From Novel to Screen; A compartive study on Jhumpa Lahari's The Namesake and its Film Adaptation

Abstract

This research studies the relationship between the novel The Namesake and its film adaptation. While a novel is a written work of art designed to be read, a film is a visual and aural art to be seen and heard. Nonetheless, they share a number of elements like narrative, setting, plot and so forth. This research examines how the novel The Namesake and its film adaptation stand as unique works of art in spite of their having played on the same narrative. Though, the film adaptation shares the theme of identity crisis with the novel, it differs in the representation of other aspects of the novel. These variations are the result of the media each of the art form adopts. Despite some variations, the film adaptation however, has maintained its fidelity towards the novel while remaining a distinct creative work of art. In the film, the theme of identity crisis and awkwardness of the second-generation's assimilation is clearly visible. Sometimes just a single shot of the film is enough to replace a page or more descriptive passages of the novel. It is all due to the creativity of the film.