Sexual Identity

Sexual Identity

People have friends for a variety of reasons. However, when a person's family life is unstable, friends help define gender roles. This phenomenon is apparent in the movie Stand By Me when a group of adolescent boys take a summer journey to see a dead body. Each boy in the group represents a different stage in gender identity development.

Vern represents the first stage in gender identity development and sexuality. Vern's family life was not discussed much in the movie, but one can make many hypotheses about it. I believe this is almost unnecessary because Vern tightly identifies his roles in the group of friends as well as the stages of development. Vern is innocent, superstitious, young in his actions, and unsure of place in society as well as the group. He is also concerned about physical appearance, clinging to the fact that it reflects inner stability. This is apparent when he brings the comb with him on the trip; concerned that he and his friends have to look good in front of the television cameras. When he is running from the train, he crawls on his hands and knees, almost like an infant would. There are many examples of his role in the group as well. The other characters tease and taunt him constantly, reminding us that he is the lowest on the gender role ladder. During the scene with the junkyard man, Vern tried to take his mind off the major ordeal by singing the "Paladin" song. Obviously this was a very adolescent thing to do because Teddy was sobbing deeply about his father. He also refuses to be referred to as a "pussy", thinking that it is bad thing and because he is uncomfortable with his sexuality. Vern's juvenile mind is represented by the story that Gordy told. Vern was the last to understand the story, the first to interrupt Gordy, and also the one who enjoyed it the most. He found that the idea of vomiting was just cool. When Gordy and Chris were having a serious conversation about junior high and friendship, Vern was arguing about a fight between Mighty Mouse and Superman while dancing to the "Lolly Pop" song. This is a very important part in determining Vern's role in the group and gender identity. Vern thinks and acts so young that when Gordy fainted from the leech incident, Vern thought that he was dead. One of the last scenes also represented Vern's childishness. It was when the boys were discussing the boys' dead body. Vern made it obvious that he was afraid of what the body might look like. His exact quotes were, "But what if it has blood, guts and shit all over it? It might give me nightmares!" The last scene of the movie takes place when Vern discovers a penny with excitement. This is important because it shows that Vern will never rid of his childish thought and actions, while the others' last actions in the scene show that they will move on and continue to grow up.

The next stage of development is represented by Teddy Duschant. His family is the most "screwed up" compared to the rest of the group. His father was stormed the beaches of Normandy and evidently was crazy because he placed Teddy's ear to a stove. Because of this he was placed in a "loony bin". Teddy is very sensitive about this, as you discover later in the story. He plays the role of the stereotypical heterosexual that is aggressive and violent, constantly acting physical with the others and encouraging contact. Teddy also doesn't care much about his physical appearance with his long dirty hair, thick black glasses and dirty army clothing. Teddy has an overactive imagination, constantly pretending to be a soldier in the war. I believe he is searching to identify his gender role, because he basically had no father. Teddy is also constantly putting down the others to cover up his own problems at home. During the train-dodging scene, he was angry with Chris for pulling him off the tracks. This is an example of him trying to prove himself to his friends because he is so uncomfortable with himself. He also uses the terms "pussy" and "faggot" quite more often than the others. During the leech scene, Chris told Teddy to act his age, and Teddy said something very significant. He yelled, "This is my age! I'm in the prime of my youth and I'll only be young once!" This tells us that Teddy acts in reference to his age, spending most of the journey with Vern, the innocent and vulnerable one who he can relate to. Many of their scenes together help identify their gender roles but also place them well below Gordy and Chris.

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