The Body

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

ACTIVITY 1: “A Game of Lachance”

In this activity, students will create a board game based on the novella The Body showing the main character’s journey from childhood to adulthood. 

This novella is a coming-of-age story in which the narrator, Gordon Lachance, makes the journey from childhood to adulthood during a harrowing quest through the woods of Maine. Create a game that recreates the obstacles, personal challenges, and unpredictable setbacks that contribute to his character development over the course of the novella.

In your game,

• Create a method of movement that would be most appropriate for the way the boys travel.
• Include landmarks such as the junkyard and the Royal River.
• Add at least 3 textual citations to your board in which Gordie comments on the difficulties he faces along the way.
• Include at least 5 obstacles, based on text evidence, that players will have to overcome as they navigate the board.
• Create at least 30 questions and answers concerning both the events of the plot and the author’s craft. Players will earn passage through the game with correct responses to drawn questions.
• Include all necessary pieces and draft thorough instructions for the players.
• Determine a design, color scheme, font, and other style elements that represent the tone of the novella as a whole.

Teaching Suggestion: Students might create their board game on the inside of a manila file folder; they can include any flat game pieces inside. An economical alternative for a sturdier playing surface is to purchase unconstructed pizza boxes in bulk from a restaurant supply store or pizza restaurant; these can be quickly assembled into board game boxes and can accommodate dice or other three-dimensional pieces. Because the boys in the story make decisions based on a coin toss, showing how the element of randomness helped control their own journey, students should include the element of chance in their method of movement. Additionally, students may want to represent the notions of “goochers” and “moons” to represent good and bad luck in some way.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Gordie’s family recently experienced the loss of Dennis, Gordie’s brother.   

• How does Dennis’s death affect the way that Gordie views his life? (topic sentence)
• Choose evidence from at least 3 points in the novella where Gordie or his parents’ actions seem to be influenced by the grief they experience for Dennis. Analyze and discuss these examples in support of your topic sentence. 
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the effect of Dennis’s death on the family overall.

2. At one point during their difficult journal, Vern comments about Ray Brower’s body, “We hafta see him.”  

• Why do the boys feel compelled to find his body, even after the journey causes them trauma? (topic sentence)
• Choose 3 pieces of textual evidence to support your claim. Analyze and discuss these examples, clearly connecting them to your topic sentence. Include at least 1 quotation from the text, cited appropriately.
• In your conclusion, summarize how the boys feel once they finally see Ray Brower’s body. What is the significance of their choice to take no credit for finding it?

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider the storytelling techniques of this novella. What insights does the adult Gordie include that the child Gordie would not have access to? How would this narrative be different if it had been told by a younger version of Gordie shortly after the events of his journey? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, analyze and discuss the ways in which the story is affected by Gordie’s adult perspective. Include examples and at least 1 quotation, appropriately cited.

2. Gordie and his parents grieve the loss of Gordie’s brother Dennis in the story. How is the reaction of Gordie’s parents to Dennis’s loss ironic? Do you think Gordie would have agreed to go with his friends to find the body if he had a more supportive family? In a 1-paragraph structured response, discuss how Gordie’s family’s conflict influences his decision to make the journey. Cite evidence from the text to support your claim.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following best exemplifies the theme of The Pain of Love and Loss?

A) Teddy Duchamp’s father brutally injures his son.

B) Gordie weeps for half an hour when he learns of Chris’s death.

C) Ray Brower dies from a violent collision with an oncoming train.

D) David Hogan loses the pie-eating contest after all his efforts.

2. Which of the following statements about The Purpose of Stories would the adult Gordie most likely agree with?

A) Some memories are so important that people choose not to turn them into stories.

B) Storytelling is a talent that everyone is born with and can learn to do.

C) Telling entertaining stories is a good way to get approval and attention from your parents. 

D) Most people aren’t interested in hearing a story from a practiced storyteller.

3. How does Gordie’s friend Richie Jenner influence Gordie as a young writer?

A) He publishes “Stud City” in his literary journal.

B) He finds Gordie’s early stories and encourages him to write.

C) He writes in the display windows of department stores.

D) He is the pie-eating champion who inspired the character David Hogan.

4. What does the junkyard dog Chopper symbolize in the novella?

A) A private peaceful experience free from regret

B) The painful crossing over of one of life’s thresholds

C) An unconquerable foe that haunts a child forever

D) The gap between childhood fears and reality

5. Which of the following is true of all four of the boys at the onset of their adventure?

A) Each knew Ray Brower at an earlier time in their lives.

B) Each has experience with trauma, pain, or death.

C) Each has a father who fought in World War II.

D) Each has lost a sibling due to an accident or illness.

6. How does “Stud City” contribute to the meaning of the novella as a whole?

A) It reveals the reason Gordie suffered from grief.

B) It shows the Gordie’s development as a writer.

C) It plots the path to get to Ray Brower’s body.

D) It foreshadows the way Ray Brower meets his death.

7. How does Vern learn of the location of Ray Brower’s body?

A) He overhears his brother discussing finding the body.

B) He hears a police report of it on his hobby radio.

C) He is the last person to speak to Ray Brower before he disappears.

D) He witnesses the accident that causes Ray’s death.

8. Which of the following best describes why Gordie feels compelled to find the body?

A) He feels overwhelming sympathy for his friend who was killed.

B) He wants to give the body a proper burial in the woods.

C) He wants to complete a rite of passage that brings him face-to-face with mortality.

D) He feels the need to defy his father and assert his superiority.

9. Which statement best describes the different relationships in Gordie’s family?

A) Dennis and Gordie’s father antagonized him, but his mother tried to keep peace.

B) Dennis showed Gordie support, while his parents tended to ignore him.

C) Gordie’s father helped his family the best he could, while Dennis caused conflict.

D) Gordie and Dennis argued often, overwhelming their parents.

10. Which word best describes the tone of the story Gordie tells about David Hogan?

A) Solemn

B) Nostalgic

C) Witty

D) Outrageous

11. What does the confrontation between Teddy and Milo in Chapter 12 reveal about Teddy? 

A) He remains deeply devoted to his father.

B) He does not understand the real nature of Ray Brower’s death.

C) He has not recovered from nearly being hit by a train.

D) He feels the need to protect Chris from Milo.

12. Which of the challenges on the journey overwhelms Gordie and causes him to lose consciousness?

A) His confrontation with Chopper

B) His near collision with the train on the trestle

C) His experience with the leech infestation

D) His encounter with Ray Brower’s body

13. Which of the following accurately characterizes Chris and Gordie’s relationship?

A) They rely on one another to avoid beatings from other boys.

B) They drag one another down.

C) They encourage one another to be successful.

D) They fight frequently for childish reasons.

14. Why does Gordie nearly get hit by the train while crossing the trestle?

A) He is in line behind Vern, who moves slowly.

B) He doesn’t notice the train until it blows its whistle at him.

C) He is too scared to run across the dangerous trestle span.

D) He is “dodging” the train and waits until the last second to get out of the way.

15. Which is the best explanation for why the adult Gordie considers going back to search for Ray Brower’s missing blueberry pail?

A) The authorities were never able to provide a reason for Ray’s death.

B) The pail represents a connection with youth and a symbol of survival.

C) The blueberry pail was a childhood possession that meant a lot to Ray.

D) Finding the pail would bring closure to Ray’s family.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Why does Chris say that Ray Brower is “ours,” and tell Ace that “we got dibs”? In what way does Ray Brower “belong” to him and his friends?

2. How are the adult characters portrayed in this book, and what is their collective significance to the four boys? Cite examples.