. After they get some food for their journey, they continue down the tracks. Soon after a train starts coming down the tracks, Teddy decides that he is going to try to ‘dodge’ it. Chris doesn’t allow this to happen, and we find out after that this isn’t the first time either that Chris has saved his life. We can see here that the group is starting to take on their group roles. Chris is the leader of the group but he takes on the maintenance roles, the tension reliever and harmonizer. As the story continues you can see his roles develop even deeper. Gordie is the brains and one of the most important decision makers in the film. We could describe his actions as the clarifier and analyzer. Gordie also further develops into these roles as the story continues. I would describe Teddy and Vern’s roles almost as egocentric. Teddy is just crazy, he is an aggressor and a blocker where as Vern is the cautious one, a withdrawer. We can see that the individuals know their role in this group just by how they talk and act. It is also characterized by Gordie’s words, “we knew exactly who we were and exactly where we were going.”As the group arrives at the junk yard we can start to see the storming stage. Teddy gets in a fight with the owner of the junk yard and the group tries to comfort him. He shuts the other members out and keeps going. Teddy says he’s sorry for spoiling everyone’s good time in which Gordie responds saying maybe it shouldn’t be a good time because they are looking for a kid who had died. The group becomes quiet and considers going back but they continue. So as the storming stage begins we will start to see the members of the group compete a bit for status. We have seen the group ideas clash a little and we will see more as we continue. We will also see the storming stage continue as the group looks for structure as individuals.
As the group continues down the tracks Gordie asks Chris if he is weird. At this point we can see that everyone in the group relies on each, Gordie needs reassurance that he is not worthless and that he is smart, that he should be proud of himself, and that he’s not weird. Everyone comforts teddy to tell him everything will be alright. And Vern is protected by Chris and Gordie so he doesn’t get picked on too much. This characterizes the systems theory of group interdependence on one another. This brings in the norming stage, the group members give each other the strength to keep going, they resolve conflict more easily, and that the group works together as a cohesive team. Chris starts talking about school to Gordie saying that he’ll be in the higher courses while the rest of them are in the shop course. Chris tries telling him that he can’t take shop classes because it would be a waste of brains and that he’s not going to let them drag him down. At this point is when I believe that the group’s cohesion is growing more and more as they go through more encounters. They are becoming aware of how much they rely on each other and need each others assurance. As we continue to read we will see the characters heavy dependence on each other and the group start opening up to each other.
As the group continues down the tracks they come to a bridge. The group discusses what to do for a minute or so but then Teddy just decides to go ahead and cross the bridge. As they do this, a train start coming and they have to run in order to not get hit by the train. After their near death experience they decide to set up camp and eat for the night. Little does the group know what this experience made them realize. As the night falls they designate someone to watch over everyone. When it is Chris’s turn Gordie decides to join him after his bad dream of his brother’s funeral and they talk about life and how Chris stole the money but tried to return it and how he wishes they had a better life. We can see Gordie comfort him and that Chris has opened up which we haven’t seen once yet, which I believe shows their cohesion is still growing. Now we will start to look at the other group.
At this point in the movie we see the other group of teenagers and that the word about the dead body has gotten out. Ace, the leader of this group, had decided that he and his gang are going to go look for the body also. Not all of the members want to go but Ace uses his coercive power to make them go with. This is a social group that is exclusive also. This is characterized by a group name and everyone in it has to follow the norms and get the name of the group carved into their arms with a razor or they will not be a member of the group. This shows their participation and norms to following along with whatever Ace says. On the way to the river Ace and another member decide to race their cars. As they are side by side they see a truck heading toward them. Ace cannot let someone else in his group win and shows his dominance by running the truck off the road to win the race. He is a very aggressive leader of the social group which has also turned into a social group that is task oriented and has certain aspects of a task group. The group, I believe doesn’t have very strong cohesion. The group doesn’t show as much cohesion because it's a bigger group and not really everyone is best friends with everyone. They are held together by the name of the group and the brand as well as Ace’s coercive power. It is at this point that we will start to see the performing stage after the final group conflict.
As the boys continue down the track they finally reach the river. Once there they debate on whether to cross or not and the final decision is up to Gordie even though Vern is cautious as usual, but they decide to take it. The group tried crossing the river where it was shallow but it ended up being deep and when they reach the other side they discover that they are all covered in leeches. After Gordie has fainted from seeing blood they debate on whether to turn back once again. The three start fighting and then finally Gordie yells at them to stop and says they aren’t going back. Not long after they get back on the track they find the dead body. They stood their speechless. Gordie sees the body and then starts crying about Denny and stating that it should’ve been him that died instead of Denny. He starts to cry because he believes his dad hates him as Chris comforts him. As they hover over the body the other group shows up. Ace pulls out a switch blade, Teddy and Vern run. A couple members from Aces group tell Ace to take it easy but then Gordie pulls out the gun and declares that no one is taking the body. Ace and his group take off saying that they’re going to regret what they did. The group decided than an anonymous phone call would be the best choice. As the group headed home they didn’t talk, they made it back in the morning. As we can see the group went through their performing stage. The energy of the group was focused on the task, the group had a style of decision making, and the energy was focused on finding the dead body and not letting the other group take it. After the performing stage the group enters the morning stage. It seems as though everything had changed between the group, that their cohesion was at an all time low. They didn’t talk to each other the whole way home. Gordie said that they didn’t talk to each other again once school started. After school Teddy would go to jail, Vern would get married and Chris would be killed trying to stop an argument between two guys a few years later.
As you can see the group decided to embark on a journey that would forever change their lives. The social group became goal oriented by the task of searching for a dead body. As you can see the group became more cohesive and connected throughout the whole story. All the members were all in to find this dead body, other than Vern who was cautious the whole movie. This task caused the group to become closer and closer to each other with ever obstacle they went through whether it was trying to escape the train or being covered in leeches. The group did complete their task but would never be the same. Although the members went their separate ways once they hit junior high they were never so close to each as they were during their journey. Before hand they relied on each other for company and a way to get away from their not so loving families. They needed each other for comfort and support but seeing that body changed everyone. Although the group did begin to develop more thoroughly through the adventure they could’ve opened up to each other more in the beginning before they ever heard of the dead body. They could’ve expressed their feelings and they would’ve had each other there to comfort one another. It was not until they broke down that they realized how supportive they were to and for each other.

Works Cited
Stand by Me. Dir. Rob Reiner. Columbia Pictures, 1986. DVD.