Benchley’s novel and Spielberg’s movie

Spielberg’s movie is based on Benchley’s novel, Jaws. Thus, there are several similarities;
for instance, the characters in both the movie and the novel are unlikeable. Benchley did not like
the characters, and this is evidenced in the movie, where Spielberg depicts all characters in a bad
light and puts them in a situation where the viewer wishes that they all could be eaten by the
shark (Curnutt). Curnutt notes, “Benchley preferred his people perturbing, not heroic,” therefore
does not depict the characters as heroic, and this can be seen in the movie where the characters
are reduced into relatable archetypes with no heroic stunts. Kidd notes, “Benchley’s characters
are singularly unlikeable.” However, there are certain outstanding differences between the book
and the film. For instance, the movie contains “armrest-gripping terror”; it is breathtaking in its
depiction of man conquering nature (Curnutt). However, the book is not as intense as the movie.
In the end, it is evident that nature triumphs over humans.
The book is more impactful in its depiction of reality. At the end of the book, it is evident
that nature wins over humans, and Benchley demonstrates human weaknesses. In reality, nature
wins over humans as they are limited in so many ways. Kidd notes, “this depiction of human
frailty hints at Benchley’s main triumph over Spielberg.” The movie gives humans some
unrealistic supernatural powers hence their triumph over nature. Even Benchley himself found
the movie absurd. At the conclusion of the book, the shark is hungry, and it simply stops

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swimming. It is defeated by being exposed to days of punishment. The conclusion has been
termed as a more upscale argument,” and unfortunately, the film does not measure up in
providing a good ending (Kidd). Overall, the book is more impactful.

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Works Cited

Curnutt, Kirk. “”The Mouth That Roared”: Peter Benchley’S Jaws At 40 | Oupblog”. Oupblog,
2014, https://blog.oup.com/2014/04/peter-benchley-jaws/.
Kidd, James. “Jaws At 40 – Is Peter Benchley’s Book A Forgotten Masterpiece?”. The
Independent, 2014, https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-
entertainment/books/features/jaws-at-40-is-peter-benchley-s-book-a-forgotten-
masterpiece-9711459.html.