To Live written by Yu Hua is a fiery story about the life of a troubled man, his country and his family. The film and novel follow Xu Fugui, who begins as an impulsive teenage parent who transforms into an elderly, no-nonsense grandparent. There are many similar aspects in the film and the novel, but there are also climatic differences. A fairly big difference between the film and the novel lies in the emotion felt by the viewer or reader. The film evokes anger, while the novel arouses passion. The novel allows the reader to see Fugui, what type of person he is, his thoughts and emotions and, therefore, the resolution of it all. The reader is able to see his loss after playing everything, the loss of his family and all the difficulties that come with the constant damage. The film is also dismal in a different aspect. The film is designed to make the viewer angry and yet sympathetic. The film and novel have differences but share a major common factor, Fugui. Fugui, in both stories, is portrayed as a naive young man who is passionate about gambling and prostitution. Due to his lack of concern for his family and his future, his wife Jiazhen returns to her father after failing to stop his disastrous path. The novel presents a vibrant picture of Fugui's misbehaviors. This involves his humiliating attitude towards his “fat prostitute” of a wife. Fugui made him carry him on his back like a horse, stopping each time at his father's store to make fun of him (Hua 14). After losing everything due to his gambling obsession, the father-in-law took his daughter and unborn son away from Fugui, while she “cried in sorrow” (Hua 42). Exposed to poverty, Fugui has no choice but to settle in the countryside with his parents and his daughter. The decision to move to the countryside...... middle of paper ...... which leaves room for change and growth. The novel shows Fugui as an older, wiser man, without any parents but with hope shining in his heart. I neither approve nor disapprove of the changes made by the director. I think both stories are meaningful in their own way, I would say the movie was easier to deal with than the constant loss and torture Fugui endured in the novel. However, both had great meaning and delivered the same message in different ways. To Live is a significant and influential novel and film. It is known to the public with almost every story that the film takes a different path than the novel. There are things left unsaid and eliminated. That being said, both remain inspiring and powerful. Even though the differences between the stories were so great and could be isolated, there remains one big commonality: the main character, Xu Fugui..