The Circle Movie Vs Book

There is no denying that the movie adaption of Dave Eggers novel, “The Circle,” is full of significant deviations from its source material. But unfaithful adaptations of original material are not an uncommon occurrence in the movie industry. Typically, these divergences are easily explained away by the simple fact that most writers do not have much, or in some cases any, involvement in the creative process after they sell the rights to their work. But in the case of “The Circle,” it is not quite as easy to explain why there are so many notable changes because Dave Eggers worked as a writer alongside the film’s director, James Ponsoldt, to create the screenplay for the film. One of the pivotal qualities Eggers imports from the novel is the friction

Even when trying their best, the pair no longer seems to possess the tools necessary to understand each other. Mercer cannot understand Mae’s need to be tethered so tightly to the rest of the world and Mae cannot understand Mercer’s desire to stay unattached. Mercer tries to convey his worries to Mae stating, “Here, though, there are no oppressors. No one's forcing you to do this. You willingly tie yourself to these leashes. And you willingly become utterly socially autistic,” (Eggers 262). But Mae always attempts to turn the tables on Mercer by arguing that he is not social enough especially in the new world that the Circle has created (Eggers 134). The movie shows its audiences a slightly less contentious relationship between the pair but that could be because the films running time only allowed for them to have a few short interactions. One of their more meaningful interactions, before Mercer's death, is shown when Mercer confronts Mae at the Circle, a scene that was not in the books. He again emphasized his unwillingness to be a part of the world that the Circle is creating and points our the filter through which Mae is now seeing everything in her life