Intrigued by how lovely the atmosphere is, readers don’t take notice of the absence of people. As the writer gives us an idea of how the animals express themselves, and how they live in this serene place they call home, we are suddenly introduced to the two main characters of the novel. In beginning his novel with such emphasis on the setting, Steinbeck accomplishes numerous goals. He sets the tone and the atmosphere of the story’s location, introduces his two main characters, uses imagery which has been previously stated, and foreshadows later events in the novel.
The attention to his choice of words and repetition are just two examples of how he accomplishes his goals such as: drawing the reader’s attention, intriguing them, wanting them to continue reading. For example, the setting is a few miles south of Soledad, California, near the Salinas River. “Soledad” is a Spanish word that translates into ‘solitude’ or ‘loneliness’, a reference to one of the novel’s main themes. Steinbeck also shows the relationship between George and Lennie, and the attitude in which they behold, by the use of effective descriptive writing. In terms of the style of narration, third-person omniscient is used to provide us, the readers, with information, including all actions that take place within the novel.
By way of contrast, the first shot of the film is very dramatic. It begins with George vividly emerging from a dark spot on the train, due to flashing lights. This is shown from a close-up shot. Not long after, shot two begins with a land appearance. A woman who is unknown to the audience emerges, running and screaming with all her might through a field, as she seems appallingly frightened. This gives the audience a sense of contemplation, questioning the condition of herself, as well as her predicament. At the same time, you start to see both George and Lennie, the two main characters, rapidly running away from a group of men, some on horses’ backs and others on foot having dogs by their side. The camera shot used within those scenes was crosscutting. In this case, it is the edit of two shots combined. The advantage of crosscutting is that the tension within the audience is increased. Viewers would continue to question what’s going on, as they are not aware of subsequent events. Although a close up and crosscutting scene is applied in the beginning, within the film, a consistence of mainly straight-on angle shots is visible. Unlike the novel, the film shows the viewer what things look like from the characters point of view, visually, rather than having to imagine everything. Due to less emphasis on written language, the film eliminates many characteristics of the novel. The continuation of viewers watching the film depends on the visualized picture; the action, the suspense, the music, ect.
Throughout the beginning, heart-racing types of melodies begin to play. Percussion and string instruments are heard within the music to give an “I wonder what’s going to happen now”- effect. The atmosphere becomes tenser as a build up is developed and the music volume rises. The camera gradually zoomed back and forth during the film to focus on the character or background. Although it is merely only the opening of the film, as shown by these two extracts, there could already be a tense atmosphere within the audience’s perspective, as well as their attention span being drawn towards the film in a stronger manner.
Evidentially, you can see that both the film and text differ immensely. Personally, I believe the film producer chose to differ the opening of the novella, to attract the audience making them intrigued, wanting to watch the film and wonder what happens next. The display of George being on a train with no meaning to the viewers in his first appearance, or the screaming from the mysterious woman, captivates the audience. In my opinion, the film gives more of an effect to the audience, simply because the novella only creates images in a person’s mind, while the film gives an unsolved, puzzled thought. The movie would attract individuals who like a bit of mystery and suspense, unlike the novella which would draw attention more to the civil, passive type of audience.
