Novels and film go hand-in-hand in today’s culture because it is so easy to compare a movie like the Hunger Games to the novel the Hunger Games, but it is not so easy to compare a novel and a movie that on the surface seem to be so different. Chinua Achebe’s novel Arrow of God takes place in 1920’s Africa in the country of Nigeria. Achebe weaves the tale of a tragic hero, Ezeulu, conflicted against his native religion and duties and the new Christian religion that was being brought over by the Europeans. On the other hand, Star Wars: A New Hope, directed by George Lucas, is a film about a young boy named Luke Skywalker who is brought into a foreign “religion” and taken on a journey with a variety of other characters. Arrow of God and A New Hope both have different monomyth patterns of fiction, similar archetypes with some contrasting ones as well, and both the novel and film show …show more content…
The most obvious is the monomyth, an example of this is “the Quest” where the hero goes on a journey and takes on hardships and survives it all (Archetypal Criticism, Campbell). In A New Hope it is clear that Luke goes on the “Journey” quest because he begins on Tattooine out in what we would call the countryside, even though it is all desert there. Luke then travels to at least 5 different locations throughout the story, always learning something new. For example, in space Luke is learning the ways of the Force from his mentor (Star Wars: A New Hope). On the other side, Achebe used the “Tragedy” quest for Ezeulu in Arrow of God (Archetypal Criticism, Campbell). Ezeulu, who is the Chief Priest of his tribe, has falling off the pedestal amongst his people for treating them badly by the end of the story. Achebe describes Ezeulu in the beginning of the novel like all the people respect him, it is never actually stated, but by the end the people do not like him and join another religion altogether
One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby. Joseph Campbell calls the initial phase of a hero’s development the “Call to Adventure.” The call is the in... ...
The archetype of the journey is seen in Charles Frazier’s novel Cold Mountain, most clearly through the experience Inman has wandering back to Cold Mountain. The journey archetype sends the hero in search of some truth to restore order and harmony to the land. The journey often includes a series of trials and tribulations the hero faces along the way. Usually, the hero descends into a real or psychological hell and is forced to discover the blackest truths. Once the hero is at his lowest level, he must accept personal responsibility to return to the world of the living.
The film and writing industry go hand in hand, as they often inspire one another. As a result, the translation of many novels into movie format and vice versa vary in success. For instance, many people prefer the film format over the novel since it is usually less time consuming and requires less active participation. However, films tend to overlook significant details which assist the viewer's understanding of the story. Therefore, the two separate forms of media have too many differences to portray the same work of fiction accurately, as they both have their pros and cons that appeal to different types of stories and plots. Numerous changes in the movie adaptation of the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, affected the viewer’s interpretation
The Hero’s Journey is a pattern or type of novel that applies to many adventure stories.
When novels are adapted for the cinema, directors and writers frequently make changes in the plot, setting, characterization and themes of the novel. Sometimes the changes are made in adaptations due to the distinctive interpretations of the novel, which involve personal views of the book and choices of elements to retain, reproduce, change or leave out. On the contrary, a film is not just an illustrated version of the novel; it is a totally different medium. When adapting the novel, the director has to leave out a number of things for the simple reason of time difference. Furthermore, other structures and techniques must be added to the film to enhance the beauty and impressions of it. Like a translator, the director wants to do some sort of fidelity to the original work and also create a new work of art in a different medium. Regardless of the differences in the two media, they also share a number of elements: they each tell stories about characters.
Motion Pictures have always had a strong influence in today’s culture, but maybe none as prevalent as Star Wars. Originating with Episode 4 A New Hope, the series boomed from 1977 to 2005 with yet another addition coming in 2015. The strongest of the series was the original trilogy episodes 4, 5, and 6, all generally released in the 1980s. As one of the strongest film francaises still today, it’s impact within the 1980s was only the tip of the iceberg. Children and adults alike still anticipate the new edition of this seemingly endless journey. If any singular film series still holds prevalence in its future decades it is Star Wars: Original Trilogy.
Whenever books are adapted for film, changes inevitably have to be made. The medium of film offers several advantages and disadvantages over the book: it is not as adept at exploring the inner workings of people - it cannot explore their minds so easily; however, the added visual and audio capabilities of film open whole new areas of the imagination which, in the hands of a competent writer-director, can more than compensate.
Ramayana is one the best examples of a Hero's Journey where Lord Rama abandons his claim to Ayodhaya's throne to serve an exile of fourteen years in the forest, faces innumerable obstacles, defeats his enemies and having completed his exile, makes a triumphant return to Ayodhya and eventually becomes Emperor. Another representative case that can be cited is the story of Jesus, starting from his supernatural conception to his crucifixion. There are various other cultural heroes like Hercules, Quetzalcoatl and King Arthur whose journeys are equally valiant, inspiring and wise, and embody the necessary characteristics of a Hero's
In most movies, novels, and stories, there is a main character that goes through a journey. Sometimes they go on journeys without even realizing it and they are all different. This is usually known as a Hero’s journey. You don't have to always be attacking monsters or killing enemies, but instead be going through obstacles or challenges that is brought by everyday life. In The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus had an incredibly hard journey but he always had motivation to keep him going. His one motivation was getting back to his family and wife Penelope. He never once gave up even though he was hit by many obstacles that should have caused him to fall apart. Like Odysseus, even though i was hit with something that made me want to give up
The Hero’s Journey is a basic template utilized by writers everywhere. Joseph Campbell, an American scholar, analyzed an abundance of myths and literature and decided that almost all of them followed a template that has around twelve steps. He would call these steps the Hero’s Journey. The steps to the Hero’s Journey are a hero is born into ordinary circumstances, call to adventure/action, refusal of call, a push to go on the journey, aid by mentor, a crossing of the threshold, the hero is tested, defeat of a villain, possible prize, hero goes home. The Hero’s Journey is more or less the same journey every time. It is a circular pattern used in stories or myths.
From a structural perspective, movies and novels appear as polar opposites. A film uses actors, scripts, and a set in order to create a visual that can grab and keep the attention of their viewers. However, an author strives to incorporate deeper meaning into their books. Despite these differences in media, 1984 and The Hunger Games present unique, yet similar ideas.
As stated numerous times throughout this essay, movies must stay true to their book predecessor for full effect. Books are normally beautifully described and written, and help the reader visualize a completely new world. Most movies, not just The Book Thief, normally omit several
Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a powerful novel about the social changes that occurred when the white man first arrived on the African continent. The novel is based on a conception of humans as self-reflexive beings and a definition of culture as a set of control mechanisms. Things Fall Apart is the story of Okonkwo, an elder, in the Igbo tribe. He is a fairly successful man who earned the respect of the tribal elders. The story of Okonkwo’s fall from a respected member of the tribe to an outcast who dies in disgrace graphically dramatizes the struggle between the altruistic values of Christianity and the lust for power that motivated European colonialism in Africa and undermined the indigenous culture of a nation.
Throughout Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, struggle between change and tradition is one of the most relevant issues. The Igbo villagers, Okonkwo, and his son Nwoye all experience this problem in many different ways. The villagers have their religion defied, Okonkwo reaches his breaking point and Nwoye finally finds what he believes in. People have struggled to identify and cope with change and tradition throughout history, and will continue to struggle with this issue in the