Compare and Contrast, Essay Example

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is a novel, which was released in the US in 1994 by a popular British writer known as Louis Bernieres. It has its setting in the Cephalonia Island. The historical setting of the novel is German and Italian occupation of the World War 2. The main characters of the novel include Pelagia, a daughter to the local politician. There are several incidences and examples of antagonistic situations and characters altogether. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is also a film that has been viewed in several theatre halls across the world. The film features many characters that closely portray similar features to those of the novel. Analytically, the movie’s ending contains some slight differences compared to the novel. This is mainly based on the relationship existing between Pelagia and Mandras, her first lover. Comparison between the book and the movie gives a revelation that the movie does not capture the complexity and the richness of the book. Considering the relationship between Mandras and Pelagia, the book gives more explanation on the nature and the trajectory of the love life that existed between the two before the breakup, which was caused by Mandras going to the war against the Italians. In the novel, the love between Mandras and Pelagia strengthens but gradually weakens when Mandras fails to reply Pelagia’s letters. The book shows clearly that the reason behind Mandras’s failure to reply the letters is that he does not know how to read and write. “Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like an earthquake and subsidizes and when it subsidize, you have to make a decision…” In other words, he is illiterate. However, the love between the two does not die as Pelagia still feels him even when he is from war and his health deteriorated. Pelagia and Mandra’s mother takes time and wash Mandras and Mandras’ father is pleased with the care that his daughter has portrayed to the lover. Chapter 20 talks about “Pelagia’s first patient” who is actually Mandras himself (de Bernieres 354). The movie, however, does not give a complete account on how the relationship between the two deteriorated. It leaves the viewers with the opportunity to develop suspense and guess for themselves the incidence, which occurred and the reason for it. In other words, the book gives detailed information on the relationship between the two characters compared to the movie. The reason behind this is that the book is set a chapter format compared to the movie that is meant to be directed on a stage and is supposed to end in hours’ time. Despite the fact that the movie depicts the normal and expected human feelings concerning romantic relationship, the novel gives a more depiction of love between the two using the appropriate diction ( de Bernieres 332). The theme of love has been well described in the novel compared to the movie.

According to the book, the final chapter of the book gives an interesting and unpredictable conclusion of the story. The Germans have successfully invaded the Greek Island. The Germans later leave the Island and disaster strikes leading to the arrest of Dr. Iannis who is later taken away. Pelagia then finds herself alone with Drosoula, Mandra’s mother, as the only friend left. The doctor falls sick becoming disillusioned and ends up dying. Mandras is torturing his former love who is Pelagia in this case by forcing her to read for him old letters and tries to rape her. Drosoula is displeased with her son’s behavior and regrets giving birth to him. She even goes ahead and disowns him. The author, in this chapter, gives detailed analyses of the views of different characters as well as the relationship that existed between different characters in the novel. Pelagia gets a child naming her Antonia. Pelagia has the thinking that Corelli is indeed dead and she keeps seeing his ghost every time. Besides, the author also tells us that Pelagia also gives up being Greek citizens and assumes the Italian origin. This is portrayed in the way she behaves as described by the author. She also raises the girl, Antonia in an Italian manner teaching her how to speak the Italian language. Antonia also meets Alexis and the two marry. Pelagia eagerly waits for her grandchild. Her grandchild is named Iannis after her grandfather. She takes time telling the young boy about Corelli and telling every single story about the past. Corelli returns from war in his seventies and reunites with Pelagia. Corelli, while telling his experience at war, admits that he has been bitter for many years. Surprisingly, Pelagia unveils what she considers a secret. She tells Corelli that she shot the poor man, Mandras. “Poor guy, I know he deserved it but still…” ( De Bernieres 453).

This shows that Pelagia’s love for men was a conditional one with wealth being the main determiner on who to love and marry. Besides, her several marriages depict the kind of woman that she actually is. She loves for a while but when things get tough or unexpected conditionally quits and looks for a better partner. In the last chapter, summarized above, it is evidenced that the author’s main intention is to reveal to the readers using irony that real and passionate love never existed in Pelagia. The author also shows the readers the nature of the then contemporary society of the Greeks. The idea that Pegalia adopting the Italian culture and lifestyle yet she is a Greek convincingly reveals that the Greek society was not something worth admirable. Predictably, the rulers and the entire leadership of the Greek society was somehow incompetent considering the fact that Greece went to wars with many other European nations including Italy and Germany. The movie however gives the normal summarized filmic way in which the novel ends. One similarity between the two endings is that Iannis survives from the war and comes back to live with Pelagia. The other part, which is not shown in the movie, is where Pegalia gains courage and tells Corelli that she killed the poor man Mandras who was her former lover. With the director’s aim to observe and abide with the timing rule, he fails to show many steps as the movie ends with only videos and little information on the occurrences. For instance, on the adoption of the Italian culture, the director only gives the viewers little information on how Pelagia brings up the kid without depicting the real Italian aspect in the whole process. Therefore, the book still has more information concerning the story as compared to the film. On the other side, the movie is more interesting as compared to the book. The reason behind this is the normal use of stage literary styles and features such as facial expressions, tonal variation and other types of communication techniques used in movies. Besides, the visual way of understanding a film makes the movie more interesting though with less information as compared to the book. Conclusively, the book is more complete and conclusive as compared to the movie. The author as succinctly outlined all the occurrences and what happens to each character in the story unlike the film where some characters’ fate are left hanging for the readers to use their wit in guessing what happened to them. For instance, the novel film fails to give the account on the fate of Mandras.

There are several critical views of the novel as well as the movie. Most critics are based on the historical portrayal of the Greek and Italian societies when the novel and the movie were produced. “De Bernières’s representation of the Greek communists during the civil war was an utterly disgusting sham,” (Mullan 32). Mullan argues that the portrayal of the Greek communists by the author is obviously exaggeratory and biased. The fact that the Greek Kings and leaders practiced communism to the extent that people like Pelagia preferred being called Italians while leaving in Greece is indeed a depiction of literary biasness according to him. Besides, other critics argue that the second part of the novel is not satisfactory and is as well useless. . One gets the feeling that de Bernieres presented his publishers with a perfect novella and told, “make it longer” (Patrick 29). In other words, the first part of the novel is quite interesting with the plot well flowing and the happenings taking place at the right time to reveal the theme of the story using appropriate literary styles. However, the second part is like a lengthening part with no preciseness of the information or necessity of the information that the author relays to the readers. Most of the things he writes in the second part are literary unnecessary. The plot of the second section of the novel is not satisfying in any way. Analytically, the author main view of the second part was to analyze the details of every happening in order to ensure a smooth yet an unpredictable ending of the novel.

Work Cited

de, Bernieres L. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. London: Minerva, 1994. Print.

Mullan, John. Critical analysis of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. New York, NY: New York University Publishers, 2004. Print.

Patrick, Davis. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. London: Routledge, 2002. Print.