Themes And Motifs Used In Rob Reiner Coming-of-age Movie Stand By Me

Everything that lives eventually meets death; when death comes suddenly we are exposed to the human experience of how brief and fragile life can be. it is impossible to mention one without the other, in regards to life humanity has learned from its experiences with death which allowed humans to grasp the concept of life and death more so than any other species, yet it is considered one of the great unknowns.

To that effect, we find ourselves in pursuit of the truth in order to understand the meaning through ancient texts, religion, or ideology however the only way to truly define or learn its true meaning is through experience. To many, finding happiness means first coming to terms with the reality of how finite one's life is and then making the most of it going forward.

Many films attempt to breach the subject of the preciousness of life, but only a few seem to hit as deeply as the stories told through the eyes of a child. Stand By Me, Rob Reiner’s 1986 film, captures the beauty and fragility of human life and friendship through experiences with death. The film operates on two different levels; it serves as a coming of age story of Gordie Lachance, Vern Tessio, Teddy Duchamp, and Chris Chambers, but also as a reflection of the meanings of life and death by the Writer who also serves as the narrator of the story. Looking back on the events leading up to his first encounter with a dead body, The film conveys the powerful message that life is best enjoyed with a friend in light of how inevitable death is.

The Writer, serving as the narrator, provides the audience with his motivation for the story; the film begins with The Writer, pulled off in his car to the side of the road, reading the obituary of his childhood best friend Chris Chambers. The obituary triggers a thought process that leads to a flashback of his first exposure to a dead body as a twelve-year-old which helps create a juxtaposition between Gordie Lachance as a pre-teen, and as a storyteller. The Writers description of the events transpiring effectively gives attention to Gordie’s innocent nature however due to the style of narration it also provided opportunities for suspense and a deeper meaning in each scene. While the narration of the story is mostly filled with melancholic moments, there are a few instances of wit and humour to keep the story from becoming too depressing. The use of narration also allows for the audience to jump into the action while the Writer fills in any important information as without the Writer’s commentary, the audience would undoubtedly become distracted or lost.

A recurring motif, in the stories literary design, is the pistol that Chris brings along for the journey. The gun is fired twice in the film, neither time at a person, however, it serves as one of the best symbols for death over the course of the film. The first time the pistol appears on-screen both Chris and Gordie treat the gun with the appropriate respect acknowledging what it is capable of doing. When Gordie asks Chris if the gun is loaded, it is because he respects its power to take life. When Chris tells him the gun is unloaded he pulls the trigger, and the gun goes off. Gordie then proceeds to get upset with Chris for not respecting the power the gun has. The next major appearance of the gun comes in the sequence where the boys take a turn standing guard. The audience sees four almost identical shots of each boy holding the pistol while the others sleep. While Teddy takes the first watch, he treats the pistol-like one of the characters of his military fantasies might, as a tool of a killer; next Chris takes the gun and sits with it in his hands; having a light understanding of its power from earlier in the day.

When it becomes Vern’s turn to take guard, he is terrified, quickly pointing the gun in the directions of whichever sound he hears in the woods, and finally, when Gordie becomes guard, he sets the pistol down to the side, choosing to read a comic book instead, fully aware of what happened last time he held the weapon. Each character’s interactions with the pistol display their attitudes regarding death. Teddy only knows death through his father’s experience on the Beach of Normandy during World War II, hence he acts as “Corporal Duchase”. Vern appears to be inexperienced with death; he only understands the protection that the pistol can provide him. Chris seems to have begun to grasp life and death since first showing Gordie the gun. Gordie, having seen and experienced the premature death of his brother who was in a car accident, has the most background with death out of the four; therefore he understands the true power of the pistol and decides not to hold it while on guard.

The final time the pistol appears on screen is during the climax of the film when Gordie draws it and fires it into the air, in order to keep Ace from cutting Chris’ throat. At this point, Gordie embraces death by pointing the pistol at Ace’s heart in order to protect the sanctity of the body they are arguing over as well as the life of his friend. Through the interactions with the pistol, we are able to see the changes between their initial and final attitudes regarding the death in the story. The film borrows its title from the song that serves as one of the film’s musical motifs, just one of the elements of sound design in the film.

The motif is repeated at several key points in the film, such as the Writer’s initial reflection upon his first experience with death in the opening of the film, and again, even more powerfully during the four boys return from seeing the body. The sombre tone of the score is very powerful, especially during its final use while the Writer reflects on the fate of his four companions. The film borrows its title from the song that serves as one of the film’s musical motifs, just one of the elements of sound design in the film. The motif is repeated at several key points in the film, such as the Writer’s initial reflection upon his first experience with death in the opening of the film, and again, even more powerfully during the four boys return from seeing the body. The sombre tone of the score is very powerful, especially during its final use while the Writer reflects on the fate of his four companions.

The lyrical version of “Stand By Me” that plays during the closing credits, refers back to the theme of friendship, particularly in the face of one’s impending death. The song seems to suggest that because death is all around, it is important to have a friend by one’s side in order to enjoy life.“Stand By Me” is not the only song played over the course of the film, in fact, the film makes use of many diegetic pop songs such as “Rockin’ Robin” by Bobby Day, and “Lollipop” by the Chordettes in order to create a sense of the time in which the story takes place, contrasting with the Writer’s timeline in the present by creating a sense of nostalgia for the life he had as a child.

Another pop song used in the film is Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire”, which plays the first time the audience meets antagonist Ace Merrill’s gang, in the midst of “mailbox baseball”. The song, in conjunction with the gang’s careless vandalism, provides a quick snapshot of who these hoodlums are and their reckless attitude toward both life and death. While the score of the film is non-diegetic, the rest of the songs come from either the boys singing or the radio, allowing the audience to feel more connected with the world of the film.

While the editing doesn’t lend itself directly to reinforcing the themes, it does allow for the audience to follow the story without getting hung up along the way. The film makes use of montages in order to demonstrate the passage of time, one of the best examples is when the boys are talking around the fire, instead of hearing a whole conversation, the film skips around to a couple of interesting points from each one, helping to keep the film moving at a good pace, right toward the climax.

The editing in this film successfully allows for the Writer’s story to cross both time and space seamlessly, while somberly reflecting upon crossing paths with death.In all, the film expertly uses all five axes of film design to help convey a universal messagethat life is best enjoyed when in the company of others who care about you.Without sound design, literary design, visual design, cinematography, orediting, this film based upon Stephen King’s short story, “The Body” would havenever come to life, or still, be relevant in this day and age. The film managesto convey its themes so well that it is regarded as a favourite among many viewersbecause the messages are easy to understand without it becoming redundant. This film has become a timeless coming-of-age story because it deals with thesubjects of life and death as told through the experience of the four twelve-year-old boys.