A comparison of the novel and film Up in the air - Essay Example

A Comparison of the Novel and Film "Up In the Air" Question Ryan Bingham in the film and Novel Thefilm and the novel ‘Up in the Air’ both have a similar context for which they are established. The character Ryan Bingham is the center of discussion in the two pieces of works presented. The manner in which Ryan is presented in the novel is slightly different from what he appears to be in the Novel. His character, goals, needs, and his ability to change in both contexts provide a broad perspective over which a number of issues can be painted. In the novel, Ryan is portrayed one who has a habit of flying frequently. Ryan goes round firing and telling off those who have gone back work (Kirn, 12). He is a motivated person and feels like taking up new challenges in life. In fact, he feels as though the job that makes him fly at different times is somehow not challenging enough. In an unprecedented move, he drops in his resignation letter that causes his boss to think twice about his resignation. He has a need to excel to greater heights and feels changing careers would make him somebody better. In his social life, he divorces the wife without providing enough reasons for doing so. In the novel, Ryan is more serious and preoccupied with his job than building his social life and the wellbeing of his family. He lives an expensive lifestyle, and this is portrayed in the novel when he resides in prime hotels and gets cars for him to help move around (Kirn, 21). On the other hand, he engages other women and takes pills that could be an indication that he is involved in drugs. In the film, Ryan goes round giving motivational speeches to individuals (Reitman, 1). Ryan makes a living by travelling to different work areas in the States, while taking another part time task of giving motivational talks to people in workplaces. Ryan seems more rejuvenated in the film because it seems as though he takes up more jobs in order to get an increase in the earnings. Ryan increases his travel in order to make more money. When Ryan talks to Natalie, who is just preparing fire workers, Ryan snaps at the woman for being inexperienced and less knowledgeable (Reitman, 1). Ryan later realizes that he is not living a life that is worth. He stops believing in some of the things and at some point, walks out of the stage. Towards the end of the film, Ryan is portrayed as one who has changed feels differently about the things he used to do. Unlike in the novel, Ryan is portrayed as an ambitious wanting to succeed in life by earning more through his career. On the hand, Ryan poses to ponder about his life and changes completely from an expensive life affair (Reitman, 1). Question#2 Alex in the film and the novel In both the novel and the film, Alex is portrayed as one who has a busy lifestyle. Her ambitions and abilities are well portrayed in the film and the film to a greater extent. Her personality in the both contexts is just but similar. Her personality in the film is more different from what the readers have in the novel. Case in point is that in both the contexts, she is portrayed as being a reserved person who has little to do with indulging in a lifestyle that is not characteristic of her personality. In the film, Alex is portrayed as one who is not able to hide her feelings about how she feels about some issues. In the film Ryan finds out that Alex has a family. To some extent, it portrays Alex as one who is responsible and values family as opposed to Ryan, who divorces the wife for no apparent reason. The novel portrays Alex, as a materialistic woman who is keen to avoid the issues that would otherwise require her to take responsibility of her actions (Kirn, 43). She is a lady on a mission to maximize the moments for which she is in as she thinks of herself as being independent and being able to make her own decisions. In fact, when she meets Ryan, they are more into the work issues than having a feel for one another. This is, however, a different story in the film. The film does not portray Alex as one who is materialistic as such, but one is keen to get companionship outside the work duty. It becomes necessary to engage the man in her life at the moment to be able to have some company. She seems as though she is emotionally starved and lonely. Case in point is that Alex feels comfortable in the company of Ryan to the extent that it becomes usual and casual (Reitman, 1). The issues surrounding Alex in the film are indicative of a woman who has needs that cut across the board in terms of social life and her career. Her goals in life are not so much furthered in the novel as it is in the film. For instance, the novel talks of being a frequent flyer just the same way as Ryan. However, there is no actual visualization of her commitment and her satisfaction for the job that she does. In the film, when she finally meets Ryan, it becomes clear that Alex is an ambitious woman who is driven by the need to succeed in life (Kirn, 63). Alex finds it compelling to share their income in a move seen to mean being able to determine how far one has to go in the achieving. She has a self drive to make ends meet for herself, though she has a number of issues for which she is expected to deal with in order to streamline her goals in life. Question#3 Interviews in the film The interviews with the people who have lost their jobs in the film are of essence to a greater extent. Looking back at the beginning of the story, Ryan goes round talking to employees and those who have been fired. This is done to get a feel of how people feel when they are fired from places of work and what is supposed to happen after such an event. The interviews bring into perspective the essence of the work and how one has to transition from one professional duty to another. When the interviews are done, the audiences get to understand the how different corporate entities treat their employees with respect to hiring and firing. To some extent the interview is of necessity, though does not give a full meaning of what the theme of the movie is all about. Though the whole movie has all to do with employees and employers and how people transition from one job to another, it becomes difficult to get the essence of why the interviews are done and what they supposed to achieve. Works Cited: Kirn, Walter. Up in the Air. New York: Anchor Books, 2002. Internet resource. Reitman, J. Up in the Air. Film. Retrieved from: < http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/> Read More