It is often true that books and their movie adaptations vary greatly in many key ways. Most commonly, the differences are about a variety of things but do not change the overall context from the book as this would remove the author's original intentions. However, when the movie adaptation of a book deviates so greatly from the authors way of writing, the movie itself ends up becoming devoid of the same feelings that one has while reading the actual novel. This happens to be the case for the book The Martian by Andy Weir and its movie adaptation, directed by Ridley Scott, by the same name. Ridley Scott's film limits or completely removes the majority of sarcastic elements that were present in the novel through altercation of the main character's dialogue in events such as log entries, communication with mission control, and reactions to the misfortunes he experiences in order to appeal to a more general audience rather than the group targeted with the novel author's sense of humor.
To begin, the most common instance of the removal of the author's sarcastic elements in order to
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create a work that appeals to a broader audience is seen in the log entries that the main character creates during his endeavor. One such instance, one that also happens to occur in the opening sentences of the book, occurs when Watney creates his first log entry on Sol 6. While the log in the movie adaptation moves to quickly recap the previous events, and removes most of the comical aspects in the process, the log in the book details the events while also including sarcastic commentary on the situations that occurred. This is most plainly seen in the moments that Watney makes off handed comments such as, “A steady, obnoxious beeping that eventually roused me from a deep and profound desire to just fucking die,” which notably absent from the adaptation in order for the film to achieve its PG-13 rating and thus be pushed out to a wider age range (Weir 4). Additionally, another log entry that provides sarcastic humor in the book but is completely absent from the movie stems from the log entry for Sol 38. The instance in question is when Watney describes the problem around the dirt dying from the removal of oxygen and states, “I don't have 100 billion little spacesuits handy” in reference to the bacteria in the soil (Weir 39). This comical statement, or even a similar version of it, is not found at any point in the film because comments like this may not be as appealing to a general audience as the physical humor that is employed at this point in the movie. As previously mentioned, other sarcastic elements that were removed in order to achieve the aforementioned goals of the movie stem from Watney's communication with mission control.
Such instances that encompass the removal of the dry, sarcastic humor that is found is the book can be seen in the very first message Watney sent to mission control via the rover. This message stated, “Glad to hear it. Really looking forward to not dying”(Weir 129). Very similarly to the other instances covered thus far, this part of the conversation was altered to fit the movies desired effect. We may be able to speculate the many reasons as to why the director would choose to remove this minor piece of comedy, but the most likely reason is due to the director's desire to create a more serious tone for the movie. This happens to be the very tone that has been instrumental in many of the recent box office
hits. Jumping to the third altercation of the original story's sarcastic elements, the way Watney reacts to events in either work comes into focus. One particular event that makes a lasting impression, and has its original sarcastic elements modified in the movie adaptation, is the situation where the airlock is torn from the HAB with Watney inside. In the novel, Watney has a variety of reactions including cursing, pain, and sarcasm. Upon looking out of the window of the recently damaged airlock, he stated, “normally, the airlock is attached to the HAB. So that's a problem”(Weir 158). This statement, or anything remotely resembling it, is completely absent from the film adaptation. This removal of this slightly comedic, albeit sarcastic, statement paints a scene that is much grimmer. This overall serious atmosphere, while playing into the seriousness of the situation, appeals to a general audience as most would be inclined to feel sympathy for Watney as opposed to laughing at the situation. Some may claim that the author's sarcastic content is not removed, but rather adapted into a similar comical form in order to transfer the same effect from the text to the screen. While some may be able to justify this idea, this claim is misguided and lacks sufficient evidence to be supported. Simple referring to the evidence that has already been addressed, there have been multiple instances where complete sections of the text, particularly those with sarcastic elements, are not present in the movie adaptation. So, while the inflection behind certain sarcastic comments may change, the removal of these sarcastic elements is in no way a change into a similar comedic form nor does it adapt the texts original content. With all of this information, the vast dissimilarities between the use of sarcastic humor in the novel “The Martian” and its film adaptation are incredibly apparent. These sarcastic elements are removed in a variety of ways and these include the altercation of of log entries by the main character, his communications with mission control, and the way he reacts to a variety of major accidents that occur. These changes create a problem where the emotions felt while viewing the movie are completely different than the ones experienced during the reading of the novel. This decision was most likely made in order to appeal to the general population as they have come to love a movie market that is over-saturated with a very limited scope of emotions that are evoked while viewing films. This action made the film adaptation more marketable and thus increased sales.
In her article “Shitty First Drafts,” Anne Lamott creates an argument attempting to prove to her readers that every good writer begins with a “shitty” first draft. This is a very bold claim to make about writers, and obviously should have some solid evidence to back it up. However, contrary to what one might think, Lamott has little to no “real” evidence to support her statements. Instead, she uses humor and sarcasm to cover the fact that she has no real support for her views. By doing this, Lamott lacks much of the credibility (usually) needed in a rhetorical argument, and her humorous tone does not suffice for a convincing argument. Even though Lamott incorporates a great deal of sarcasm and absurdity in her work, she lacks the most important
Have you ever seen Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark? In that movie if you’re paying attention you can see a faithful reproduction of the biblical account of the Ark of the Covenant – the most sacred of all objects from the Bible. It is gilded with Gold, with fine woods and carvings – with the figures of two cherubs (keruvim – those who bring God close) on top – wings outstretched and barely touching at the point where God’s presence might one day descend and perhaps glow brightly like a metaphoric shining light of truth and knowledge.
