Plot
I chose this short story to be adapted into a feature-length film because when I was reading it, I felt like I was watching a movie in my mind. Alice Munro did a fantastic job with her descriptions and details because I could literally see all that was happening just by reading the story. I thought the plot was very creative with the surprise ending and all, but there are still two things that I would change. First, I would change the beginning of the story in the movie. I would start out showing Edie with her family at home. Older Edie, who tells the story, references to how and why she ended up at the Peebles' house, but I would want to start the movie off with her in her actual home and then show what all happened for her to end up with the Peebles. This would give the viewer a better understanding of where Edie is from. I know that when I was reading the short story, I was very curious about the type of environment that Edie was from. The short story mentioned it briefly, but I would like to expand on it. Also, the other change I would make would be to the end of the story. I love the ending, but again I would just like to expand Edie's life with the mailman. There was about a paragraph about Edie and her actual husband, but I would like there to be just a little bit more about the two of them. This would assure the viewer that Edie actually ended up "happily ever after."
Point of View
I really liked the point of view in the short story because it was Edie telling this story when she was much older. Sometimes the reader will become biased from this point of view because they only see things from Edie's point of view, but I do not think this was the case in this short story. In a movie made from this short story, I think that I would keep the same point of view. I like when a movie is a character's vivid flashback. I saw this done in the movie I saw, Stand by Me, which was adapted from the short story, "The Body." I really liked how it was done. I would have Edie shown as an older woman with her husband and family at their home, then have something trigger her to think and go into a flashback, which would be the story. If the moive was like this, then the ending could be her snapping back into her life at the moment where it would show what had become of Edie and the mailman. Edie's voice could help explain things throughtout the flashback, but I do not think that having this point of view in a movie would hurt the viewer's perception of the whole story.
Characterization
In the short story, I really liked the characters and their personalities. If it was adapted into a movie, I wouldn't really want to change the personalities of the characters, I would just want the viewer to see the characters more. If the viewer would see some of the characters more often in more scenes, I believe they would get a better feel for who they truly are. First, I know Mr. and Mrs. Peebles are never home to show how they are always busy and away from their children, but I would like themn to make a little bit more of an appearance in the movie. This was the viewer could understand them more. Also, I understand that Alice Munro wanted the story to be focused on Edie and Chris for the most part, but the reader didn't get to see Edie with the children much at all. I think that seeing Edie with the Peebles' children would characterize Edie better and show the reader what kind of family Edie was truly dealing with. Lastly, I would want to see Loretta Bird more often. She does appear in the short story a lot, but if this was adapted into a movie, I would want to see Loretta Bird at her house maybe once or twice to actually get a feel for the life she lives. If all of these characters were shown more, then the viewer would be able to characterize them all a little bit more easily.
Setting
I would definitely keep the setting the same if this story were made into a film. Like I said before, I would include the setting of Edie's actual home first, then move to the setting of the open country and the Peebles' home. This movement would help the viewer understand how durastically Edie's life was changing. She now had luxuries like washing machines that she didn't have before at her own home. Also, by showing places such as Loretta Bird's house, the viewer can compare and contrast these environments. I would definitely keep the time period the same in the short story as in the flash back, but when the movie starts and ends, the time period would be more modern to show the change in time.
Theme
The theme of the short story would coincide with that of the film. The film would also include the themes of everything happens for a reason, when one door closes, another opens, and the journey is more important than the destination. All of these themes are important to the whole meaning of the story. This is a story of suspense and situational irony. This irony is why the everything happens for a reason theme is presented. If Edie would have never met Chris then she would never have waited for the mail. Then, if she would've never waited for the mail, she would have never MET her husband. These themes are timeless and universal, and I would find no reason to change them because they need to be taught to everyone.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Film Blog - "Stand By Me"
Plot
The plot in the movie is almost exactly the same with a couple of minor exceptions. The movies still starts with talk of a dead body that they are going to see which intrigues the viewer to keep watching. The movies does follow the story very closely though. There were a couple differences between “The Body” and “Stand by Me” too. In “The Body”, I felt like Gordie and Denny (his deceased brother) did not have a close relationship, but their relationship in “Stand by Me” was completely different. Their close relationship was emphasized by a few scenes that did not appear in the short story. The movie showed Denny sticking up for his brother and caring about him when their parents did not. Denny was interested in Gordie's life by saying at the dinner table, "So Gordie, how are your writings going?" Their parents would have never been this interested in Gordie's life. Also, Denny gave Gordie his New York Yankees hat which he wears throughout the movie. For me, this relationship completely took a 180 degree turn from the short story to the movie. Also, the store clerk in the movie did not try to rip off Gordie like he did in the movie. Lastly, in the book, Gordie is the one who pushes Teddy off of the railroad tracks and Chris is the character who pulls out the gun to scare off their older brothers’ gang. In the movie this is flipped around. I think this was done to show that Gordie is the one with the intellectual ability to act when it really counts.
