Gordie, Teddy, Chris, and Vern.

by McCoy Allen

Stand by Me is a coming of age story about four boys in the summer of 1959 living in a small town called Castle Rock, Oregon. Because of the small town society, each of the boys is forced into expectations or judged because of their families. Some come from abusive homes, some are ignored by their parents altogether. When they hear that the body of a missing boy is near the train tracks, they embark on a journey together surrounded by nature to find him in the hopes of becoming the heroes of the town. They must compete with the older gang and their personal difficulties to overcome ther wilderness of Oregon. My argument is that the mix of horror and buddy comedy create a genre for Stand by Me that is unique to 80's pop culture and that has left its mark on people of all generations and that the unique style of the film demonstrates how trauma effects the process of coming of age.

The poster itself is interesting as it shows the main characters facing away from one another, as if to say that they will go different directions in life, even if Castle Rock's landscapes, as seen in the background, bring them together in their youth on an adventure. The facial expressions of the boys are serious, besides Vern, who provides most of the comic relief to the film. The bottom images depict Gordon with a handgun and Gordon and Vern running away from a charging train. Both scenes appear in the film and include Gordon, who is the central protagonist of the film. Both scenes have a different kind of danger and an element that is life-threatening, whether Gordon runs from it or picks it up himself. 

It's also interesting that Gordon is not, in fact, the center of the poster. He is paired next to Chris as his relationship with Chris is closer than with his other friends. Teddy, and you could even argue, Vern, hold upper and lower center positions, though their part in the film is somewhat less important.