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Gordie narrates “The Body” in hindsight, using the broader perspective of his life to understand the full significance of the events of the story. Having grown up and achieved success as a writer, he now views the quest for Ray Brower’s body as a major turning point in his life, helping him define what kind of man he wanted to be and solidifying his desire to leave Castle Rock. As the story begins, Gordie struggles with his role as the overlooked child in his family, even after Dennis’s death. His frustration causes him to push for a reaction from his parents, as we see when he slips swear words into conversations to provoke them. He also copes by enmeshing himself with a group of underachieving boys who are destined to become high school dropouts. Gordie doesn’t appear to be punishing his parents with underachievement but rather views this group as his proper place. He even imagines Dennis would feel Gordie deserved to die in his stead, implying that Gordie sees himself as having no real future. Additionally, now that he is friends with Teddy, Vern, and Chris, he feels bound to them. With no one to imagine better for him, Gordie is prepared to allow the Castle Rock patterns of life to take their course for him.
The journey to find Ray Brower’s body awakens Gordie to the fragility of life and his own potential. The first catalyst is his conversations with Chris. Chris, believing that his own reputation will keep him from having options, is frustrated that Gordie, who doesn’t have a bad family reputation, is willing to sacrifice his potential for people like Vern and Teddy. Vern and Teddy are not smart enough to understand Gordie’s stories, nor are they good enough friends to encourage Gordie’s dreams. Chris’s harsh assessment of Vern and Teddy proves true when they abandon Chris during the hailstorm stand-off against Ace Merrill’s gang. Their cowardice allows Gordie to realize he wants to be the kind of man who stands with Chris in a stand-off, who refuses to accept a bully’s whims. This realization helps Gordie let Vern and Teddy go. However, the most important factor in Gordie’s resolve to achieve his writing dreams is seeing Ray Brower’s body. Upon seeing the corpse of a boy around his age, Gordie accepts that death can come for anyone randomly, and it is up to him to craft a life worth living for himself.
