This is a reading journal of "The Body" based on my reading of the first 30 pages. I have read until the end of the "Stud City." (p.293~326)
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| "The Body" by Stephen King |
One thing that I have realized about "The Body" was that the tone was definitely different from that of "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption." Maybe it's because the narrator in this novella is a person looking back when he was a 12 year old boy, but it was not hard to find that the tone was now a little bit more close to that of a thriller story. The voice was no longer that of warmth which seemed to exist in Red's narration.
Also, I was able to see a lot of swear words coming out throughout the story. Unlike Shawshank Redemption, in which there were no precise descriptions about the words that the convicts used, I could easily find the f*** word if I were to open up a random page in "The Body."
Overall, the descriptions inside the novella (until the 30th page) seemed to be sufficient, just like any other Stephen King's writings. It was also interesting to realize that the songs that were described to be "coming out from the radio" inside the story actually existed.
However, the sudden invasion of the "Stud City" seemed to be very abrupt indeed. The tone shift was just way too fast, and there were some inappropriate scenes explicitly dealt inside the passage. Plus, unlike the normal novellas of Stephen King, the way how the story rolled seemed somewhat awkward. There were also some parts that left the reader puzzled about the things that are happening in the story. Also , the Stud City story seemed to be very inconsistent with other parts of the story.
Otherwise, the novella seemed to be overall well written and descriptive.
Otherwise, the novella seemed to be overall well written and descriptive.
Good to see that you didn't summarize, which I find too many students doing. I value your true opinions more. The swearing is simply King's approach to realism and honesty. 12 year old boys in America DO talk like that. I know I did. I don't anymore, but having a pottymouth as a boy at age 12 is realistic. And Stud City has a direct relationship with the actual story. At first it is hard to accept, but since King is writing about Gordie who is writing about writing, it makes sense in terms of "coming of age" as a "boy" and a "writer." A university aged writer would definitely use that sort of embellished over-dramatic tone.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy the film.