Shane (my adaptation of "The Drunkard")

Plot
The plot of The Drunkard was pretty much focused on the drinking problem of the father. He starts drinking only small amount at one point and then it escalates into a big problem. I liked how the son played into the situation and I would definitely keep this part almost exactly the same in the film. Although instead of the film being about only this one incident, I would expand the rest of the story and have this scene be like a flashback and an important part in the main character's life. The movie will be about specific events of the character's life and how it shaped it into the man he is in the present day in the film. Each scene in the present time of the film will be accompanied with a corresponding flashback explaining the character's actions in the present. So with this specific incident, the view will get a view of the character's family and how he started drinking in the first place and turned into a troubled individual.

Point of View
In the story, the plot is expressed through the point of view of the main character. Since the film is about his life and how he makes it in the world after a rocky start, he will remain the narrator of the film at certain parts. With film, not everything has to be narrated; therefore, some of the events will be express through the dialogue between characters. As expressed in my blogs about "The Shawshank Redemption", I feel like some of the meaning of written work is losses with addition of new elements or changing other elements. I want the meaning of "The Drunkard" to remain the same in the scene with his father in the bar, but since a lot of things will be added to the film (because the story was only about this one incident), some will be changed. My goal would be to keep the scene as close to the story as possible.

Characterization
Shane- Matt Damond. Just about the whole time I was thinking about the plot of this story, I was thinking about "Good Will Hunting" and how Matt Damond would be perfect for this role. He plays the "over coming adversity" role well and would do great in this film as well.
The other characters I haven't really thought about specific actors. (but that's not really the point of this section) The characters will be characterized through the narration of Shane and through their actions. The father, for example, will be characterized by a man who has an internal problem with his life. He wants to be a man to provide for his family, but he just feels so much pressure from his home life, his job, and other sources that the only way for him to escape is for him to drink. Specific scenes like this will shed some light on what the characters are like.

Setting
First the setting will have to establish the point at which the character, Shane, finds himself. It will sort of be like the first scene in "The Shawshank Redemption" only Shane will not be in court for murder. He will be in a bar with his buddies or somewhere like that. The setting will change throughout the film because it will consist of numerous flashbacks and events that add to the plot of the story. The scene portrayed in "The Drunkard" will be almost exactly the same as described in the short story. I really like how the author introduces the father's drinking problem and uses the funeral as an excuse to get out of the house and drink. Once they get to the bar, I want to make it like a traditional Irish bar that is relatable to life in Ireland. I want this film to be as real as possible.

Theme
This is the only element what will significantly change. The theme in the short story is caring about other's opinions. The mother though it bad that her husband went out and drank at night and she had to go to work in his place since he was hungover the next morning. She cared about what the other people thought of her husband and his drinking problem. Then, when Shane gets drunk from drinking his father's pint, his father tries to get him home quickly before the people on his street find out what happened to his son. By the time they get home, his mother already knows what happened. Shane's father was ashamed for what happened to his son. In the movie, the theme will be about overcoming obstacles and winning in the end. Shane will have a rough life in his young adult years but will eventually realize that he can't always live the same way he's living. In the end, he will fight his adversity and come out on top.

The Shawshank Redemption (aka one of the best movies of all time)

Plot

Although the movie The Shawshank Redemption loyally follows Stephen King's short story, there are a few differences. First, and in my opinion, most importantly, the Indian Normaden, who shares a cell with Andy in the book is never mentioned in the movie. I think Normaden is probably one of the most important pieces to the puzzle because he basically tells readers what Andy is doing. He says "It had a terrible draft, that cell" which is explained by the hole Andy makes in the wall. Another important aspect is that in both the movie and short story, Norton embezzled thousands of dollars. In the short story, Norton resigns after Andy escapes, but commits suicide instead of being arrested after the escape and after Andy makes Norton's crimes known. In the short story, Andy's assets are sold while he is still on trial. With a friend, he sets up a fake identity and transfers all assets there. In the film, Andy sets up the fake identity by himself so he can create accounts to sneak money from the warden then empties the accounts after he escapes.

Other events that happened:

• In the book, there are posters of Kinda Ronstadt, Jayne Mansfield, and Hazel Court in his cell at all times.. In the movie, he only has posters of Rita Hayworth, Marylin Monroe, and Raquel Welch
• The incident of Brooks threatening Heyworth, another prisoner, to avoid parole only appears in the film
• In the novel, Tommy gets transferred to a different prison instead of being murdered in exchange for not talking.
• Story- Andy uses two rock hammers; Movie- only uses one
• Although really funny, the record playing incident never happened in the story
• Story- ends with Red on his way to Mexico to find Andy, not sure that he will, and ends with "I hope." Movie- Red finds Andy in Mexico

Point of View

Throughout the whole short story, there is a common narrator: Red. Like stated in my blog about the story, Red is just the narrator who relates Andy's story and his revenge to Shawshank. The same applies to the movie, except for one part: Brook's parole. All of the events are expressed through Red's thoughts and feelings, but since he was still in prison while Brooks was living on the outside, Brooks was the one to tell his own story. He gave an insight of how some men who become so "institutionalized" can't or don't know how to live in the real world. They become so used to living in prison with rules, schedules, and everything about prison life that some will do petty crimes, like stealing, just to break parole and get send back to the only life they really know. Brooks portrayed his feelings about parole in a letter he sent Andy explaining his life outside the Shawshank walls. In the end, he couldn't handle his new life and eventually hanged himself.

