Stand by Me
1.) Our quester(s): A group of four adventurous 12/13 year old boys-- Gordie, the narrator, being the most intelligent and sheltered of the group; Chris, the "tough guy" with a rough home life; Teddy, the boy with an INSANE home life (literally, his mentally ill father once held Teddy's ear to a stove); and Vern, the chubby kid who finds himself at the butt of every joke.
2.) A place to go: Where the corpse of a missing boy, Ray Brower, mentioned on the radio lays. Vern knows the location, because he overheard his older brother and his friends talking about how they have seen the dead body.
3.) A stated reason to go: The four boys hope to bring the body back in hopes of getting credit for finding it. Not to mention the simplicity of the mere desire to see a dead body.
4.) Challenges and trials: First and foremost, no one brought any food on this on-foot journey, so the boys had to put their money together in order to buy something that will at least tide them over. A junk yard dog chased them, Gordie and Vern had a near death experience involving a train and a bridge, leeches attacked the boys when they were cutting through water. Lest I forget the emotional breakdown/breakthrough every character experiences OR the climatic encounter with the "big kids" Eyeball and Ace.
5.) The real reason go: To make lasting memories with friends, to discover themselves while simultaneously learning more about their friends, and to overcome fears. Overall, it was a major bonding experience for Gordie and Chris.
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