Legend Of Sleepy Hollow Movie And Book Comparison Essay

1490 Words3 Pages

How can a book and a movie differ if they are telling the same story? Through the analysis of the literary components in the modern selection, the reader concludes the author and producer had much to compare. After evaluating three contemporary selections from Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Katherine Anne Porter, the reader can detect several literary components in the text and the movie to compare and contrast between. The plot of the selections was developed throughout the pieces of literature differently and similarly by the author and producers. Some differences were presented within “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. In this book, Ichabod Crane is inspired to court Katrina by her beauty, as well as her family wealth. In the …show more content…

Rather than Ichabod immediately pursuing Katrina, he waits to allow the viewer to be further engaged in what will happen. Also in the book, the Headless Horseman’s head is taken off by a cannonball, while in the movie the Horseman’s head is decapitated by a sword. This difference is shown to make it more simplistic for the viewer to watch. In the context of the plot, it is more realistic for the Horseman’s head to be taken off with a sword than with a cannonball due to the fact the Horseman removes other people's heads with swords. It shows the viewer the Headless Horseman is removing the townspeople’s heads out of rage. Another magnificent example of the contrast between a book and a movie is “Rappaccini’s Daughter”. In the book after Beatrice dies, Giovanni and Rappaccini have a dispute in the garden. In the movie after Beatrice dies, Giovanni and Rappaccini do not interact. This argument is not included in the film because Giovanni is not as quick to realize Beatrice was poisoned by her father. The fact that Giovanni does not realize Beatrice is poisoned is also shown when the insect dies. In the book, Giovanni avoids looking at Beatrice because he is aware she is poisonous. Yet in the movie …show more content…

Some modifications with characters are showcased in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. In the book, the main character Ichabod Crane is a schoolteacher. In the movie, however, Ichabod Crane is shown as a detective, who had his own way of thinking on how crimes were to be solved, and he was sent to Sleepy Hollow to solve the murder of three townspeople. The producer revived this scene from the book in order to make the movie more suspenseful. A teacher is alright, but a detective trying to solve the murder of three townspeople just adds a little more suspense, and helps to spark interest in the audience. Also in the book, Ichabod is used to show the theme of greed, as he was portrayed as a greedy man. While in the movie, Ichabod is not used to show the theme of greed. This modification was imperative to the character of Ichabod because he is made the hero in the movie, while the book he had a completely different outcome. Another excellent selection that shows contrast within the characters is “Rappaccini’s Daughter”. In this book Baglioni just wanted to beat Rappaccini, as they are very competitive with each other, but he is horrified by the results. In the movie, Baglioni just wants to help Beatrice escape and for her and Giovanni to fall in love. The character portrayal of Baglioni is quite different between the book and movie. The producer felt the need to alter Baglioni because he is not

Open Document