Smooth Talk
Giving Justice to the Original:
Smooth Talk and Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Ideas for the story lines of many motion pictures get their inspiration from other works of writing often. Books are usually a main source of inspiration for movies, for instance, the movie Smooth Talk was based off of Joyce Carol Oates’ short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?. Most of the time however, you hear that the movie did not give justice to the book. Smooth Talk is an exception to this common conception. By keeping the main thematic issues of teenage ignorance and arrogance, and same symbiotic relevance throughout the movie gives the movie the same impact as the book, even though it has additional occurrences. Keeping the same theme gives the same message to both movie and book. Themes of stories give the overall experience to the works. By clearly addressing the fact that teenagers are unaware of the actions that they are clearly too premature to be involved in for Smooth Talk and also in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been. In the book it shows how when a teenager girl, like Connie, gets involved in thing adolescences shouldn’t be engaged in, it can lead her to a place where she has no control over the outcome of her life. She could have been killed, raped, ended up with a disease or pregnant, the book leads you to your own interpretation. Although the movie does clear up the interpretation somewhat and leaves Connie back safely at home with her family, you do not know what’s in store for her future. When Connie and Arnold Friend were alone in the meadow, your interpretation of what is going on is the same as in the book, she could’ve been being raped, we don’t know, and though she does end up home she still has consequences of that ride with Arnold Friend. Characterization is also a big component of keeping the same impact in the movie as it was in the book. Smooth Talk gives more to the story by going deeper into the
Smooth Talk and Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Ideas for the story lines of many motion pictures get their inspiration from other works of writing often. Books are usually a main source of inspiration for movies, for instance, the movie Smooth Talk was based off of Joyce Carol Oates’ short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?. Most of the time however, you hear that the movie did not give justice to the book. Smooth Talk is an exception to this common conception. By keeping the main thematic issues of teenage ignorance and arrogance, and same symbiotic relevance throughout the movie gives the movie the same impact as the book, even though it has additional occurrences. Keeping the same theme gives the same message to both movie and book. Themes of stories give the overall experience to the works. By clearly addressing the fact that teenagers are unaware of the actions that they are clearly too premature to be involved in for Smooth Talk and also in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been. In the book it shows how when a teenager girl, like Connie, gets involved in thing adolescences shouldn’t be engaged in, it can lead her to a place where she has no control over the outcome of her life. She could have been killed, raped, ended up with a disease or pregnant, the book leads you to your own interpretation. Although the movie does clear up the interpretation somewhat and leaves Connie back safely at home with her family, you do not know what’s in store for her future. When Connie and Arnold Friend were alone in the meadow, your interpretation of what is going on is the same as in the book, she could’ve been being raped, we don’t know, and though she does end up home she still has consequences of that ride with Arnold Friend. Characterization is also a big component of keeping the same impact in the movie as it was in the book. Smooth Talk gives more to the story by going deeper into the