The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo-Book Project

Chapter 12-End
Movie vs. Book Comparison

Watching the movie never substitutes for actually reading the book. This remains true for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. First, to my dislike, the movie was extremely graphic. They even added content regarding the scene when Lisbeth Salander is raped. I feel as if this part isn’t crucial enough to the plot that the directors would need to include such detailed scenes. Audiences could get the picture if they were told what happened and left the rest to their imagination.
I felt that the book was more concentrated on the murder case and Salander was a background story adding towards a secondary plot. I think Salander’s life was a much larger part of the movie, but this was not the author’s intention.
Another problem in the movie, like most, is the time scheme. Everything happens extremely quickly. The books illustrates countless obstacles Blomkvist had trying to solve the murder and he dug for weeks to dig up the tiniest lead. I felt like the movie was handing out clues left and right for him to easily stumble upon. Elaborate descriptions of each member in the Vanger family were written in the book. I can see why these could be considered a waste of time by the movie directors, but I enjoyed thoroughly getting to know the characters. Giving an unbiased report on the characters allowed me, as a reader, to start drawing my own conclusions. I imagined each one of them being guilty and created situations for how they could be involved. This made every character seem like a suspect. When I watched the movie, even though I already knew what happened, I didn’t suspect as many people. It made it clear who the shadier characters were and concentrated more and their descriptions. The movie never revealed the back story behind two long-term lovers, Blomkvist and Berger. I don’t understand why some minor details like those were omitted when others, like a dead cat on the front porch, became important to the plot.
At the end of the movie, Blomkvist instantly remembers Harriet from his past. He remembers Hedeby Island and recognizes a family necklace. This never occurred in the book and Blomkvist had no memory of Harriet being a part of his childhood. Blomkvist solves the murder by connecting several complicated clues, like pictures and bible verses. A small detail in one picture led him to believe that Martin and Haralod Vanger were to blame. But the movie just describes these two men as Nazis who exploited young Jewish women, immediately causing Blomkvist to break into his home, which started a whole new set of events including shootings and character deception. Of course, these are much more captivating to a film audience who need suspense and action to keep their attention. It advances the plot much quicker. Readers experience the murder being solved in tiny steps, each having its own importance. I like reading this much better because it can hold a reader’s attention when clues are slowly dispersed over time. You’re unable to put the book down.
I thought that the movie actually did a good job with characterization. Characters like Bjurman and Blomkvist were relatively accurate. Lisbeth was portrayed almost exactly how the books described her: a small, scrawny girl with a gothic style. She had a dark and shielded personality. She kept to herself, but was a very bright individual.

 

Reflection 3: What is a book?

A book is an escape. It takes readers to places in their imagination that they haven’t been before. Books allow you to forget about the troubles existing in reality. When you take a vacation to a tropical place, it seems as though you’ve never had a single worry. That’s how reading feels. You can completely submerge yourself into a novel and get lost in it the way you do listening to ocean waves on a sunny beach. Each word captivates you and makes you never want to leave that place. This escape gives you the opportunity to be alone with your thoughts and dive into a world completely different than yours. Personally, I’d much rather curl up with an old book than a giant piece of metal. Electronic readers just don’t give the same comforting feeling you get by turning pages in a paperback. Although I agree that the story isn’t any different, the story is only half the experience. I love the smell of a book that’s been sitting on the shelves waiting to be read. A bad book is bad no matter where you read it, but a great book is made greater when accompanied by the heartwarming feel of torn pages and dog-eared corners.

Review 2: Dragon Tattoo-Chapters 7-12

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is investigating the murder of Harriet Vanger on Hedeby Island. The Vangers have a very complicated family. At this point, I’m starting to draw my own conclusions as to what happen on the day that she disappeared. I know that there was a parade happening and an automobile accident kept everyone on the island that day. This is what makes it so confusing as to how she got off the island without anyone noticing, especially because she was seen at the parade earlier that day. Harriet and Henrik Vanger, her grandfather, seem to have an extremely strong relationship. He loves her very much and is extremely concerned what happened to her. He loves her as if she is his own daughter. This is why I don’t think she is alive. Harriet would never leave Henrik willingly. Someone close to her must have killed her because Henrik is receiving flowers like the ones Harriet used to send to him on his birthday. Since the entire Vanger family lives within the same vicinity, I bet her body is buried somewhere or was thrown into the water. One of them must have killed her. My guess is that her close relationship with Henrik somewhat directly led to someone wanting to kill her. It’s obvious that there is a lot of money associated with the Vanger name and if Harriet was the favorite relative, there’s a good chance that she could’ve been the one chose to take over after Henrik’s death. I think it’s interesting that Henrik chose Blomkvist as his investigator because detectives and police couldn’t even figure it out. I’m very interested in what is going to happen. Even if I don’t think she is, I really hope that Harriet is somehow alive!

Reflection 2: How Students Can Enjoy Reading

I don’t think that most literary works are not relevant to today’s world. Although they address issues we still see today, like racism, it’s hard for us to understand where the authors are coming from because it was so long ago. Readers like us can’t relate to everything in those novels. The language that is used makes it even harder for students to enjoy. When we’re reading and we don’t understand anything the author is saying, there’s no way we can enjoy it. For example, I never knew what was going on in The Odyssey or The Crucible. I realize that these are very important pieces of work, and even important to history (Salem witch trials), but I have a hard time paying attention. I don’t enjoy having to reread pages because I didn’t pick up a single word on the page. If we read books that are more current to our culture, I’ll be much more interested because I’ll be able to relate to the things going on around me. It’ll also prepare me better for being in places, like even the dinner table, when I can contribute to the conversation about the latest happening. Some books are important for teaching students about the past, but I think current ideas would be more enjoyable and beneficial for students who are trying to find their place in the real world.

Review 1: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo-Chapters 1-7

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Lisbeth Salander is a perfect example of where this saying comes into place. From the start, in chapter two, she’s described as a “pale, anorexic young women who had hair as short as fuse, and a pierced nose and eyebrows” with tattoos everywhere and dyed black hair. Salander, in fact, does not seem to resemble a girl whatsoever. When a person like this comes to mind, words like hard-worker, diligent, and smart aren’t exactly the first to pop up. However, she holds a job at a personal investigation office and the boss admits that she’s the most talented employee he’s ever had and her work is always so far above and beyond the normal expectations. Salander always submitted lengthy reports without a single unsupported fact. Why did Stieg Larson choose to give this female protagonist such a shocking appearance? If he had made Salander your typical teenage girl with long blonde hair in fancy clothes, the novel would not be the same. Readers, like myself, are dying to know what has made her this way. Each tattoo must have a meaning. Girls don’t become this way without an extremely dark past. Salander’s struggle provides for a story within the actual main event. Sure the focus is on solving the murder of Harriet, but having two things going on at once can hold a readers attention that much longer. No wonder the books are so big! Salander’s character also shows extreme variation between her and Blomkvist. I’d describe him as an average guy with bad luck. Both characters have had unfortunate things happen to them, and I think that will be a way to tie them together. By making Lisbeth Salander fit in “as well as a buffalo at a boat show”, not only is a second plot added to the book, but it makes me want to know so much more about her and why she is the way she is.