Point of View
The movie is still in the format of one of Gordie LaChance’s flashbacks. Also, Gordie still narrates throughout the movie, but not quite as much. This way the viewer sees the story as a whole and they don’t get into Gordie’s head as much. This also means that not as much background information is given about the boys and their families, especially Gordie’s family. The viewer can’t connect as well with the characters and Gordie in the movie because there are not as many descriptions of the boys’ feelings as there were in the book. The movie also cuts out the whole story of Stud City. I am guessing that if they were to have put this in the movie it would have been rated R for other things rather than language. I think it was a good idea to not put this story in the movie, but the viewer does not get to understand the writing abilities and imagination of this twelve year-old. The viewer will not understand this passion nearly as much as the reader of “The Body” would.
Characterization
Since Gordie does not narrate nearly as much in the movie, indirect narration is the most common way to characterize the characters in “Stand by Me.” Gordie still tells of Teddy and his father’s relationship, but besides that Gordie does not give a lot of direct characterization as he does in the short story. The boy’s characters are revealed throughout their journey. When the boys are walking along the railroad, they split up into two groups, Gordie/Chris and Teddy/Vern. Here we see the mature vs. the immature. Chris and Gordie have an intellectual conversation of moving onto junior high and Chris lectures Gordie on pursuing his love for writing and actually making something of himself and not being “dragged down by his friends.” It is clear that Chris thinks his destiny is already written and he is going to end up like his unaccomplished brother and family. Then, we see the group of boys acting their age (Vern and Teddy). They are having an important conversation about if “Mighty Mouse could beat up Superman.” Also, when the boys camp out, they have one boy stay up on look out after they hear noises. The way the boys act all alone in the woods says a lot about them. Vern is scared and just at the slightest cricket. Teddy talks to himself to break the silence. I believe that this speaks to his loneliness. Chris is not really scared at all. Lastly, the scene of teddy standing up for his dad happens the same was in the movie as it does the short story. After this incident, Teddy cries. Chris and Gordie both cry at other points in the story too. I believe this speaks of their true age no matter how old they are trying to be. These tears also represent the struggles these boys are faced with at such a young age. All in all, the actions and situations these characters are put in bring out their characters fully.
Setting
The setting in the short story and the book is different. “The Body” takes place in 1960 in a town called Castle Rock in Maine. The movie, “Stand by Me,” takes place in 1959 in the same named city (Castle Rock) but in Oregon. This city of Castle Rock is very small in both the short story and the movie. Also, the lack of parental supervision is seen in both versions of this story. The parents of these children are not very involved in their lives and don’t really mind that their children are camping and missing for two days. I understand that the boys told lies to make it work, but if this is such a small, old town, one would think that the parents would see each other often and communicate. The boys are not really cared much about by their parents and everyone assumes they will just turn out like their “looney” parents and older siblings so the boys just fall into this trap. Maybe if the society would give these boys a chance, things would be different.
Theme
Like the short story, “The Body,” the movie is also based on the growing up of a group of boys. It is a “coming of age” movie that is all about the friendship of a gang of young twelve year-old boys. Although they are not perfect and engage in dangerous pursuits, at heart the boys are good kids and loyal friends. The story focuses on the struggles of the adolescent years. The boys grow up over the course of two days. They stick together through leaches, trains, intimidating dogs, and the older gang of boys (who they are expected to turn into). Just like in the short story, they take responsibility for themselves, get through their differences, fight their problems and develop into young men.
