Pedestrian Movie And Book Comparison Essay

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Adapting a novel into film is a difficult process which sometimes means filmmakers must make changes to the script. Most movies were originally written for some other purpose, as a book, drama or short story. The narrator, who is important in written works, “largely disappears” when a movie is made (PBS.org 1). Thus, a literary work and its film adaptation can have the same title and be vastly different. The Pedestrian’s movie adaptation, for example, displays a separation in theme from the original short story despite their similarities. The Pedestrian movie and short story were very similar productions, despite their differences. For example, in both mediums, there is a plant metaphor that showcases the theme very nicely. In the short story, Leonard picks up a leaf and looks at its “skeletal pattern” while in the movie, he and Bob blow on dandelions (49). A dead leaf shows loss of hope in the short story the same way a dandelion symbolizes the spread of hope in the movie. Parallels like these make the movie and short story similar enough to share their name. Yet, the different plants used in this metaphor show off the differences between their respective mediums. …show more content…

Instead of “picking up a leaf as he passed [and] examining its skeletal pattern” as in the short story, Leonard and Bob blow on dandelions (49). This metaphor exemplifies the difference between the short story’s total loss of hope and the fact that Bob probably continues walking in the movie. Instead of a world where everyone does nothing but eat and watch TV in the short story, in the movie a few people will probably see Bob walking and try it for themselves, eventually making the world a lively place once more. Key differences like these cause the movie adaptation and short story versions of The Pedestrian to show slightly different

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