In the film Stand by Me, directed by Rob Reiner, a character that showed a lot of interesting traits was Chris. He is a confident and spirited young man who has a lot of wit about him. He is captivating because of the anger he has towards people and places which always suggests a darker past. Chris is from a tough family by the name of Chambers. His family is known around Castle Rock as criminals but Chris is ashamed to be related to his audacious family. He displays this when he and Geordie are on “watch” and they start to talk about the time Chris stole the milk money.
Chris tells Geordie the truth about the incident and as he is doing so, he bursts into tears. This shows that he “bottles up” his emotions and he is ashamed of telling people the truth. I personally feel like Chris is shoved aside like every other “crook” but deep inside himself, he is a kind and caring boy that holds his friends in high regard. Another aspect of Chris’s traits is leadership. He holds himself as the leader of the “friendship gang” and all the boys admire him. This is shown when he tells Geordie off for saying “Fuck writing, I don’t want to be a writer.
It’s stupid. It’s a stupid waste of time. ” Chris tells Geordie off and tells him that “I wish the hell I was your dad. You wouldn’t be goin’ around talkin’ about takin’ these stupid shop courses if I was. It’s like God gave you something, man, all those stories you can make up. And He said, “This is what we got for ya, kid. Try not to lose it. ” Kids lose everything unless there’s someone there to look out for them. And if your parents are too fucked up to do it, then maybe I should. This is a perfect example of the love Chris shows towards Geordie
Near to the end of the film, Chris displays his friendship and loyalty to his friends when they find the body of Ray Brower. Ace, a gang member from the town, storms into where the boys were standing and says “You got two choices. You leave quietly and we take the body. Or, you can stay, we beat the shit out of you and we take the body. Chris stands next to Geordie as a body guard and they don’t move. Geordie holds up a gun to the sky, blasts a tension breaking shot and says “Suck my fat one, you cheap dime store hood”. Chris doesn’t move an inch because he is loyal to Geordie through any of his troubles.
I personally can relate to Chris through this scene because I believe in being loyal to all of your close friends. Another example of Chris’s closeness he has towards his friends is when Chris and the other boys sing their “friendship song”. This scene definitely displays the bond Chris has between his friends. When I was younger, my friends and I all sang a song similar to this so I could really relate to this scene in the film. Another intriguing thing about Chris is his bond between Teddy Duchamp, one of the four boys from the “friendship gang”. His closeness is shown when Teddy wants to do a “train dodge”.
Teddy stands in the train tracks facing an incoming train. The train starts to toot at Teddy but he does not move. Chris shouts at him and tells him to get off the tracks but Teddy doesn’t listen. Chris then drags Teddy by the scruff of his collar off the train tacks and into the grass. Chris then says “what are ya tryin to do, kill yourself? ” Teddy then replies with an array of loud noises, growls and grunts. They both eventually “make-up” and they perform their special handshake where they slide their hands against each others. It is called “giving skin”.
You can really see that Chris cares for Teddy and he doesn’t want him to get hurt. I think that adolescent boys can definitely relate to this scene because many of them perform similar handshakes at school with their friends. All in all, Chris Chambers is an interesting person and he is a loyal young man. He holds a very high authority over his friends, he has a deep personality and is very courageous. In conclusion, Chris is a person no one would like to get on the “wrong path” with but he is also someone who will be a big asset through issues and problems you might face throughout your life.