The Outsiders and The Wednesday Wars deal with misunderstandings among young people in the 1960’s and show how people can form friendships despite their differences. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is about two rival gangs, the Greasers and Socs. Ponyboy Curtis and some Greasers befriend Cherry Valance, a Soc. She spies on the Socs and helps out the Greasers. Ponyboy and his friend, Johnny Cade, become involved with the killing of a Soc, so they run away to an abandoned church. When the church catches on fire, Ponyboy, Johnny, and their friend Dallas Winston, save a few children who were trapped in the burning building. Johnny gets injured during the process and later dies. The boys are mentioned in the newspaper as heroes. The
In the story, "The View of Me From Mars," Lee K. Abott writes a story about a father and son relationship. In this story the father realizes that he isn't perfect and tries to have his son cover up his own mistake. Lee K. Abott, though being subtle, makes it known, through the characters he uses, that a person can't believe everything he sees. The author successfully enlightens the reader with his use of point of view, characterization, and theme to make the reader feel sympathy and to give the story credibility.
Satirical writing allows the author to express his or her opinion about a problem in society. A writing must follow three rules in order for it to be classified as satirical. First, a continuous focus on one’s subject’s faults. Secondly, instead of telling the reader directly, information must be given indirectly. Thirdly, the writing must have a variety of satirical techniques in general (Festa). With these simple guidelines, an author can demonstrate his beliefs of what he thinks needs to be changed in society.
...dness but comedy was used as an emotion. When Michael was going to make a "citizens arrest" at the banks, there was comedy there, sort of like sarcasm which is known to sway a person's thoughts if it is funnier in the sense. The whole movie really shows a lot of emotions and tries to persuade our thoughts on the government with it.
The Martian is a story that involves a visit to the mars, and after that, the astronauts come out of the Mars leaving behind Mark Watney who his real name is Matt Damon. The team assumed Mark was dead after a strong storm. He tried to survive with the remains of the supplier till he was able to launch his way back to the Earth (MacIsaac, 2015). The story is represented in the Novel, and a movie and these two platforms have some similarities and differences. The movie is the representation of what is happening in the book. Therefore, not everything that it is in the book is covered in the one and half film, therefore several scenarios are left out.
By now, you should have learned about irony, one of the most important literary devices used. There are many definitions of irony, but a simple definition is the contrast between what was supposed to happen and what actually happens. Irony is separated into three types: situational irony (you crave oranges, turns out you are allergic to them), verbal irony (“Oh, you are so funny!” when someone is not funny [sarcasm]), and dramatic irony (while reading, you know there is a monster in the closet, but the character does not). Many examples of irony are given in the novel Brave New World, a novel set in the future where humans are biologically engineered and conditioned for their role in society. The novel exemplifies irony because even though they have norms and regulations set, most people tend to not follow them, including the world leaders.
role in ID as one of the main heroes. The film also has sub-genres to
Although sometimes uneasy, “in preventing us from enjoying his war novel in the usual way, the very unsettling nature of the ensuing work does far greater justice to the subject matter and enables us to see the permanent, lasting evil of war with a greater degree of clarity and to respond with more sensitivity to it than we would otherwise have been able to do” (Matheson 230). Without the use of humor, things become much more real. Without the humor aspect of Slaughterhouse- Five, it would be difficult to read and the message would be buried beneath depressing accounts. It would be missing the details from the outrageous stories, the abrasive somewhat comical emotion, or irony of how we are so much alike. The novel or Vonnegut would not be the same without it’s black humor. “So it goes”. (Vonnegut
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "dramatic irony (literature)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. .
Seeing something through a different perspective, even as something as frivolous about an alien spaceship crashing to Earth and the way the aliens and humans have to adapt, grow, and learn to live together in a buddy-cop movie setting, can change a person’s view on the subject. While it was intended to be a comedy with a deeper meaning perhaps the viewers went away laughing, but also realizing the depth in the
In The Martian written by Andy Weir, he gives his readers an attention-grabbing story line that is based on realistic events of an Astronauts experience. The view on different experiences they go through in a world called Mars. The story also give emphasis to the values of science and logical thinking. This novel also includes the fascinating tale of space survival that includes unexpected humor and strong language. This is why this Novel is #1 New York Times bestseller and a highly recommended book to read.
“The Mission” is based on a true story that occurred around the borderlands of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil in the years 1750’s according to the film and history. The Treaty of Madrid of 1750 with the Spanish and Portuguese caused both havoc and death for the people of the Guarini and the members of the Jesuits. The Jesuits, members of the church, tried to bring Christianity and civilization to the natives while keeping at peace with Spain and Portugal. The Jesuits were the teachers for the natives; Teaching them not only the Christian religion but also civilization. Father Gabriel, a Jesuit, is first introduced in the film when he is showing his respects to a former Jesuit priest killed by the natives. He walks through the South American
It is natural for films based on novels to different in formats, such as the setting. Scotts films imagery differs greatly from Dicks vision in the novel although they have the same story plot. Even though Scott left out and changed most of the settings in the film, he still provided Dicks vision of a futuristic mix of old and new technology.