The Hunger Games: One Subject, Two Mediums

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Note: This review contains spoilers of The Hunger Games movie and book.

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When you leave a theater after watching a movie adaptation of a bestselling book, you repeatedly hear audience members lamenting about the differences; how characters are incongruent from how they are described in the book, how key plot points are different or missing entirely, and that “that’s not how it happened in the book.” Audience members are correct in their observations. However, what they fail to remember is that although the same story is being told, the mediums in which they are told are quite different, and you will therefore have different reactions and thoughts about the same subject.

Point-of-View

Most authors exercise the option of delving into one or more character’s minds. When reading, you are oftentimes privy to the thoughts of the main character(s), allowing the backstory, the intentions of the character, as well as the character’s emotions to develop through the thoughts of the character. In the book, the reader spent the majority of the time in Katniss’s mind. Through her thoughts, we understood her dilemma with Peeta, the pain and growth she experienced with her father’s death, and her true hatred for the Capital. Although some of the this information was presented in the movie, since we were no longer privy to Katniss’s thoughts, the impact and weight of it all fell through, lessening the pain and fear we felt for the protagonist.

Visual

A movie is 100% visual and auditory, whereas when reading a book, the reader only has his/her mind’s eye to draw from. If the author isn’t successful in fully describing a setting or character, the weight of a situation is diminished. When reading, if you didn't fully understand the skills of Peeta’s cake-decorating/camouflage skills, you weren't able to understand how he was able to hide in the bed of a river. In the movie, because it is all visual, you were able to see that his skills were invaluable. Although you might have understood how desolate District 12 looks while reading, the movie was able to bring the true destitution to life. A movie is more apt in describing and showing setting and the physical descriptions of a character than a book is able to.   

Time

Books have the luxury of being any length. Movies, on the other hand, tend to be between 1 ½ and 2 hours long. A lot more information can be disclosed in a 384 pages book than in a 142 minute movie. Because of the time constraint, a director and screenwriter have to decide which story to tell. Unfortunately, the story they choose to tell isn’t necessarily the story the audience wants to hear. In the Hunger Games movie, the omniscient presence of the Capital was never fully realized. Although the audience was told why the games take place annually and that a person’s name was added to the drawing each time he/she received additional rations, the extent of the control of the government was not fully discussed. The moviegoer wasn't told that the rations given to the families is not enough to sustain a family, that they had no choice but to ask for additional rations, thereby raising the chance of their child’s name being picked for the games. The audience also wasn’t told that Katniss and Gale hunt illegally when going outside the electric fence, that they risk public punishment and execution by the Capital on a daily basis. Rue’s back story and the amount of peacekeeper control in her district were never mentioned in the movie either. Sometimes things have to be sacrificed when a book is adapted into a movie. I personally wish they hadn’t excluded the infinite threat and presence of the Capital.

As a movie, The Hunger Games was good. As a book, The Hunger Games was great. Unfortunately, a movie has many more constraints in which it has to work than a book does. However, by comparing the two, we are not comparing apples to apples. We have to see them as two separate pieces of art and appreciate each for its own abilities and weaknesses.

So now I’m curious as to what you think. Did you read the book or see the movie? Do you have any complaints or praise?

Of Mice and Men: Lessons Learned

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A Quick Note: Before I begin discussing John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, I would like to apologize for my extended absence from the blogosphere. I have recently been working on several projects and was not able to focus on my blogging. I believe I have finally found a happy medium and am looking forward to blogging regularly again!

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John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a novella that discusses and details more of life’s lessons than most 1,000 page books I have read. 

When I was seventeen and flying to Germany to see my boyfriend at the time, Lennie taught me the importance of aspirations and desires. Although Lennie was not the brightest of characters, he knew that sometimes you have to take the longer route in life before you can reach your destination, before you can “live off the fatta the lan’.” When things do not go as intended, he taught me to imagine how things will be, that as long as you are actively working towards your goals, that they will become realized. My naïve mind must have blocked out Lennie’s final scene in the novel because for years thereafter, I clung to the lessons Lennie taught me. 

