Film Adaptation Of Chris Gardner's 'The Pursuit Of Happiness'

Happiness is a trait possessed by those who truly feel contentment or intense joy. Even in the darkest of times, if a person remains optimistic and does not give way to negative thoughts, then happiness is attainable. The rags-to-riches tale The Pursuit of Happiness, a memoir written by Chris Gardner, explores the importance of recognizing and seizing opportunities. Even though, both the novel and film adaptation, The Pursuit of Happiness portray recognizing and seizing opportunities through time management, character development and dialogue of the novel make a powerful impact on the reader. To begin with, film adaptations have strict parameters in terms of how long the film may be. This acts limits the effectiveness in which the content of the original novel is presented. In the novel, there were many subtle changes made in the film. At first glance, it may be evident that these changes were made for the convenience of the film production company, but what may seem harmless can deeply impact the story. One event that exhibits the impact of little changes is when Chris Gardner, the main character in the movie, attains a position at a brokerage firm by impressing a Dean Witter executive by solving a Rubik’s cube. This event never occurred in the novel, he attained the position by befriending a stock broker named Marty who had helped him. Another instance of change …show more content…
However, when this is done, it may mitigate the author’s message about the human condition and the overall theme. This novel included many elements that were not present in the film. One medium focuses on his childhood’s significance whereas the film does not show it all. The novel and film adaptation portray the theme of recognizing and seizing opportunities differently. It is due to time management, authenticity of word selection and the character development that allow the novel to be very impactful to the