Adaptation - From Novel to Film | To Kill a Mockingbird

ADAPTATION: from novel to film
Film and book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Directions:
Fill in the chart below. Write a 5 single-spaced paragraph essay on your
understanding of the significance of the changes between novel and movie.
Close Reading & Viewing
Book Film
Setting
The setting of the book shows a
representative town of of1 1930s. The
state of Maycomb is a fictitious creation
of Lee and shows the racial
discrimination and suppression of the
African American community.
The fictitious town of Maycomb comes
to life in the movie version of the novel,
where Lee’s words have been brought
to life. The suffocation of the plot shows
the suffocation, which was prevalent in
the society.
Characters
The characters are peculiar in the way
that they seem to be as real-life people.
The widowed lawyer, Atticus Finch, lives
an unconventional life of raising his
children alone.
The characters remain the same in the
book and movie.
Plot Details
The plot of the novel consists of a
prominent lawyer fighting for an
African-American man Tom Robinson
for raping a young white girl named
Mayella Ewell. The plot unfolds with the
exposure of racism, which was still
present in society.
The plot of the movie helps better with
the view that the imagery of Lee’s
words were enacted and demonstrated
by the brilliance of the actors.
Conflicts and Resolutions
The conflict of the novel lies in the
presence of people like Atticus, who
could rise above societal prejudices of
racism. He was paid for his honest
effort when his daughter was saved
from Bob Ewell’s attack on Scout.
The conflict stays the same in the
movie, with the racial prejudice being
present. The resolution comes in the
form of Arthur Radley saving Scout’s
life showing that Atticus’s fight against
racist prejudice has started a change in
society.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Similarities Between Book and Film Differences Between Book and Film
Setting
The setting of the work is based in the
same location that is in Maycomb in the
novel as well as the movie. The theme
of racialism is carried well in the same
way.
The difference in the setting is the
staring of the movie starts in Atticus’s
office but in the novel, the narrative
starting with Scout and Jem returning
from a play and meeting Dill while
returning from a play
Characters
Atticus and Scout provide the
foundation on which other characters
and their developments are measured
in both the movie as well as the book.
The character development of Scout is
absent in the movie, and the plot is
changed due to the absence of Aunt
Alexandara in the movie, which
changed the discourse (Macaluso,
2017). Tom Robinson’s children and
father are also seen in the movie, which
is only a brief mention in the book.
Another deviation is the appearance of
Scout and Jem’s mother with the help of
a conversation.
Plot Details
Due to the narrative staying faithful to
the novel, the movie has a very similar
plot. The plot revolves around the racial
discrimination that leads to Robinson’s
death.
The plot is seemingly different because
Atticus’s speeches were cut short, and
Bob’s heinous acts with Mayella were
not discussed in length or shown in the
movie.
Conflicts and Resolutions
The conflict in the movie, as well as the
book, shows the restrictive atmosphere
of Maycomb, but in the end, we see a
glimmer of home with Officer Tate
hiding in the official records of Bob
dying at the hand of Radley.
The difference in the conflict rises due
to a change in character involvement in
the action. The movie does not address
the issue of Scout’s reluctance to
accept her personality, which is vividly
shown to be resolved by the end of the
book when she dresses up in a dress
and attends a tea party with aunt
Alexandara (Sjöstedt, 2019).