Table of Contents
Introduction
With such stories as ‘The Shining’ and ‘Carrie’ under his belt, many associate the writer Stephen King with horror. From horror stories about killer clowns to thrillers about obsessive fans, Stephen King is considered by many as one of the masters of horror. With this title though, Stephen King is not just exclusively a horror writer since he has always written dramatic stories. Some of the most popular films that were adapted from Stephen King’s writing aren’t horror at all but are instead thoughtful and emotional dramas. From ‘Stand By Me’ to ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ to ‘The Green Mile,’ Stephen King’s non-horror stories are triumphant portrayals of friendship, life, and even death.
Finding Humanity Through Friendship
The non-horror stories of Stephen King have a strong focus on friendship. More than that, these stories focus on unconventional friendships and how these friendships reveal the humanity of people. ‘The Green Mile’ focuses on the friendship between death row prison guard Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) and death row inmate John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan). Their friendship is bound by supernatural circumstances and their friendship reveals the humanity in both of them. John is an innocent and kind man who is arguably too good for this world. His genuine nature is what helps Paul, who is cold towards his surroundings, realize the errors of the system and the world around him. Paul’s friendship with John helps him grow and become a better person. This theme of friendships improving one’s life is a common theme throughout these films.
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‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ like ‘The Green Mile,’ is about the friendships that are formed during solitude. ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ follows Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a man who tries to survive prison life with the help of his new friend Ellis “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman). The film illustrates the humanity of prisoners, showing that they have thoughts and feelings like everyone else, and successfully does this through the friendships that are formed in the prison. Andy and Red not only have each other’s backs throughout the film but are also there for one another emotionally. The two share their hopes and dreams together and like the friendship between Paul and Coffey, their friendship brings out the best in each other. Through their friendship, Andy learns to be less standoffish and to express himself more while Red learns to be more hopeful. One can argue that while their friendship reveals the humanity of prisoners, it also acts as a form of freedom. They manage to keep their freedom behind the walls through the joys of their friendship.
‘Stand By Me,’ unlike the previous two films, follows the friendship of children. In this coming-of-age story, four boys go on a hike to find the rumored dead body of a missing boy. This group of friends consists of the shy Gordie (Will Wheaton), the rebellious Chris (River Phoenix), the unhinged Teddy (Corey Feldman), and the innocent Vern (Jerry O’Connell). Like the other stories, their friendship is unconventional and reveals all the boys’ humanity. Each boy in this group of friends is troubled. Gordie’s older brother has recently died in a car crash, Chris’ family consists of abusive delinquents, and Teddy may be mentally ill like his “looney” father. All the boys have been labeled as “troubled” by the town and by their parents, but the boys find solace in each other. They confide in each other and reveal their inner lives to one another. This is especially seen in the classic milk money scene where Chris reveals to Gordie that he stole the money from the school. This scene reveals the humanity of a troubled child, revealing how he truly feels about his circumstances, through the vulnerability that friendship allows.
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Life and Death
All three of Stephen King’s non-horror stories deal with the themes of life and death. ‘The Green Mile’ uses the ideas of life and death to reveal the complexities of being a human. In ‘The Green Mile,’ Paul gets to live forever while Coffey is unjustly killed. Both of their outcomes show the complexities of life. Coffey’s death shows how the justice system is unjust and unfair. His willingness to die because he is tired of the cruelty of the world also shows how tiresome life itself can become. This is similar to Paul’s outcome, where he gets to live forever but doesn’t see this as a blessing. Paul sees this as a curse: he has to watch all his loved ones die before him while watching the world as he knows it change. The demise of Coffey and the long life of Paul reveal the dark complexities that come with life itself.
‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is more about life than death, using the setting of prison to explore the ideas of living a good life. Throughout the story, Andy tries to hold on to his inner life while behind bars. From helping other inmates with their struggles to picking up hobbies like stone carving, Andy tries to find joy and humanity in even the smallest moments in prison. He keeps his hope and the twinkle in his eye by starting projects for himself. This can act as a lesson to the audience on how to live a healthy life. Andy’s journey teaches the audience that life isn’t just about owning valuable things and traveling, but that life is also about the inner workings of your mind; that the way to a good life is through personal projects and helping to bring out the best in others. Throughout the film, the audience sees that one can attempt to live a good life under any circumstance as long as they take care of themselves.
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‘Stand By Me’ is about both life and death. ‘Stand By Me’ is a coming-of-age story that deals with the inevitable aspects of life. One inevitable aspect of life that both the film and book deals with is the idea of “growing apart.” At the end of the story, it is revealed that the boys all grew apart after that summer, with Gordie and Chris staying friends the longest until they grew apart from each other. There is no bad blood amongst anyone nor any fights that lead to the group’s fallout. It is just the boys coming of age. By coming of age, the boys all soon make other friends and gain new interests that don’t align with one another. It is just an inevitable part of life and it is portrayed as such. The story also shows the inevitability of death. The boys look for a dead body, but once they find it, they are faced with their own mortality and grow uncomfortable at how young the dead boy is. This idea of death is even further delved into with the revelation that when Chris grows up, he is stabbed at a restaurant after trying to stop a fight. It is this inevitable outcome that inspires the grown-up Gordie to look back at his own coming of age story, to look back at his life.
Conclusion
The non-horror stories of Stephen King are perhaps the most human stories he has ever written. Each shows the humanity of its unconventional characters and does this through a heartwarming portrayal of friendship. The stories all follow imperfect characters, from prisoners to troubled youth, and show how they are all capable of having feelings and emotions. Each story also delves into the complicated themes of life and death, showing the inevitability of death and that one should live life with value. These stories can act as lessons to us, teaching us how to live our life with meaning and how friendship can make us better people.
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By Brianna Benozich
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Author
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Brianna Benozich is a writer for The Hollywood Insider and a stand up comedian. With a background in screenwriting, she believes that every good story relies on character, story, and themes. Brianna believes that these components, especially with comedies, can start necessary conversations and even open the minds of the audience. She strives to bring attention to underrepresented and overshadowed films and television series which align with the core values of Hollywood Insider’s mission to provide meaningful and compelling stories.
Brianna Benozich is a writer for The Hollywood Insider and a stand up comedian. With a background in screenwriting, she believes that every good story relies on character, story, and themes. Brianna believes that these components, especially with comedies, can start necessary conversations and even open the minds of the audience. She strives to bring attention to underrepresented and overshadowed films and television series which align with the core values of Hollywood Insider’s mission to provide meaningful and compelling stories.
