Comparing the Book and Movie: Of Mice and Men Essay

OF MICE AND MEN.

Throughout my years of high school, I read several good and bad books. One day we were told to read Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck and I thought the book overall was one of the best books I have read in a while. Like all great books, they usually turn into a movie. Director Gary Sinese was thrilled to read such a book and wanted to make a movie about Of Mice And Men, but Gary Sinese had a different prospective and wanted to create an idea of his own which made viewers had different thought and feelings between the movie and the book.

The book and the movie had a lot in common which made both stories similar. For example, one of the biggest similarities from the book to the movie is when Candys dog gets shot. When I was reading the book, I pictured it exactly how it was shown in the movie and I felt the movie betrayed the scene very well. Another scene that shows similarities between the book and the movie was the fight between Curly and Lennie. This was a graphic scene in the book and was betrayed very well in the movie. The book describes about how Lennie grabs Curlys fist and literally breaking every bone in his hand causing blood to leak out. When I watched the movie, it showed every detail the book described it to be. Not only were the scenes similar, but also the characters portrayed in the movie. In the book, Lennie was a slow but strong man. He loved the environment and loved to play with animals. In the movie, John Molcovich played the role of Lennie and played the role very well. The movie showed Lennie as a tall white, but slow man who cared for everyone which made his characteristic exactly like the book. Gary Sinese, also the director, played the role as George and had the same characteristics as described in the book. George was a very wise man who understood Lennie more than anyone. He knew how to escape situations that could jeopardize Lennie or even himself. Just like the book, the movie described George perfectly.

The book and movie also had differences, which made the story lose meaning. For example, one of the biggest differences between the book and the movie was the ending. In the book, the ending was very emotional when George was about to kill Lennie. George was very hesitant when he was trying to kill Lennie. He would hold the rifle to his head and take it down and stuttered several times before he actually pulls the trigger and kills Lennie. This created a sad and emotional ending because it shows George did not want to kill Lennie but had no choice. In the movie, it was the complete opposite. George showed no emotions before shooting Lennie. George was sitting by the rocks talking to Lennie and out of nowhere, you hear gunfire, finding Lennies body lying there dead. This was the complete opposite of the books ending because George didnt care as much for killing Lennie as he did in the book. The themes were also different. For example, the friendship Lennie and George had. The two characters, George and Lennie, had a very trustful and kind relationship. In the book, George cared for Lennie and was always there for him. He would comfort Lennie and gave him a shoulder to cry on. In the movie, their friendship wasnt as great as it was in the book. George was very annoyed of Lennie and hated him being around. He believed his life would have been better if Lennie never existed or never met each other because George believes Lennie holds him back.

In conclusion, the book and the movie are very similar yet different. This shows how authors and directors do not really have the same views or the theme of the story. Directors create images that best suits the audience, which makes viewers have different perspective between the book and the movie. When it comes to authors and directors, each have their own opinion on how they see the story.