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Differences between movie and novel to kill a mockingbird
Differences between movie and novel to kill a mockingbird
Compare and contrast the novel and the film
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To Kill A Mocking Bird
A Comparison of The Novel and The Film
There are many differences between the movie and the book. First the positive points: This film attaches faces to Scout, Jem, Miss Maudie, and Dill, since no description of their faces is given in the book. Also, the film has some genuinely hilarious moments, particularly the scene where Scout is dressed as a ham and walking through the forest. Another good point is that the acting was superb and a treat to watch. Gregory Peck, who played Atticus, was captivating. The film is cast very well. The novel does not give physical descriptions of Scout, Jem, Miss Maudie, and Dill, but the film characters were believable. The actors look like what we would expect them to look like.
Onto the negative points. Many very important scenes are omitted, this can make the film hard to follow at times. Particularly of the scene in the courthouse, because Jem and Scout still take seats with Reverend Sykes, the black man. In the novel we meet Sykes in the scene where Calpurnia takes the children to her church, and the children befriend him. But in the movie, that scene was not present, therefore there is no reason for the children to know Reverend Sykes because the segregation of the 30's would normally eliminate all friendly contact with a person of the opposite race. Because of the removal of so many scenes, character development is minimal. Another negative point is that Boo Radley, a major character we hear so much about in b...
It is very common among people to misjudge others prematurely, which are changed once the individual being judged is gotten to know better. Once, Walt Whitman said, “Be curious, not judgmental”. This can be a lesson to a vast number of persons, not excluding Jem and Scout. They are two of the most important characters from the most fiction novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which takes place in the Great depression, in Maycomb, Alabama. Two of the most misunderstood characters in the whole book are Dolphus Raymond, the town drunkard, and Atticus Finch the town lawyer as well as Jem and Scouts “boring” father. Jem and Scout both misjudge Dolphus Raymond and their own father, Atticus, fate decides to oppose them with two events the trial of Tom Robinson, and the disposition of Tim Johnson, and they are forced to change their absurd opinions.
What really shocked me about a part that was left out in the movie was when Jem was punished to go help and understand Mrs. Dubose as a punishment. After Mrs. Dubose harassed Jem and Scout, he got tired of it and took out his anger on her most precious thing, her garden. I thought this was very important to the book and would be essential to the movie as well. This was one of the scenes that showed us that Jem was indeed “growing up.” It also introduced us to Dubose’s addiction to morphine and her attempt to stop and be, courageous, as Atticus said. I actually, after all the differences, believe this is the most important scene that was not in the movie.
The differences in the movie and the book might have been intentional. If audiences were to read the book, watch the movie, and reach conclusions, I think they would have great understanding of what’s inside them both. For example, a scene in the movie in which Atticus tells his children why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird was not in the book; from that scene, I inferred on how that became the initial title of the book. By using both resources, I was able to gather information and grasp its contents tighter.
Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves for classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for their execution of style and the importance of their content.
To begin with, there are many similarities between the book and movie To Kill A Mockingbird. For example, Tom Robinson died in an attempt to escape from prison in both the book and the movie. In my opinion Tom's death was crucial to the original story, and I believe the movie would have been seen as over-sentimental if the scriptwriters had let him live. Another important similarity between the book and movie, is the mutual fascination between Arthur Radley and the children. Arthur, or Boo as the children called him, left them gifts such as dolls, a watch, and chewing gum in the hollow of a tree in his yard. The children made expeditions to the Radley house to look in the window just so they could catch a glimpse of Boo Radley. I believe this captivation was important to the story line because it was the main foundation of the children's imagination. A big part of the story was imagining Boo to be some kind of freak that came out at night to eat cats and squirrels. An additional similarity between the book and movie is the respect showed to Atticus by the African American community of Maycomb. They respected him for his courage, which by his definition meant, "It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do."(112). I think the mutual respect between the African Americans and Atticus was important not only to Atticus, but also to his children. Their father and the sad story and memories of Tom Robinson taught them the wrongs of racism. I think if the movie producers had taken out the good relationship between Atticus and the African Americans, it would be taking away one of the most important themes of the story. There are many other significant similarities between the book and the movie.
Has evil always been around, or did man create it? One could trace evil all the way back to Adam and Eve; however, evil came to them, but it was not in them. When did evil become part of a person? No one knows, but evil has been around for a long time and unfortunately is discovered by everyone. In many great classics in literature evil is at the heart or the theme of the novel, including Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. This classic book demonstrates the growing up of two children in the South and illustrates the theme of evil by showing how they discover, how they deal, and how they reconcile themselves to the evils they experience.