Although sad, I thought that part of the movie was really insightful by getting another character's point of view. It's really fitting that Brooks would be the narrator of that part. He represents those on the "outside" since he was the only character introduced who got paroled. Red, on the other hand, is the spokesman for those on the "inside." He gives us what life is like inside Shawshank while Brooks reintroduces to the readers about life outside the walls.

Characterization

Once again, the makers of the film followed very closely to the original version of the short story. Since Red is the narrator, he is the one who portrays the characters through direct and indirect characterization. For example, his thoughts tell viewers of his reactions and feelings about the Sisters, and about Andy in general. Red's thoughts play a major role in the characterization of the movie. But being a movie, characterization is not only just told, its also shown. It is shown by the action of the characters: what they say, what they do, how they react to certain situations. Take "Fat Ass," a character in the movie (not in the story) who is a new inmate with Andy. From the moment he stepped off the bus, his actions- scared face, shaking body, worried look, crying for his mommy- characterized him. He eventually dies on his first night from injuries given to him by Hadley. That scene not only characterizes Fat Ass, but also adds to the character of Hadley. Since film and written work are very different, there were different ways to characterize the figures in the story.

Setting

I feel like I am repeating myself by saying that the movie was very similar to the book, except in one regard. The setting of the book was mostly in Shawshank except for Red's parole at the end. In the film, these settings are the same minus the setting of Brooks' parole. This setting is the only addition that the film included.

Since the settings are almost identical, I thought it was really cool to have a visual of the place the prisoners called home. While reading this story, I had a mental image throughout the whole thing. Some images I though of were different from what was present in the movie, but that is inevitable. Others, however, were exactly how I pictured them. Instead of just having a mental image, I was able to see a real scene that I could relate to. It was really interesting to see the images that I had drawn in my head on a screen.

Theme

There was absolutely no difference between the theme of the short story and the theme of the film. They both shared a common theme of hope. Throughout the book, Andy keeps the hope alive that he will one day be free of that retched place. This hope is also kept alive throughout the movie as well. Andy's face shines with the determination of digging his hole (although the audience doesn't know he is digging it). The audience just thinks that he has and inner light (which he does), a sort of nonchalantness about him that no one can shake. Some of the inmates think that Andy thinks he is better than everyone else because he "strolls" around the yard and doesn't walk. He strolls.

The book ends with "I hope Andy was down there. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope" (pg 107). These words are repeated at the end of the movie. The film ends with a scene of Andy and Red on a beach somewhere in Mexico, which means his hope helped to lead him to a place that was just a dream. His hope stayed alive.

Just a thought...

Reading this story, I could not help but think of a movie I have seen called "The Count of Monte Cristo." After doing some research, I have recently discovered that the movie was made from an original novel. In this movie, and I would assume in the book as well, there is a man, Edmond Dontess, who is falsely committed of a crime and is sent to the Chateau D'if, a French Prison where he is to live for the rest of his days. After a few years in the prison, a man breaks through his floor. This man, Preacher, had been digging a tunnel for many years thinking he was going under the wall but really ended up in Edmond's cell. Long story short, Edmond agrees to dig the tunnel with Preacher only if he will teach him to read (and learns other academics as well). Preacher dies in a cave in and Edmond escapes by posing as Preacher who was covered and wrapped to be taken out of the prison. Edmond comes across good fortune, becomes the Count of Monte Cristo, and gets revenge on the people who wronged him.

Popular Mechanics

Although this story is really short, there was a lot of information and drama stuffed into it. On the other hand, the readers have to assume a lot of things. For example, we never know what the "issue" is and what is "decided" at the end. We also don't know or find out why the man is leaving. The author's style adds to the bluntness of the actions of the characters. The author doesn't use quotes and portrays the story like it is just an event.

You're Ugly, Too

Although some people really hated this story, I found it really clever and interesting. I really like Zoe and her personality although she was kind of crazy and thought she was dying. I feel like she blew things out of proportion, like the growth in her stomach, and overreacted at times. Comparing Zoe and her sister Evan shows how unique and different Zoe really is. Evan seems like the "normal" sister who went to college, got a job, met a guy, and is getting married. Zoe, on the other hand, is completely different. They both went to college, but Zoe had a higher degree. She lives in her own house and is paranoid. Each character is a foil to each other.

The Drunkard

Since this story is titled "The Drunkard," readers have a good idea of what it is about. At the beginning of the story, the narrator explains how his dad turned to drinking and would go out every night, get drunk, and not go to work in the morning. The mom would get really upset and the father's drinking caused problems at home. The central irony in this story is the fact that readers assume the drunkard is the dad when it really turns out to be the son. The father's drinking ultimately leads to the son becoming drunk which then leads to the end of the father's drinking. And in that sense, the irony is shown.

The Lottery

The claim that this story is presented from the objected point of view can definitely be supported. The narrator never becomes acquainted with the townspeople by saying "we" or "us." The story is told with no emotion at all and adds to the "dispassionate, matter-of-fact tone." It feels like the story is just stating the facts and tells you the information. By doing this, the story comes off as more cruel and just a fact of life. It also helps portray the acceptance of the lottery that most of the townspeople hold.