The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow Movie And Book Comparison Essay

Writers often change specific literary components when creating a film of a book or short story. While many literary components are kept in a story, director have often chosen to change some components to add a specific element to the story. Through analyzing the literary components of setting, plot and the use of characters in the stories of Sleepy Hollow, Rappaccini’s Daughter and The Jilting of Granny Weatherall, the writer can better determine and understand the differences of the short stories and the film versions.

The most noticeable literary component to compare is the plot. Throughout all three stories there are changes made that add a different element to the version of the author's or director's version. In “The Legend of Sleepy

Hollow,” the director of the film decided to make many changes that greatly affected the feel of the story. In the short story, Ichabod Crane is disappears after being taken by the horseman. In the film, the author decides to have Crane attacked by a fake horseman and passing out instead. This is just a change to add a suspense element to the movie. Also, in the short story, the horseman had his head taken off with a cannon ball. In the movie, his head is cut off. There are also many comparisons in plot of “Rappaccini's Daughter.” When Giovanni looks into the garden, the father does not address him when he is in the window. Also, when she plucks the flower in the short story, there is a lizard that dies at her feet. In the movie, it is a butterfly. Much of the rest of the story in “Rappaccini’s Daughter” is kept the same through the choice of the director. Much of the story is also changed in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.” The entire story is told from a different point of view is the short story compared to the movie. The short story is told from the point of view of her recalling events that have already happened. In the movie, you actually see everything happening in real time. Also, he doesn’t want her daughter to know about the letters written to her in the short story, while in the movie, her daughter reads the letters with her. The rest of the story is kept mainly the same.
Another element that is often changed when film version of short stories or books are made are the characters.

Characters are considered one of the most important elements in the development of a story. The most obvious in the three stories is in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The director of the film made many changes to the character of Ichabod Crane to enhance his plot. In the short story, Ichabod Crane is a school teacher while in the film, he is a lawman from New York. This was used by the director simply to change and enhance the story he was attempting to portray. In the remaining stories, “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” the directors kept the character very similar to those portray in the short stories. This could be for a number of reasons for the directors choosing the keep the characters similar, but it mainly goes back to how they portrayed the plots. The directors of the two films kept the plots of the book in the films, which translated to the similar characters. This is done because the characters are central to the plot of the short stories. If the films had the same plot, but different characters, it would not have the same effect. This also keeps the film adaptations close to the short stories. This can be good for the reader, but stories and books do not always translate to the big

screen.
Setting is the final element of comparison is also a major one in terms of how a story is presented and developed.

In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” there is another noticeable difference between the short story in the film. The short story takes place in a town called Tarry Town. This is a small, secluded place in a glen that is called Sleepy Hollow. In the film, the main town in the story is actually called Sleepy Hollow. The author chose this to add to his plot. Many things were changed from the short story to create the film, and the alteration to have the plot take place in the town of Sleepy Hollow was better for the storyline of the director. This also makes the story better for the reader. “Sleepy Hollow” is a sinister, spooky name that adds a great effect on a reader’s experience. In “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” everything in the setting is basically kept the same. This is done because the director made the film very true to the film. The short story and the film both take place in Southern Italy. This keeps the very same feel across both of the adaptations. In “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” the major change to the setting of the story also goes with the change in plot. The way the story is presented in the short story is inside of Granny Weatherall’s head. She is having dreams and flashbacks that are used to develop the story. In the film, the story is told from more of a third person perspective. The film also incorporates the use of the dreams and flashbacks

as a way of keeping the same feel of the short story. The director does this to better enhance the story to be used in a film. The limitations of filming present challenges in capturing a story written like that. The reader also loses out of an element of the story from this. The way the short story is written inside of her head is a brilliant way to show the development of the character and the way Granny Weatherall was haunted by this man.