Group Work on Stephen King�s The Body

Note: If you were not in class for this group exercise, please complete it as a written exercise and turn it in as soon as you can.

Break up into small groups.

Briefly share your answers to the reading questions on The Body. Then discuss the following. (Delegate one or more members of your group to prepare and present an oral summary of your group's discussion.)

1. What characterizes the heroes and villains in this story?

2. Describe one "kid" or action from your childhood or adolescence that seemed heroic at the time. How does the person/action seem to you now?

3. Where are women in The Body? What is their role? Could the events in the body have occurred had the group been of mixed gender? What if there were only females in the group? If any members of your group have read King's It, see what they think about this question.

4. The Body seems to many to be frankly misogynistic. Why do you think they say this?   What do the members of your group think about this?

5.Which adults in this story seem to care about the younger people in the story?What does this suggest to you?

6. If you read The Body as a survival tale, is Gordon a wounded survivor? If so, how so?If not, why not?

Michael Kagan for COR400G/PHL403, Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY.
Page updated in September, 2013 (minor edits Feb., 2018).

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