Movie vs. Book

6/1/07

When we read the story Where are you going? Where have you been? I was doing all of the visualizing of the characters as well as the setting in my head. I had this image of what was happening running through my mind. When I try to think about where these images came from I draw a huge blank. They are instantly attached to each point in the book the moment I read it, some of them growing as I learn more about a character, for instance. I relate back to my life, and try to think of something that I have seen or experienced, or someone who I have actually met to give each aspect of this story a personality.

I was drawn into the story by it's suspense, as well as the danger and fear I sensed coming from Connie in particular. The story was so life-like. Almost everything that happened could happen, and many of the instances I have experienced myself. The moment when the sound of A. Friend's voice paralyzed Connie with fear, this could truly happen, and has happened to me. I felt a strong connection with Connie, as she is just like every other teenage girl at one point, testing her boundaries, and getting into trouble along the way.

I hate to say that the movie ruined the story for me, but in a way, it really did. I liked the movie, and had I not just recently read and analyzed the story, I would have liked it much more. I feel that some of the characters were polar opposites from what I had construed in my mind, changing the story very much. For instance, the mother. The mother to me was more of a wicked woman. In the movie she was more like any other mother, simply watching out for her family, where as I feel that the book made her seem more on edge with every aspect of Connie's life. A. Friend was one thing that I feel the movie got to a tee, as relating to what I had come up with in my mind. He was creepy, but not in an obvious way. He was someone who I can see myself misjudging for a nice guy at first, possibly one who is sincere, and truly has an interest in me. He was a boarder line creeper, and in just a few seconds, that line was crossed. I feel that the producer did a perfect job at crossing this line at just the right time.

In conclusion, I feel that this movie was accurate at translating this short story to a movie, which I can only imagine is somewhat of an extremely difficult task. Overall, I liked the book more, because I could use my imagination, and there was no limit to what I could come up with. I can see how some people could totally disagree with me, and that is a question of how thick ones imagination is.