The Soloist

The movie The Soloist starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx is based on the book with the same title written by Steve Lopez. The book chronicles Steve Lopez’s friendship with a homeless schizophrenic named Nathaniel Ayers. In the movie, Robert Downey Jr. portrays Lopez and Jamie Foxx portrays Ayers. There are multiple differences between the book and the movie; however, the main premise and struggles remain the same. After struggling to come up with an idea for his column for the Los Angels Times, Lopez meets Ayers, a homeless man, who is playing a violin that has only two strings. Besides Ayers’s disheveled state and missing violin strings, the thing that stood out was his inability to hold a proper conversation as he continued to talk…

The Soloist, directed by Joe Wright, tells the anecdote of an unlikely bond formed between two men of divergent backgrounds. One of the main characters, Steve Lopez, was a divorced middle aged man working as a journalist, for his ex-wife Mary, at the L.A Times. Lopez experienced a biking accident which made him reflect upon his life while hospitalized. He began to search for his true passion as he lost interest in journalism. One day, Lopez encounters Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless man who taught…

are 1.56 million homeless people that used an emergency shelter or transitional housing program this year alone” (Family Promise of Greater Orlando) There is also a capricious number of destitute people living on the streets. One story in contrast would be by a man known as Steve Lopez. Steve Lopez, author of the book The Soloist, gives us an inside on the daily life of a middle aged man known by the name Nathaniel Ayers. Ayers, talented musician, has been living on the streets of Skid Row Los…

Based on a personal experience and novel by Steve Lopez, the film“ The Soloist” brings about a few social issues dealing with caring for those with a mental illness. However, for the purpose of this assignment, the focus will be on the main issue in the film. Near the beginning of the film, we learn that one of the main characters, Nathaniel Ayers, developed schizophrenia as a young adult. Having never received any kind of treatment or public assistance for his condition, he ended up dropping…

fiction story in the future world when musicians are abandoned by technology. A romantic story between a homeless cellist and a mysterious girl who lives in a dark alley. A historical story tells a personal memory of a musician. A life story about a successful millionaire and an underprivileged soloist. A mysterious story about guessing the musician’s identity. A free story can be read in different ways and can have different endings. An important story that conveys a message that musicians’…

“Music is the mediator between the life of senses and the life of the spirit.” (Beethoven) The story in the book The Soloist by Steve Lopez is a well-presented plot through which we can learn a lot. While the story of the book can be said to be covering a variety of themes; music, homelessness, mental illness, and friendships, I am of the opinion that the themes of mental illness and music are the base of the story. Nathaniel Ayers suffers from schizophrenia, a mental illness that affects his…

In today’s world, not everyone feels the sense of belonging to our society. Some feel that they are disconnected from society. They’re often left out because they feel different or maybe they’re actually different. The Soloist presents the social issue of how isolation and withdrawal from society can affect an individual’s life. The feeling of isolation had affected the life of one of the main protagonists, Nathaniel Ayers. If you are different, you’ll likely be treated as a stranger, someone…

risers, our stage, and my choir director started talking to the choir, and then the other soloist in the choir and I sang for the night. As I and the other soloist made sure to frantically flip through the solos to attempt to make sure we remembered the lines, the red looming curtains opened. The distant stage lights were shining down upon me and the rest of my group of singers with hundreds of judging eyes of parents, friends, teachers, and other important people. The pressure was on us; we…

Chapter one was full of interesting information. It was a great introduction as to what abnormal means to certain individuals. It talked about different treatments and perspectives people have had over the years. One section of the book was very interesting to me. It was regarding people with severe disturbances and how they are cared for and how they are treated. Things have changed over the years. (pg 14 Comer) There is one section of the book that talks about the story of Nathaniel Ayers.…

Autism and schizophrenia are both types of mental illness, and in the book "the Soloist" it tells us the effects of this illness on Nathaniel and the struggles he has been through and how Mr. Steve Lopez helped him from living on the streets to studying, conducting, and performing in the largest musical halls. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that has patients hear loud noises, suffer from delusions, and sometimes hallucinations. "Most people, if you live in a big city, you see some form of…