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.
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