Jaws Novel and Film

• Martin Brody

Chief Police and main Protagonist from New York. Married to Ellen Brody.

• Quint

Professional Shark Hunter and Sea Captain of The Orca

• Matt Hooper

Oceanographer

• Ellen Brody

Martin Brody’s wife

• Bruce

Killer Shark

• •Ben Meadows is a major character in the novel, in the movie he only appears in couple of scenes.

• Hooper is killed off in the novel resulting in Brody being the survived of the trio, but in the film hooper and Brody survive.

• Quint dies by being eaten by the shark, in the novel he dies much like ahab from Moby Dick; quint is drowned when his leg is caught in the rope of a harpoon that has hit the shark. Also in the novel quint is a quiet character whereas in the movie he is a loud spoken and much more memorable one.

• In the book there were three brody children Billy, Michael jr and Shawn and in the movie there are only two Brody children Mike and Shawn

There are multiple subplots in the book that are not important. One sub plot is the affair between Brody's wife and Hooper, this doesn't happen in the movie. Another sub plot is that the book goes in detail about Ellen and her life before she married Brody, on the other hand the movie doesn't focus on her previous life.

Hooper is killed in the shark cage in the novel but in the film he escapes.

The shark dies due to harpoon injuries in the novel but in the film the shark is killed by Brody who shoots an air canister into its jaws.

Hooper is killed in the shark cage in the novel but in the film he escapes.

The shark dies due to harpoon injuries in the novel but in the film the shark is killed by Brody who shoots an air canister into its jaws.

In the movie the Mayor wants the beaches to stay open because he wants the island to make money off the people that are visiting the beaches. In the book mayor wants the beaches to stay open so he can make money, he owes money to mobsters, the mobsters are concerned about what is going to happen to the property value if the beach closes. Another conflict is that in the book Quint discovers that Brody is using dolphins as bait. This adds a level of tension between Brody and Quint. In the movie Brody uses fish guts as the bait, while in the novel he doesn't.

The theme of the movie is man vs nature. Throughout the movie the scenes that are the most striking are the physical altercations between the shark and its victims. This is derived from the universal theme of man vs nature, and by the end of the movie, it is all to apparent who is victorious.

The theme in the book is man vs greed, as we learn that the town only makes money during summer. If the beach closes the residents will need to file for bankruptcy, because the mafia has invested a lot of money into the town, and if the beach closes they will lose money and their mayor.

Why might the director have the approached the film the way he did? Is it for the betterment of the work?

The director wanted to focus on the points of the book that had heavy imagery and emotions in order to capitalize on the viewer’s emotions. He dramatizes the parts of the book that have action in order to retain the viewer's’ interest, but still manages to keep the plot of the book intact. Thus, the integrity of the plot is sound, and the action is increased to maintain the viewers, so it is for the betterment of the work.

How do outside sources feel about each individually? Both? Find review of both.

Outside sources overwhelmingly support the movie. Rotten tomatoes gave the movie Jaws a 98%, indicating universal acclaim.

According to http://allreaders.com/book-review-summary/jaws-1480, the novel was not as good as the movie. Critics say that the main reason for this judgement is because of the different endings. The movie ending was much more preferred than the ending of the novel. Many critics believe that the overwhelming success of the overshadow the novel. In a survey taken by http://www.wondrousreads.com/2012/08/review-jaws-by-peter-benchley.html, the audience prefers the film over the novel.

Strengths and weakness of novel and film.

Because the subject matter of Jaws is so graphic, the film is conducive to depicting the emotional and striking moments throughout the book. In this regard, the movie has no equal. However, the novel is adept at focusing on the inner emotions of the characters, something which the movie doesn't really do. As a group, however, we felt that the movie was better produced and reflected the subject matter much better than the novel.