The plot in the movie is almost exactly the same with a couple of minor exceptions. The movies still starts with talk of a dead body that they are going to see which intrigues the viewer to keep watching. The movies does follow the story very closely though. There were a couple differences between “The Body” and “Stand by Me” too. In “The Body”, I felt like Gordie and Denny (his deceased brother) did not have a close relationship, but their relationship in “Stand by Me” was completely different. Their close relationship was emphasized by a few scenes that did not appear in the short story. The movie showed Denny sticking up for his brother and caring about him when their parents did not. Denny was interested in Gordie's life by saying at the dinner table, "So Gordie, how are your writings going?" Their parents would have never been this interested in Gordie's life. Also, Denny gave Gordie his New York Yankees hat which he wears throughout the movie. For me, this relationship completely took a 180 degree turn from the short story to the movie. Also, the store clerk in the movie did not try to rip off Gordie like he did in the movie. Lastly, in the book, Gordie is the one who pushes Teddy off of the railroad tracks and Chris is the character who pulls out the gun to scare off their older brothers’ gang. In the movie this is flipped around. I think this was done to show that Gordie is the one with the intellectual ability to act when it really counts.
Point of View
The movie is still in the format of one of Gordie LaChance’s flashbacks. Also, Gordie still narrates throughout the movie, but not quite as much. This way the viewer sees the story as a whole and they don’t get into Gordie’s head as much. This also means that not as much background information is given about the boys and their families, especially Gordie’s family. The viewer can’t connect as well with the characters and Gordie in the movie because there are not as many descriptions of the boys’ feelings as there were in the book. The movie also cuts out the whole story of Stud City. I am guessing that if they were to have put this in the movie it would have been rated R for other things rather than language. I think it was a good idea to not put this story in the movie, but the viewer does not get to understand the writing abilities and imagination of this twelve year-old. The viewer will not understand this passion nearly as much as the reader of “The Body” would.
Characterization
Since Gordie does not narrate nearly as much in the movie, indirect narration is the most common way to characterize the characters in “Stand by Me.” Gordie still tells of Teddy and his father’s relationship, but besides that Gordie does not give a lot of direct characterization as he does in the short story. The boy’s characters are revealed throughout their journey. When the boys are walking along the railroad, they split up into two groups, Gordie/Chris and Teddy/Vern. Here we see the mature vs. the immature. Chris and Gordie have an intellectual conversation of moving onto junior high and Chris lectures Gordie on pursuing his love for writing and actually making something of himself and not being “dragged down by his friends.” It is clear that Chris thinks his destiny is already written and he is going to end up like his unaccomplished brother and family. Then, we see the group of boys acting their age (Vern and Teddy). They are having an important conversation about if “Mighty Mouse could beat up Superman.” Also, when the boys camp out, they have one boy stay up on look out after they hear noises. The way the boys act all alone in the woods says a lot about them. Vern is scared and just at the slightest cricket. Teddy talks to himself to break the silence. I believe that this speaks to his loneliness. Chris is not really scared at all. Lastly, the scene of teddy standing up for his dad happens the same was in the movie as it does the short story. After this incident, Teddy cries. Chris and Gordie both cry at other points in the story too. I believe this speaks of their true age no matter how old they are trying to be. These tears also represent the struggles these boys are faced with at such a young age. All in all, the actions and situations these characters are put in bring out their characters fully.
Setting
The setting in the short story and the book is different. “The Body” takes place in 1960 in a town called Castle Rock in Maine. The movie, “Stand by Me,” takes place in 1959 in the same named city (Castle Rock) but in Oregon. This city of Castle Rock is very small in both the short story and the movie. Also, the lack of parental supervision is seen in both versions of this story. The parents of these children are not very involved in their lives and don’t really mind that their children are camping and missing for two days. I understand that the boys told lies to make it work, but if this is such a small, old town, one would think that the parents would see each other often and communicate. The boys are not really cared much about by their parents and everyone assumes they will just turn out like their “looney” parents and older siblings so the boys just fall into this trap. Maybe if the society would give these boys a chance, things would be different.
