Adapted When most books or stories are turned into movies, the movie usually does not follow the written story to the letter. The movie usually differs in the amount of detail presented as well as how and when events throughout the book happen. However, this common practice holds false when it comes to the adaptation of the movie Smooth Talk and the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” After evaluating the story and the movie, the short story was successfully adapted to film. The plot, setting, and diction remained the same; while, there are minor differences in the ending and character development. This goes to show that not all rumors of movies not being as good as books are true. In both, the movie and the story the plot, setting, and diction are the same. The plot is identical in both the movie and the story. Connie, a fifteen-year-old girl, discovers her sexual awakening. As a result, an older man is enticed by her actions and begins to pursue her. The setting is a summer in the 1980s, however the location was never revealed. In the movie Smooth Talk, Connie and her friends were seen lying on the beach. By viewing this scene, one could assume that the story takes places in a coastal area, but the background information suggests that it takes place in the desert. As for the diction, the characters are very proper. The words are spoken clearly and they barely use contractions. On the other hand, Arnold Friend is very euphonious when he first approaches Connie, but that changes when he becomes enraged. His diction was used to sweet talk Connie into being with him The most noticeable difference is the ending. According to the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Connie never leaves with Arnold Friend. In the story, the author describes the scene as Connie approaches Arnold outside: “…with her brown eyes bur was taken up just the same by the vast sunlit reaches of the land behind him and on all sides of him, so much land that Connie had never even seen before and did not recognize except to know that she was going to it.” Although it is not stated, one could infer that Connie did leave with Arnold based on the context. In contrast, in the movie, Connie did leave with Arnold and when she returned, she had a different attitude toward her family. Because of the sudden change, the assumption could be made that something traumatic happened, such as rape. Another difference is in the character development. In the story, the characters did develop as quickly as the y did in the movie. For instance, in the beginning of the story Connie friends were referred to as “girlfriends”. They were not given names until further in the story. While in the movie, Connie’s friends’ names were given almost immediately. The name of the characters also differed between the story and the movie. For example, Laura, from the movie, is Betty Schultz, from the book, and Jill is Nancy Pettinger. This minor change affects the character development In conclusion, the adaptation of the movie from the story was an overall success. By keeping the plot, setting, and diction the same, the movie did not differ in the amount detail presented nor, did it differ in how and when events throughout the story happened.

Works Cited Oates, Joyce Carol. ”Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” The Story and Its Writer. Ed. Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Nortion Press. 568-80. 87-94