Increasing students’ literacy

The 1950s were a time of angst, isolation, and confusion in juvenile Americans. Stand by Me, Catcher in the Rye, and Rebel Without a Cause all demonstrate juvenile loss of innocence, division between parents and children, and the spiritual aspect of the American dream during the 1950s.

The 1986 classic Stand by Me follows four teenage boys on an adventure to find a dead body. Gordie Lachance is the main protagonist; he is twelve years old and neglected by his parents, who are still mourning the death of Gordie’s older brother, Denny. Gordie’s three friends include Chris Chambers, who comes from a bad family and is destined to turn out bad, Teddy Duchamp, who has an abusive father, and Vern Tessio, whose brother was the first to find the dead body.

When the four boys make a plan to go searching for the dead body, Chris, Teddy, and Vern are excited, but Gordie does not share his friend’s enthusiasm. For Gordie, finding the dead body is a way to finally come to terms with his brother’s death; for the other three boys, it is a way to prove themselves to the adults in their lives. One scene that demonstrates Gordie’s isolation at home occurs when he continuously asks his mother where his canteen is; she ignores him, continuing to do laundry, not even realizing that he is speaking to her. When Gordie finds his canteen in his brother’s room, he has a flashback to a touching moment between him and Denny. The flashback is abruptly halted when Gordie’s father walks in and asks him “Why can’t you have friends like Denny did?” He then describes Gordie’s friends as being “a thief and two feebs.” Gordie’s father, along with the rest of the adults in their lives, believes that Chris, Teddy, and Vern are no good. Gordie’s parents constantly compare him to his older brother Denny and put down his friends, making it harder for him to connect with his parents and easier for him to connect with his friends.

Gordie is a very gifted writer, which is a gift that everyone, except for his brother and Chris, ignores. When Chris encourages Gordie to take college classes so that he can follow his passion for writing, Gordie lashes out on him stating, “I don’t want to be a writer. It’s stupid. It’s a stupid waste of time.” Chris responds, “That’s your dad talking.” Chris notes that Gordie is repressing his American dream because his father does not want him to be a writer. He then states that he wishes he was Gordie’s father because if he were, Gordie would not be considering taking shop courses instead of his college courses. Chris acts as a father figure to Gordie, who finds comfort and solace in his friends following his brother’s death. He resents the idea of taking college courses because he knows that it will isolate him from his friends, leaving him complet