Class Action: Comparison Of Book And Movie

Many novels are so successful that producers can't wait to adapt the story into a film. However, it is all up to the director who controls how to present it on screen. The movie may be closely similar or far different to the presentation of the book, the effectiveness of each may differ. After exploring the novel “Class Action”, by Clara Bingham, and the screenplay which was inspired by it “North Country”, the novel seems to be more effective as it helps the audience understand the storyline. It has thorough descriptions of the development of relationships between characters, the effectiveness of the setting, and important happenings that all effect the storyline.

The novel written by Clara Bingham is more effective because understanding
It can help set the mood, influence the way characters behave, and foreshadow events. In this story, the novel seems to capture important details of the setting and atmosphere which are not explored in the movie. The setting and atmosphere are very important to help the audience understand the storyline. The movie seems to miss many important details in the factory that lead the characters to feel uncomfortable and contributed to the sexual harassment case. In the book, the factory is described to be covered in graffiti. This included inappropriate pictures and comments that related to the women that worked there, such as “picture of a penis in Lois with the word cunt written all over found right beside the management office” (Bingham 102). The factory was described to be covered in graffiti and this made the women very uncomfortable. This is an important detail as it is one of the main issues and proof that the women had for the case. This is also important as it was a detailed the Pat used to convince the other women, as she asked them “You’re just going let the men draw pictures of your vagina on the walls…” (Bingham 181) The novel also stated that the graffiti was posted near the management office, this helps the women’s case as it proves the management did not care. However, in the movie, the setting of the company did not seem to have any graffiti on the walls. The movie is missing a very important detail related to the storyline, as the graffiti is what started up the whole issue between the women and the men. Another aspect of the story’s atmosphere which was present in the novel was the first courtroom scene. In the novel, this scene was important as it showed the breakdown of the character. When Lois was on the stand getting cross-examined, the counsel brought up facts that did not directly relate to the case but were important facts about Lois. They asked her “Where is your son’s father? Who is