'To Kill A Mockingbird" Juxtaposition

Prompt: 1.  What do you think is the most important difference between the written and filmed version? Provide evidence with specific details.

How would you prove or disprove that one version of To Kill A Mockingbird is more affective in delivering its message than the other? Be sure to provide specific pieces of evidence to support your opinion.

For this blog I will be juxtaposing the most important difference between the novel and film adaption and the effectiveness of one version over the other.

I believe that the most important difference between the written version of 'To Kill A Mockingbird and the film version is the amount of detail expressed in Boo Radley. Within the novel there are many large parts written solely about the children's views and experiences with him. For example, within the novel one of the character known as Miss.Maudie, has her home burn down. While  this happens Scout is outside of the home in the snow  and Boo Radley quietly slips her a cover and walks away. On the other hand this never happens in the novel, and there is no mention of Scout even having an account with Boo Radley. This part was extremely important in the novel because it shows to Scout that Boo Radley isn't a bad man, that he is a caring man and is not what everyone thinks he is. When this doesn't happen in the film it never shows Scout growing as a person but instead just shows that she fears him based on rumours she's heard.

Another example of this is when Scout, Jem, and Dill try give a note to Boo to befriend him. In the novel the children hatch the idea to attach a note to a fishing rod to give to Boo Radley, with a message for him. The children try to befriend Boo until Atticus tells the children to stop bothering him. While in the film adaptation the children never even reach out to Boo Radley at all. The children simply live in fear of Boo Radley and the Radley home. In the text Boo Radley starts to leave gifts for the children, but only after they reach out to him. Boo does this to show them that feels as if they are friends. Since the children never try to befriend him in the film there is no reason for a Boo to leave gifts for the children. The children simply live in fear of Boo and his home. 

I also believe that the regular novel is more effective in delivering the message over the film adaptation. I believe this because within the novel you see so much more prejudice shown towards Boo. In the novel you see many characters call Boo insane, a killer, and just shown as a menace to society. While in the film adaptation you only hear talk of Boo once in the very beggining. In the novel you also see Scout show a lot of judgement towards Boo Radley, while in the film you do not. The main theme of the novel is empathy, so in the novel there is a larger message of empathy shown by Scout in the end scene where she sees from Boo's point of view and realizes how wrong she was, while in the movie she merely dictates what we can assume is empathy towards Boo Radley.

Due to all the textual evidence from the novel and details from the film I feel it is safe to say that in both of these categories the novel rules over the film adaptation in more than one way.