Like many successful relationships between a novel and its film adaptation, the novel and film of To Kill a Mockingbird strongly complement each other. Because they both adapt to the essential components, limitations, and capabilities of their respective mediums, there are notable differences between the novel and film, namely between their plot, inclusion of characters, and narration.
The film and novel both share the same basic premise, main events, and characters. However, the film does naturally omit some characters and subplots for length purposes. Aunt Alexandra, who plays a complicated, maternal role in the book, does not appear in the film. Mrs. Dubose, an elderly and bigoted neighbor of the Finches, has a brief appearance in the film, but she is a much more important presence in the book, as Jem becomes forced to read to her and help calm her down from a morphine-induced frenzy. Unlike the book, Miss Maudie’s house doesn’t erupt into flames; we never side the inside of Scout’s classroom or her lessons; the children don’t attend Calpurnia’s church; and we don’t see Atticus attempt to explain the aftermath of the trial to Jem or Scout. However, despite these omissions, the film still aptly renders the themes of the novel: empathy, the law, gender, and racism.
In the novel, most of the black characters exist to move the plot forward; they are devoid of any real characterizations. While characters like Tom, Helen, and Rev. Sykes, are still stock characters in the film, the visual medium enables audiences to emotionally connect with them more profoundly than in the book. When we see Tom’s profuse sweat during his testimony and Helen’s vivid look of anguish upon hearing the news of her husband’s death, we feel impacted by their performances—a sensation not provided in the book. The visualizations of characters deepen the audience’s empathy with them, especially Gregory Peck’s performance as Atticus, who perfectly embodies the character.
Also, the film expands on the character of Jem, whose experiences, in the film, rival Scout’s in terms of their narrative significance. Jem finds the trinkets in the knothole, he accompanies Atticus to the Robinson house to notify the family of Tom’s death, and his loss of innocence is thoroughly realized (unlike Scout’s transition from child to adult, which is compelling but more simplistic than her brother’s character arc).
The most glaring difference between the film and the novel is the narration. In the book, we see everything through Scout’s first-person narration, yet this point of view would have been difficult—and likely distracting—to replicate in the film. Thus, the older version of Scout only sporadically appears via voice-over to set up a scene in the film. Because of this, viewers are not granted the wonderful, dense, and distinct narration of the book, but they do at least witness a childlike point of view in the story.
Ultimately, the film and novel versions of To Kill a Mockingbird have some minor differences, but the film stands as both a faithful adaptation of its beloved source and a respected work of art in its own right.
