Rob Reiner achieves an intermediate film adaptation of
Stephen King’s novella, “The Body” with his film 'Stand By Me' by remaining fairly close to the fabula, but
leaving out elements essential to the meaning and themes of the original story.
One of these elements is the junkyard scene. The junkyard is symbolic for the
fall of the American dream, a powerful symbol setting up the social commentary
that is evident throughout the novella. The junkyard is full of thrown away household
items, such as beds and a doll that appears to be “giving birth to her own
stuffing.” This is King attacking American society and the fragility of the
American dream. Reiner abandons King’s social commentary in this scene by
filling the junkyard with cars, stripping the story of its deeper, original
meaning. Because of this, Reiner’s adaptation cannot be a close one.
Rob Reiner also alters the endings of Vern and Teddy. The
novella takes on a dark tone as Gordie, as the speaker, tells his reader that
Vern and Teddy lead a gang, Vern died in a fire after a house party, and Teddy
died in a car crash along with his passengers. They were unable to escape from
the corrupt society that brought them up, and they died as a part of that
society, as the men they never wanted to become. Reiner lightens up the tone of
the story and continues to abandon King’s social commentary by keeping Vern and
Teddy alive. In the film, Vern is said to have married right out of high
school, and Teddy works odd jobs around town after being released from jail. Due
to his alteration and neglect of these two essential elements that contribute
to King’s social commentary, Ron Reiner achieves an intermediate adaptation of
“The Body.”