The story To Kill A Mockingbird has a wide variety of characters and situations that make it an all-time favorite. The ever-growing popularity of this story has caused a movie version, based on the book, to be showcased. There are noticeable differences between the two that could change the entire feel of the story. The omitted scenes from the book, that are never shown in the movie, include: Jem and Scout going to church with Calpurnia, the school scene in which the Ewells, Cunninghams, and Scout’s teacher and classmates are introduced and talked about, and how Aunt Alexandra, the great influencer of the children in the book, never appears in the movie along with other Finch family members.
For example, Mama goes to the bank in the movie and is given a hard time about paying her mortgage, but this did not happen in the book. Another major difference is that the school bus scene, where the Logan kids played a trick on the white kids, was not shown in the movie, even though it was an important part of the story. There are some character changes as well. Lillian Jean, Jeremy, R.W, and Melvin are Simms’ in the book, but in the movie they are Kaleb Wallace’s children. However, the main plot difference is how the movie starts in the middle, summarizing everything from the first part of the book very briefly. Additionally, many scenes are switched around and placed out of order. Altogether, the plot and character changes contribute to my unfavorable impression of the
My name is Tom Robinson. I lived on the outskirts of Maycomb Country with my wife, Helen, and kids. I worked on Mr. Link Deas's farm as a work hand. He hired me even though I'm a Negro and have a crippled arm; he's a very nice man. Every day on the way to work, I would pass the Ewell's home. They're a white family that lived by the dump. Sometimes I would pass by and help their oldest girl, Mayella, with some of their yard work. None of her younger brothers or sisters seem to help, so I liked to help her. I just thought it was the right thing for me to do, besides, I felt sorry for her. One day, Mayella says that she has something for me to do inside the house. None of the kids were around though, and I got kind of worried. When Mayella shut the door behind me and started kissing me, I knew I was in trouble. I started to push her away when her daddy, Bob, saw us through the window. I knew I was in trouble then, even though none of it was my fault, I was still black and it would be my fault if anyone caught me. When he opened the door, I just started to run. I don't know if Mayella was beaten by her father, but all I knew was I had to run. I ran all the way home, as fast as lighting. I told Helen about everything and she said it would all be okay. But Mr. Ewell had already called Mr. Heck Tate, the sheriff, and said that I had that I had raped and beaten Mayella. I knew that I could be killed on this charge, and I got really nervous. I wondered why everyone believed Mr. Ewell's lies. I couldn't have beaten up Mayella, I only have one good arm! The other one was torn up in a cotton gin when I was a little boy. But when they assigned Atticus Finch to be my lawyer for a trial, I put my soul to rest. Mr. Finch would take care of me no matter what he said. People in town were upset though. They said Mr.
The similarities are quite apparent, the movie plot mainly follows the basic plot that the book took, leaving the viewer’s with a sense of accomplishment, as this is sometimes not achieved in the highest degree. Scout still has a brother, Jem. They both still meet Dill and have a few adventures with him throughout the film. Jem and Scout still have a single father, Atticus, having lost their mother many years ago. Calpunia is still their cook. And the whole story still has an overpowering sense of focusing on two main stories, Boo Radley (Arthur Radley) and Tom Robinson’s trial.
The characters make a big difference in the movie and the book. One thing they both have in common is that Otis Amber and Berthe Erica Crow get married. And that Edgar Jennings Plum and Angela Wexler get engaged instead of Doctor Denton Deere. Also Jake Wexler is a gambler instead of being a bookie.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel about all different kinds of stereotypes. It takes place during the 30’s in the depression. It uses a young girl’s perspective to show how these stereotypes were so abundant, and how terrible they were. The novel has many themes about racism and sexism, which the author portrays in creative ways. I believe that To Kill a Mockingbird is very much still relevant today.
The movie fails to show little details of prejudice. In the movie, African Americans are not seen doing the hard, manual labor, which was their only opportunity for employment (Overview: To Kill a Mockingbird). In the book, Reverend Sykes tells the children about how Tom Robinson damaged his left arm as a boy in a cotton gin. In the movie, Tom tells the court. Even though movies are not entitled to follow the book directly, the focus of To Kill A Mockingbird as the movie is a compromise from the novel’s full power.
One thing that can make a book good is characters. In the book, there were many more animals in the farm. The movie did not show many animals except for the main animals. Even thought this is a small difference, it can be noticeable. In the book, Mollie was a character.
In the past, I have done reviews on John Adams, Rudy, Grease, and The Butler. For my fourth quarter movie review, I decided to watch To Kill A Mockingbird because I have already read the book and wanted to see the film adaptation of it. This movie focuses on the Finch family in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama around the time of the Great Depression. It is based off of the book of the same name by Harper Lee. Both focus on Scout and Jem Finch growing up in the deep South and struggling to figure out how to act in the world around them.