Compare And Contrast Where The Red Fern Grows

Zoe

In 1961, Wilson Rawls published a novel titled "Where the Red Fern Grows" during his early adult years. He wrote this novel based on his childhood when he lived in the Ozarks. Thirteen years later, a film based on the novel was released and directed by an American director named Norman Tokar. "Where the Red Fern Grows" is about a boy named Billy who lived in the Ozarks of Oklahoma and desired to have his own hunting dogs. After two years of hard work and patience, Billy finally saved up to buy two red hounds. Billy and the two dogs went through hardships together and he stayed by their side til the end. After analyzing and comparing both the novel and the movie, I strongly believe that the story was interpreted better in the novel because

With a stick I measured the water in the hole where my feet had broken through the ice. I was right. My foot had touched bottom. Eighteen inches down I felt the soft mud.” (Rawls, 62). This shows how much Billy genuinely cares about Old Dan and Little Ann. He’s willing to sacrifice his life for them, despite the risks. Another difference in the plot events is how Billy obtained the golden cup from the champion coon hunt. In the novel, Billy won the coon hunt and was given the golden cup by the judge. “After a short speech, he handed it to me, saying, "Son, this makes me very proud. It's a great honor to present you with this championship cup." The crowd exploded. The hunters' shouts were deafening. I don't know from where the two silly old tears came. They just squeezed their way out. I felt them as they rolled down my cheeks. One dropped on the smooth surface of the up and splattered. I wiped it away with my sleeve. Turning to my dogs, I knelt down and showed the cup to them. Little Ann licked it. Old Dan sniffed one time, and then turned his head away.” (Rawls, 112). While in the movie, another hunter, named Sam Bellington, won the golden cup but then handed it over to Billy because of his bravery and

The first major difference in settings is where Billy dug Old Dan and Little Ann’s graves. “I had a purpose in burying my dog up there on the hillside. It was a beautiful spot. From there one could see the country for miles, the long white crooked line of the river, the tall thick timber of the bottoms, the sycamore, birch, and box elder. I thought perhaps that on moonlight nights Old Dan would be able to hear the deep voices of the hounds as they rolled out of the river bottoms on the frosty air.” (Rawls, 121). I feel like their grave being in front of the sycamore tree is more meaningful to the story rather than it being in the middle of a field like in the movie. Sycamore trees are often mentioned in the novel and are where Billy found the names of Old Dan and Little Ann. Another change in setting is the fishermen's camp. The fishermen's camp is never really mentioned in the movie, unlike the novel. “Across the river, a party of fishermen had been camped for several days. I heard the old Maxwell car as it snorted and chugged its way out of the bottoms. I knew they were leaving. Throwing down my hoe, I ran down to the river and waded across at a place called the Shannon Ford. I hurried to the campground. It was always a pleasure to prowl where fishermen had camped.” (Rawls, 10). The final difference in the settings is where Billy and the Pritchard brothers meet for the ghost coon