The award winning book The Hunger Games propelled the success of the film adaptation; however, the success of the film pales in comparison to the success of the book. Overall, the novel’s themes are translated better via paper. Through the written word, Suzanne Collins is able to successfully convey the complex themes in the book such as defiance and survival and dramatically communicate the characters’ emotions through a first-person perspective. The impacts of these elements are either eliminated or fall decidedly short in Gary Ross’ film version. Novels, which are usually superior to their film adaptations, allow readers to create a personal cinematic experience and interpretation in their mind’s eye. The limitations created by film are
…show more content…
However, due to time constraints, the movie skims over or omits much of the book’s power symbolism as it relates to these themes. Todd McCarthy, a film critic, acknowledges the omission of themes but argues that the omissions do not detract from the story. He contends, “Director Gary Ross gets enough of what matters in the book up on the screen to satisfy its legions of fans worldwide” (McCarthy). Although Ross conveys general themes of survival and defiance, the underlying imagery that heavily shape the story, are stunted. Some of the omissions do not significantly impact the story, yet others are vital to the thrust of the story, in particular, the importance of the mocking-jay pin to the themes of survival and defiance.
The themes of defiance and survival are present in the movie, but the pin is not an integral element. The pin is introduced in the original Hunger Games book. Katniss wears a circular gold token mocking-jay pin during the Games to represent District 12. Each tribute is allowed a token to remind him or her of friends and family of their home district. Ross does not eliminate the pin from the movie, but he introduces it with minimal explanation, which underrates its significance. The history of the mocking jay is an account of how the bird came to symbolize defiance and …show more content…
Collins wrote The Hunger Games in the first person, meaning that the teenage heroine explains her thoughts and motivations in her own words. The reader spends most of the story inside of her head experiencing events as she does as opposed to watching them. Movies are usually limited to visuals when telling a story. Without voice-over narrations, most of the emoting is left to the actor’s interpretation. In the Hunger Games film adaptation, Ross simply cannot convey the depth of emotion Collins is able to communicate through the written word. The first person account gives the reader additional insight into the main character’s thoughts, feelings, and motivations. Without understanding the motivation behind the character’s decisions, the movie falls short. While Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss on screen, does an exceptional job of portraying Katniss, she unfortunately does not give full justice to the character and defining information is lost. Through Collins’ first person account, the reader gains access to anecdotes about District life through Katniss’ private thoughts and memories which help shape the world. The reader learns that survival is second nature to Katniss and gains an understanding of her
However, due to time constraints, the movie skims over or omits much of the book’s power symbolism as it relates to these themes. Todd McCarthy, a film critic, acknowledges the omission of themes but argues that the omissions do not detract from the story. He contends, “Director Gary Ross gets enough of what matters in the book up on the screen to satisfy its legions of fans worldwide” (McCarthy). Although Ross conveys general themes of survival and defiance, the underlying imagery that heavily shape the story, are stunted. Some of the omissions do not significantly impact the story, yet others are vital to the thrust of the story, in particular, the importance of the mocking-jay pin to the themes of survival and defiance.
The themes of defiance and survival are present in the movie, but the pin is not an integral element. The pin is introduced in the original Hunger Games book. Katniss wears a circular gold token mocking-jay pin during the Games to represent District 12. Each tribute is allowed a token to remind him or her of friends and family of their home district. Ross does not eliminate the pin from the movie, but he introduces it with minimal explanation, which underrates its significance. The history of the mocking jay is an account of how the bird came to symbolize defiance and …show more content…
Collins wrote The Hunger Games in the first person, meaning that the teenage heroine explains her thoughts and motivations in her own words. The reader spends most of the story inside of her head experiencing events as she does as opposed to watching them. Movies are usually limited to visuals when telling a story. Without voice-over narrations, most of the emoting is left to the actor’s interpretation. In the Hunger Games film adaptation, Ross simply cannot convey the depth of emotion Collins is able to communicate through the written word. The first person account gives the reader additional insight into the main character’s thoughts, feelings, and motivations. Without understanding the motivation behind the character’s decisions, the movie falls short. While Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss on screen, does an exceptional job of portraying Katniss, she unfortunately does not give full justice to the character and defining information is lost. Through Collins’ first person account, the reader gains access to anecdotes about District life through Katniss’ private thoughts and memories which help shape the world. The reader learns that survival is second nature to Katniss and gains an understanding of her