Where The River Flows North
Olivia Newell
English 4B
May 8th, 2014
WTRFN Essay – Final
Have you ever read a book, then watched the movie on it and wanted to throw the book at the director’s face and tell them to actually read the book? This is what happened when I read a novel titled Where The Rivers Flow North by Howard Frank Mosher, and then watched the movie on it. In 1927, in Kingdom County, Vermont, a large dam is to be built; however, Noel Lord, a logger and cedar-oil harvester, won't give up his lifetime lease on the land. The dam company increases its offer of cash, but Noel refuses time after time. He asks for a trade; the white pines for his lease. Noel, meanwhile, talks with his wife, Bangor, about them moving to Oregon and buying a saw mill. She wants him to take the company's money; but he’s stubborn. His stubbornness is what ultimately leads them to their death, causing them both to be victims. Yet in the movie, only one of them meets with their untimely death. Between the book and the movie, three major differences were Noel’s death scene, Bangor’s death, the showing of the panther and Noel becoming a legend and story to tell just like his ancestors. I’m not satisfied with these differences because they don’t portray the book accurately. These key differences can really impact ones thoughts on both the book and the movie and the way one feels about how the director and producers of the movie chose to represent the book.
Noel’s death scene is one of the main differences between the book and the movie. Instead of Noel hanging onto the dam as if he still had a chance to continue living, as it shows in the book; Noel just falls off one of the logs and into the water, causing him to drown. “Noel’s arm slipped off the crosspiece and he dropped the length of his arm. For a moment he hung suspended by the hook on his up flung arm. Then the crosspiece split and he fell into the pond” (Chapter 11, Pages 195 – 196). I wasn’t satisfied because Noel is the main character so his
English 4B
May 8th, 2014
WTRFN Essay – Final
Have you ever read a book, then watched the movie on it and wanted to throw the book at the director’s face and tell them to actually read the book? This is what happened when I read a novel titled Where The Rivers Flow North by Howard Frank Mosher, and then watched the movie on it. In 1927, in Kingdom County, Vermont, a large dam is to be built; however, Noel Lord, a logger and cedar-oil harvester, won't give up his lifetime lease on the land. The dam company increases its offer of cash, but Noel refuses time after time. He asks for a trade; the white pines for his lease. Noel, meanwhile, talks with his wife, Bangor, about them moving to Oregon and buying a saw mill. She wants him to take the company's money; but he’s stubborn. His stubbornness is what ultimately leads them to their death, causing them both to be victims. Yet in the movie, only one of them meets with their untimely death. Between the book and the movie, three major differences were Noel’s death scene, Bangor’s death, the showing of the panther and Noel becoming a legend and story to tell just like his ancestors. I’m not satisfied with these differences because they don’t portray the book accurately. These key differences can really impact ones thoughts on both the book and the movie and the way one feels about how the director and producers of the movie chose to represent the book.
Noel’s death scene is one of the main differences between the book and the movie. Instead of Noel hanging onto the dam as if he still had a chance to continue living, as it shows in the book; Noel just falls off one of the logs and into the water, causing him to drown. “Noel’s arm slipped off the crosspiece and he dropped the length of his arm. For a moment he hung suspended by the hook on his up flung arm. Then the crosspiece split and he fell into the pond” (Chapter 11, Pages 195 – 196). I wasn’t satisfied because Noel is the main character so his