The book is invariably superior to the movie. This notion has been around ever since books have been converted into movies, but is it true? To fully decide on this, one must analyze both the novel and the movie versions of a story. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that takes place in the southern town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. The story follows Scout and Jem, two children of an esteemed lawyer named Atticus as they are forced to mature in a town where much of the population has racist views. The story goes through two different parts that each focus on different subjects. To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee and adapted into a movie by director Robert Mulligan. There are many characters and missing events in the film. The
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Dolphus Raymond is a very interesting character. Most people in Maycomb do not associate themselves with him because he is a white man with mixed children. During the trial, Dolphus assuages Dill when he becomes sick. In order for citizens to understand him, Dolphus pretends that he is always drunk by carrying around a paper bag that people assume is whiskey, but is actually Coca-Cola. When asked about why he carries the paper bag, Dolphus says, ‘“I try to give ‘em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason’” (Lee 268). Yet, Dolphus is abridged from the movie. Without him, the magnitude of racism portrayed in the movie drastically decreases. Additionally, the trial in the movie is very linear and boring. Dolphus helping Dill served as a break in the long trial. But, his removal causes the movie’s message of racism to weaken and the trial to drag on for too long without a change of pace. Although the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird is a strong adaption, it misses the mark in a few key areas that weaken the story. These areas include the missing fire at Miss Maudie’s house, Jem growing up, and Dolphus Raymond’s absence. Many important characters and character developments are completely gone from the movie. But, in spite of the movie lacking a few things, viewers still are able to understand the general hardships of the
Dolphus Raymond is a very interesting character. Most people in Maycomb do not associate themselves with him because he is a white man with mixed children. During the trial, Dolphus assuages Dill when he becomes sick. In order for citizens to understand him, Dolphus pretends that he is always drunk by carrying around a paper bag that people assume is whiskey, but is actually Coca-Cola. When asked about why he carries the paper bag, Dolphus says, ‘“I try to give ‘em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason’” (Lee 268). Yet, Dolphus is abridged from the movie. Without him, the magnitude of racism portrayed in the movie drastically decreases. Additionally, the trial in the movie is very linear and boring. Dolphus helping Dill served as a break in the long trial. But, his removal causes the movie’s message of racism to weaken and the trial to drag on for too long without a change of pace. Although the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird is a strong adaption, it misses the mark in a few key areas that weaken the story. These areas include the missing fire at Miss Maudie’s house, Jem growing up, and Dolphus Raymond’s absence. Many important characters and character developments are completely gone from the movie. But, in spite of the movie lacking a few things, viewers still are able to understand the general hardships of the