To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most popular novels of all time. It was written by Harper Lee and published in 1960, after which this masterpiece sold over 30 million copies worldwide. It’s currently translated into over 40 languages and has a Pulitzer Prize (1961).
Years after it was written, this exceptional novel is still widely discussed and praised for its treatment of the awakening to prejudice and racism in the American South. As a result, the novel inspired various adaptations, one of them being the 1962 movie. The movie starred Gregory Peck whose winning performance brought him an Academy Award, marking an unforgettable success in the cinema industry.
Following this success, Lee chose to release the second novel in 2015 which he named Go Set a Watchman. Compared to his first piece, the sequel did not receive the same attention.
To Kill a Mockingbird: Movie and Book Comparison
The movie version of this famous book is a classic very similar to the novel. It complements it on many levels but there are still many differences between the two. If you are interested in learning about them or need some writing inspiration for your essay, below you’ll find the four most prominent differences between these two creations. This is, in fact, one of the most popular topic ideas among students today. After you read about them, if you still need some inspiration, have a look at these detailed essays examples on ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Alternatively, you can request help for students from writing services who are willing to craft or edit your piece at a set price.
Let’s take a peek at the top 4 differences between the movie and the book.
Different narration
Lee’s book is written in the first-person. However, since movies are much harder to explore this way, Scout is only presented as a narrator when he sets the mood of a scene. With that in mind, the difference is notable in most of the scenes. The director decided to strengthen this notion from the book by using elementary music composed of single notes. Even so, it’s not as straightforward as it is in the book.
Such a change brings another actor in the spotlight in addition to Scout. The movie actually revolves more around Jem’s experiences. How? Well, it is Jem who accompanies Atticus when he tells Helen about the death of her husband. It’s Jem who’s left alone to take care of his sister. Even though Scout is one of the main characters, this movie expands on the role of her brother.
If you take a moment to organize your time and study the book, you’ll form a much deeper connection with Scout. She’s the narrator of the entire story, which is not the case with the movie.
Fewer characters
Movies have to fit a lot of information from books in a very limited timeframe. This is why most concentrate on telling the story instead of presenting all characters. Knowing this, you can expect fewer characters in the movie compared to its written counterpart.
For example, Miss Crawford is Dill’s aunt in the movie while it is Cecil, not Francis who drives scout when she breaks her promise about fighting to Atticus. You won’t find the Aunt Alexandra anywhere in the movie and therefore, the ’’acting like a lady’’ issue is not even mentioned.
New characters
In addition to omitting some of the book’s characters, To Kill a Mockingbird, the movie, introduces new people in order to develop the story. For example, when reading the book, you’ll find a single paragraph dedicated to the mother of Scout and Jem. In the book, they have a vivid conversation about her, including information that’s never mentioned in the book.
One other example is the father and children of Tom Robinson. You can read a bit about the children in this novel, but there’s no mention of the father whatsoever.
Left-out events
Since the movie needs to be shorter, the director had limited time to tell his story. So, To Kill a Mockingbird the movie includes most major events, but excludes an entire year and many smaller events. Instead of three years listed in the book, the movie version’s screenplay takes place over only 2.
Some examples of this include:
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- Jem and Scout have no contact with Mrs. Dubose in the movie
- They are never inside a classroom, which means that viewers don’t see the events with Miss Gates, Miss Caroline, and other minor characters from Lee’s book
- Viewers can’t know that the Ewells are known as ‘’trash’’ because the movie only touches the femininity issues otherwise vividly explained in Lee’s book.
- The trial never discusses the incest between Mayella and Bob Ewell (this is probably because of the year in which it was filmed in 1962, such events were controversial and basically, taboo).
- Atticus’ closing arguments are shortened in the film. Also, the aftermath of this trial excludes the conversation between Atticus and his children.
- The plight of African Americans is not really addressed in the movie, only presented in some scenes like when they enter the courtroom and sit separately).
Final Thoughts
Movies are created to share a novel’s story, but they are more reflective on the culture of the audience. Since directors have limited space to include what is usually a very wide story, they have to omit characters and replace them with new ones, skip scenes, and shorten stories. Even though this has happened in this case, the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird is considered as powerful as the classic novel.
Author’s Bio:
Helen Birk is a professor of English Literature in a US university. She explores authors and literature throughout the years, teaching her students to become more vivid readers and better writers. In her spare time, Helen writes poetry and short stories.