Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Film vs. Novel Essay

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Film vs. NovelThe film is severely different from the novel, as the director, GarySinise, made deliberate changes to influence the audience’s feelingsand reactions. He has altered and added scenes as he saw this asnecessary to create the right kind of atmosphere and to keep the plotflowing.

The whole story is about two men, George and Lennie. These are verytwo very different characters; the novel describes them as opposites.Lennie is a very large and burly while George is ‘small and quick’. Inthe book they wear exactly the same thing, but as the film has to relyon devices and stereotypes to pass the message across quickly, theydress Lennie in dungarees to show how different they area and to showthe childlikeness of Lennie.

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There is a problem with Lennie; he has a child’s mind. This causesmany problems for the pair and results in Lennie’s unavoidable death.There are two things that cause these many problems- one being thefact that Lennie likes to stroke soft things. When he was young, hisaunt Clara had given him a piece of velvet (it only makes you wonderif he hadn’t have lost that, his life might have been saved.) Becauseof his “condition”, he likes to keep mice. But once again his strengthis a problem. When he’s scared he holds onto things, so, when the micebite him he crushes them to death.

These problems echo through the story, Curly’s hand, the pup andultimately Curly’s wife.

There are three particular differences, the beginning and the end andCurly’s wife.

In the beginning of the novel, the author sets the scene quitevividly, and explains it in explicit detail.

In the beginning of the film there are white credits on a blackb…

…r if she deserves it.

In the novel she walks in uninvited to join Crooks, Lennie and Georgein Crook’s room. She threatens Crooks with being lynched and the wayshe does this makes her come across as vile and bitter. In the filmshe doesn’t; she catches the men outside and talks at one point. Shesays Curley became mad and smashed all her records, this immediatelymakes you feel sorry for her as she is clearly vulnerable. All doubtsare erased as you listen to what she says next and sympathise withher; this is something the novel tries to avoid doing.

Her death scene is exactly the same, showing that whatever thecharacter may be like, we all sympathise with her tragic death.

Although the novel and film have the same story line, just by alteringcertain things you get a whole different aspect and create a totallydifferent effect on the audience.

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