The Soloist Book Analysis

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In the words of Steve Lopez, “You're only as good or bad as your latest attempt to make some connection with the world.” The novel, The Soloist, by Steve Lopez is an insight to Lopez’s time helping and connecting with Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless schizophrenic. When Lopez meets Nathaniel he is awed by his musical talent and soon discovers he once attended Julliard, a prestigious school of performing arts. Lopez’s story was transformed into a film produced in 2008. Lopez’s character in the book and film share similarities and differences in his personal life, attitude towards Nathaniel, and struggles that contribute to the overall theme of the novel. Lopez’s personal life is portrayed in different ways in the book and film. A person’s personal life overall is important to the storyline which makes the book and film very different. In particular, Lopez’s family in the film does not resemble his family in the book. In the book Lopez is married and has a daughter, whereas in the film, Lopez is divorced and has a distant relationship with his son. Lopez’s relationship with his family, makes Nathaniel’s friendship more important. Furthermore, another difference in the movie is, Lopez’s life is more detailed. The book does not show the smaller portions of …show more content…

The recurring theme of “The Soloist” indicates that a problem, such as an illness, takes time to recover from but persistence and hope is key to the process. Both the film and book are similar in that they show Lopez trying to help SkidRow, an area in Downtown Los Angeles, filled with homelessness and poverty. Lopez contacts the mayor to put a stop to SkidRow’s living conditions, just as he seeked professional help for Nathaniel. Lopez’s attempt to help the homeless demonstrates a problem that is not easy to solve and requires persistence. Overall, the film had aspects that varied from the novel, and changed the portrayal of Lopez’s

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