The Roles of American Values in Creating Differences among Three FilmAdaptations of Herman Melvilleâs Moby Dick: A LiteraryTransformation Study

This thesis compares three film adaptations of Herman Melville�s Moby Dick. The study is conducted within the framework of literature and particularly under the scope of literary transformation. The objective of this paper is to understand aspects involved in the literary transformation from the novel into film, to find out the differences among the three film adaptations, and to see the shift of American taste in the three films The research is done by comparing three films entitled Moby Dick (1956), Moby Dick (1998), and Moby Dick (2010) and relating them with the novel in terms of the plot, characters, and dialogue. The analysis is undergone by comparing the parallel scenes and characters in the novel and in the three films. The differences are then related with the American society to find out the shift. In relation with the novel, among the three films, film A and B, which are produced in 1956 and 1998 respectively, are similar. Both of them are faithful in terms of plot, characters and dialogue. However, some scenes are put in different order in the two films so that it is different from the novel. Between the two films there are also some differences such as the omission of certain characters. Unlike the other two, film C which is produced in 2010 is very different from the novel. The plot and the setting are entirely modified. In regards to the American values in the three films, the analysis results in several findings. The films are in some ways similar but in other ways are different. The differences are in terms of the plot, the depiction of the characters, and the visualization. These differences are triggered by several values of the society, in this case are the American values such as religiosity that has become less explicit, the issue of homosexuality that has become more sensitive, and the spirit of individual achievement that has increased. Also, the spirit of salad bowl which has changed into melting pot makes film C different from the other two films in which all characters, despite their different ethnical background, there are almost no certain ethnical attributes or acts. The last but not least, this version also shows that the liberalism spirit to achieve success in economic has influenced the filmmaker to create a �free� low-budget film adaptation.