I’m not sure if life’s obstacles have hardened my outlook on life or if the current state of the economy and the despair reflected in most people’s faces have made me more pessimistic, but when I recently reread the novel, Lennie’s message no longer held hope for me. George, with his realistic outlook and hardened demeanor, became the character I related to. I didn’t always agree with his actions and decisions, but I understood his frustration with Lennie and his enthusiasm for a dream they would never claim as their reality and his current work and living situation. Oftentimes, George would lose himself in the stories he told Lennie of their future life together. The details were so vivid that he began believing that their dream would become a reality. However, because of mistakes made by both Lennie and George, George realized he would not be able to attain his goals and dreams. In order to protect himself and his best friend, he had to make a difficult decision that impacted their goals. George’s final lesson taught me that regardless of how many times you retell your plans and no matter how many good intentions you have, sometimes a decision you have to make will perpetually alter your future.

These were only a few of the lessons Lennie and George taught me. Racial inequalities and the expected roles of women were also discussed. The novella transpires during the Great Depression and the quality of life during this time is detailed as well. Unfortunately, I do not have time to discuss all themes, lessons, and characters within this one blog post.

I am, however, curious as to what John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men taught you. What do you remember most about the novella? Which character were you able to relate most to? Is the novella relevant today?

The Best Laid Plans...

Twelve days have passed since the beginning of the New Year. Statistically speaking, most of you have already succumbed to the temptations you have vehemently been avoiding. The goals may have been unattainable from the start, or maybe your interest has waned. Some of you may still be going strong, gaining ground and achieving the goals you have set.

This year, my goals are to become published and to become a better writer. At the end of October, I submitted one of my short stories to several literary magazines. Only six have of them have responded, and those have been rejections. I believe in my story, though, and know it will find a home if I keep working at it. I will continue sending out submissions. I will be published by the end of 2012.

I don’t believe that you ever stop growing as a writer… unless you stop writing. I stopped posting blogs about a month and a half ago. A lot of it had to do with the overwhelming stress of the holidays. Some of it had to do with my inability to come up with new topics.

I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted my blog to focus on. I recently realized that it needed to continue focusing on my two passions – reading and writing. I have finally come up with a plan. I will begin posting two blogs a week. One post will be a general post, covering any number of topics pertaining to reading or writing. The second post will solely focus on books I am currently reading. My reading list includes mostly classics and canonized works. I’ve always loved older books. While reading you learn about structure and characters and literary elements. They are books that contain models so many authors have copied since. Each contains a lesson to be learned.

Tonight, I will begin reading John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. I’m not sure what I will read after this book. What do you think? What classic is your favorite? Which book would you like to see reviewed and discussed?

Introducing Christina

            At 27, I am still unsure of exactly who I am or what I want to be. I do know that I am not a simple person. I am not a person that is easily categorized nor do I fit into a neat box.

            I am half German, half American. As a child and adolescent, I spent the majority of my time with my grandparents in Germany. Even when we lived in the States, I was counting the days to the next summer vacation or Christmas break when I was able to go back to Germany.

            I used to be an Army brat. Then I turned into an Army girlfriend. Soon I will be a National Guard Army wife. As much as I want to and have tried to fight it, the Army is in my blood. No matter where I have lived, I always knew I could walk into the commissary and know, for the most part, where I could find the milk. I’ve found comfort in knowing where the milk is.

            I am an avid reader and collector of books. As a child, you would find me in a tree or in the bathtub with a book. As long as I wasn’t disturbed, it didn’t matter where I read since books transported me away from life anyhow. My books are the only things that have accompanied me on moves across oceans and continents. I still strive to one day own the library from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

            I am a writer of short stories. My stories are character-driven, often discussing and evaluating the human condition. I am currently submitting my short stories in hopes of having it published in a literary magazine. I have never attempted a novel. It is on my bucket list.

            These are the few things that I know about myself. There is much left to discover about who I am and what I will become. I invite you to follow my blog as I write about who I was, who I am, and who I will become, collectively.