"Of Mice and Men" Film and Novel Comparison

by funkyflower (student)

International Baccalaureate World Literature

Of Mice and Men Film and Novel Comparison

John Steinbeck crafted a masterpiece while writing his novel, Of Mice and Men . This novel was later adapted for the big screen by Gary Sinise. Most books are usually much better than their movie versions, because an author can write for as long as he wants, and with as much detail as he wants. Movies normally have to severely shorten the story by removing the details or even leaving out parts of the story line. It is very unlikely to find a movie that is better than the original book, but Of Mice and Men is one of those rare occasions. This movie has a great choice of soundtrack, which makes the scenes more enjoyable and provokes strong feelings. Also the differences in the scenes makes the film version preferable. Some scenes are slightly changed, and other new scenes are added, which adds a lot to the story. Also, the way the film portrays Curley’s wife is very interesting, because it is very different than in the book. All these changes make the film superior to the novel.

The soundtrack in the film adaptation was great, and led the viewers to feel strong emotions. When the men are working, the music is happy and fast, which leads you to feel that George and Lennie are happy to be working and getting closer to their goal. During the initial chase, the music is fast and has a desperate mood, which leads to nervousness and suspense. When George tells Lennie about “Guys like us, who work on ranches” the music is very sad, and adds a lot of meaning to what George says. Also, when Candy is waiting to hear the shot that his dog is going to get, the music is very slow, which adds suspense to the scene, but also reflects Candy’s feelings. Also, during the scene in which Lennie is shot, the music is almost depressing, and you can hear the voices of the others getting louder and louder, which makes this scene even more nerve-wrecking. Also, in the last scene, where memories of the things George and Lennie had done are shown, the music is very peaceful, and soothing, which is a great way to finish. In the movie adaptation, the soundtrack adds a lot to the scenes, and leads to many strong emotions.

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In the film version of “Of Mice and Men”, many details and scenes are added, which make it a lot more interesting. In the movie, during a scene, Curley’s wife tells George about how she had a collection of records she liked to listen to, but that Curley had broken them. This shows that Curley took out his anger on his wife, which makes him seem even a more cruel man than in the novel. Also, in the movie the beginning scene shows George on a train, and the last scene shows this again, so it means that the whole story is a flashback. This is a very interesting detail and a good addition to the story. Also, in the movie, during the scene when the men are moving sacks of barley, two men have to carry each sack, while Lennie carries the sacks alone, and even the two men working together can’t keep up with him. Also, in the film version, George shows he cares a lot about Lennie, not like in the book. In the novel, after Curley and Lennie fight, George just tells Lennie to “Get the hell out of here and go wash your face”. Instead of doing this, in the movie, George tends Lennie’s wounds and takes care of him. In the film, lots of interesting details where added to the story, which made it more enjoyable.

The way the novel describes Curley’s wife is completely different from how they show her in the book. In the book, she is described as a horrible person who looked for trouble when she was bored, and went to bother the workers when she had nothing to do. In the film, she is described as more of a naive girl, full of crushed hopes and dreams, trapped in a world full of discrimination and violence, and with no place to escape. We even feel pity for her. In the film, she tells George about how one of the few things she enjoyed doing in the ranch was listening to some records she had, and that Curley broke them. This shows that Curley probably lets out his anger on her most of the time, and she has no way to protect herself. Also, she is very naive. Once, she met a man that told him he would send her a letter, because she was a “natural” and could work on Hollywood. Probably, that man just said that to seduce her, and it was all a lie, but she still blindly believes that her mother never gave her the letters. She also has a very boring life, because probably, Curley just pays attention to her when he want her to do something for him or to have sexual relationships. She can’t talk to him, or to anybody in the ranch, because the workers are afraid that they will be punished by Curley if he sees them talking to his wife. Se is trapped in this horrible life, because she can’t leave; she has no money and probably has no place to go. In the film, Curley’s wife is a girl that can’t escape the nightmare she has for a life.

When comparing John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men novel and film adaptation, the film stands out as the better one. A great soundtrack is used, which provokes strong emotions and gets the viewer more into the story. The slight differences in scenes, and the completely new scenes add a lot to the story, and make it richer. Also, the differences in Curley’s wife give the story a very interesting twist, which makes the story even more exceptional. All these changes make the film version of Of Mice and Men better than the novel.

"Of Mice and Men" Film and Novel Comparison

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