Theme
Like the short story, “The Body,” the movie is also based on the growing up of a group of boys. It is a “coming of age” movie that is all about the friendship of a gang of young twelve year-old boys. Although they are not perfect and engage in dangerous pursuits, at heart the boys are good kids and loyal friends. The story focuses on the struggles of the adolescent years. The boys grow up over the course of two days. They stick together through leaches, trains, intimidating dogs, and the older gang of boys (who they are expected to turn into). Just like in the short story, they take responsibility for themselves, get through their differences, fight their problems and develop into young men.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
"The Drunkard"
The ending of this story was completely unexpected for me. I think that is what made it so funny. I'm not sure what how old the narrator (Larry) is, but just the image of some young boy being intoxicated was completely absurd in my mind. One of the questions after the story is, "Did Larry's father forswear liquor?" I do believe he did. On page 350. the father says, "Never again, never again, not if I live to be a thousand." The only other thing he could be referring to is his son and his son's drunkenness and I don't think that that would even make sense. This story also shows that some habits in this world are so hard to be broken. Here the only way that this father's habit is broken is by seeing his son do as he does. The father then realizes what an example he is setting for his child. Even on the walk home, the ladies were commenting on how the drunkards son was taking after him.
You're Ugly, Too
I have to agree with Mr. Costello that this story is just one big characterization of Zoe. This story is much more of a character-driven story than a plot- driven story. There is a line on page 363 that I believe sums up her character, "This was what she'd become: a woman alone at the movies with everything in a Baggie." I found this quite humorous and I just believe that it completely represents Zoe's character. She is one of those woman who has to have everything perfect. I believe she is one who would live by the saying, "There is a place for everything and everything has it's place." Personally, I am a very organized person, so I can relate, but Zoe takes this organization to an obsessive compulsive level. She just seems like she focuses on making everything in her life perfect.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Lottery
I think that this story definitely ends in a way that no reader truly expects. From this odd story, one can pull out many themes, but there is one theme that I found the most interesting. I found that people sometimes do things even when they don't see value in it and sometimes just do them to do them because it is familiar and comfortable. This story is an extreme case of this theme. I'm not extremely positive why they carry on with this lottery, but I think it is just because of tradition. Also, I believe that the story alludes to a reason why this lottery started. They used to do it because they believed it would help avoid a bad harvest. The lottery has been going on for at least 77 years because of Old Man Warner. Chances are that this community has evolved from dependence on agriculture. This means that the lottery just survives because it is all that the people know. It is so custom to them that the people are brainwashed and believe that this process is alright. Seriously? They give Mrs. Hutchinson's youngest son stones to throw at his mother to kill her. This is crossing the line of insanity.
This theme still applies to situations in the world today though. Wives stay with their abusing husbands because it is all they know and they become comfortable with it. I know that we talked about this when we studied "Eveline." Change is something in the world that is usually a difficult thing for everyone. I think this trend is universal and timeless. We shouldn't expect that to change anytime soon.
This theme still applies to situations in the world today though. Wives stay with their abusing husbands because it is all they know and they become comfortable with it. I know that we talked about this when we studied "Eveline." Change is something in the world that is usually a difficult thing for everyone. I think this trend is universal and timeless. We shouldn't expect that to change anytime soon.
Popular Mechanics
4. Why is this couple splitting up? Do we know? Does it matter?
The reader never gets to find out why this couple is splitting up, but I believe that this is a detail that doesn't really matter. The reader only needs to realize that the couple is splitting up and ripping apart the life of the child. One would think that the reason for the split or divorce would need to be known, but it doesn't. This detail is just about as important as if Phoenix Jackson's grandson is dead or not in "A Worn Path." The reader isn't supposed to focus on why the parents are getting divorced, they are supposed to see the affects of the splitting of parents. In this story, the parents figuratively or literally tear their child apart because they are selfish and worry about their wants more than the child's wants. Carver wants the to convey this theme that is "popular" in today's custody battles.
The reader never gets to find out why this couple is splitting up, but I believe that this is a detail that doesn't really matter. The reader only needs to realize that the couple is splitting up and ripping apart the life of the child. One would think that the reason for the split or divorce would need to be known, but it doesn't. This detail is just about as important as if Phoenix Jackson's grandson is dead or not in "A Worn Path." The reader isn't supposed to focus on why the parents are getting divorced, they are supposed to see the affects of the splitting of parents. In this story, the parents figuratively or literally tear their child apart because they are selfish and worry about their wants more than the child's wants. Carver wants the to convey this theme that is "popular" in today's custody battles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)