MovieChat Forums > Stand by Me (1986) Discussion > Was Ace involved in Denny's death?

Was Ace involved in Denny's death?


I wonder - is there an implication that Ace and his gang may have been involved in or caused Gordie’s brother death? We’re told that Denny died in a Jeep accident, and we see that Ace & co like driving around the area recklessly (racing, playing chicken, smashing mailboxes).
So, I wonder if maybe Ace & co caused the accident with their dangerous driving.

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I don't recall that connection made in either the movie or King story. It's been a while since reading/viewing either though, so I could be wrong.

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You're right that no specific connection was made in the movie (not sure about the book), I just wondered because it seemed like it would make some sense.

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I don't think so. Certainly I don't recall anything suggesting as such - I'm sure if we were meant to draw that conclusion it would have been signposted somehow.

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Actually, you're probably right - apparently the book says Denny was killed while in the army, so probably no connection intended.

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I think Denny's death serves as a backdrop to Gordie's character arc. He has experienced death first hand by losing a loving older brother AND father figure as the movie clearly implies through soft nightmare that Gordie's father preferred having Denny live and have Gordie die. I didn't read the book so maybe it was conjecture and guilt on Gordie's part to have such ideas in his head, but how Denny died isn't really the point.

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