The Body

Chopper is the name of Milo’s dog. Before they meet the dog at the dump, they know Chopper only from the lore surrounding him. The stories all say that Chopper is a vicious, cruel dog that loves nothing more than to torture young boys—and that, worse, this is how Milo trained Chopper to be. When they meet Chopper, however, he’s a nondescript mongrel incapable of frightening anyone. Chopper represents the gap between the stories people tell themselves and reality. Chopper also symbolizes the nature of childhood stories, which often have the feel of tall tales. 

When Gordie wakes first at the campsite, he sees the deer on the tracks. Later, he describes the deer as “the best part of the trip, the cleanest part, and it was a moment I found myself returning to, almost helplessly, when there was trouble in my life” (124). However, Gordie decides not to tell the others about the deer. It’s the first moment in the story that is purely about Gordie’s experience. It has nothing to do with his parents, his friends, or his brother’s death. The deer represents the beginnings of Gordie’s individual freedom and identity. The experience is so special to him that he keeps the deer’s image to himself. He can’t explain the comfort it gives him, which is part of why he explores it through his writing.

Gordie is a natural storyteller and is almost compulsive in his need to write his stories down. However, his stories have different motivations depending on whether he writes them or tells them. When Gordie tells the story about the pie-eating contest or when he creates stories about Le Dio for Teddy, his purpose is entertainment. By the time he writes a story down, he’s using it to explore his feelings or perspectives on his present or past. Chris encourages him to write because he thinks that the stories will help Gordie leave Castle Rock. Gordie never fully understands why he’s compelled to write and tell stories, but he questions the usefulness of making up stories even though they make him wealthy. Gordie’s story about the trip to see the body serves as a record of what happened to him and his friends during a pivotal moment in their lives.