While a Kestrel for a Knave Begins with a Sense of Hope

While A kestrel for a jak begins with a sense of hope, it soon becomes clear that the novel and film are both ultimately about truncheons vanquish. To what extent do you agree with this statement? The statement While A Kestrel for a Knave begins with a sense of hope, it soon becomes clear that the novel and film are both ultimately about Billys pound. is sensation that I wholeheartedly have with.A Kestrel for a Knave is a brilliantly written novel by Barry Hines that was successful in overcoming the issues of transference to film presented in From Page to Screen, and, though they are separate art forms, both adaptations (page and screen) capture superbly the bleak existence of Billy Casper, the initial hope and companionship brought by his pet Kestrel incline scarcely more or less of all his tragical defeat. As the novel progresses, his hope diminishes and is eventually extinguished in the final moments of both book and film.The film, in my opinion, through what is possibl e visually through the screen and the accompanying soundtrack amplifies the harsh reality of Billys life that the book simply cannot, also change magnitude the sense of hope that Kes brings. Unfortunately for readers it becomes apparent that the novel and film is about Billys inevitable defeat and the tragedy of this is increased by the point that both page and screen adaptations of A Kestrel for a Knave undeniably begin with a sense of hope which is seen when Billy speaks to Mr Farthings material body about how he trained Kes.In both the novel and film Billy is treated as a failure at school and unhappy at home stock-still he discovers a new passion in life when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk. Billy identifies with her silent strength and she inspires and instils in him the trust and love that no-one else, not even his family can provide. Kes gives Billy a sense of satisfaction, achievement and the bequeath to live another day while others is Billys position would have given up on life long ago.Kes is effectively Billys best friend and whom he spends most of his spare time with and as Billy has trained the hawk himself he feels a great sense of pride when utterance of Kes in Mr Farthings class. In the novel Mr Farthing coaxes Billy into speaking about the hawk, and when Billy begins his story he immediately changes. Though Billy lives with his bring and Jud his true closest companion is Kes, and whilst speaking about Kes his whole school persona of one word answers and mumbling disappears. For the first time at school, Billy is engaged as he is discussing his one true passion, the hawk.He sheds his lonely, independent shell and authentically opens up to the class. In the novel Hines changes his writing style to enhance the sense of emotion and attach the reader to Billy. In the film and novel we (like Mr Farthing) see in this scene Billys full potential, what person he could be if given the attention and care he deserves. Billy (vividly in the novel and expertly acted in the film) re-enacts Kes flights and states that thats it. Id done it. Id trained her. Its a shattering feeling you cant believe that youll be able to do it but I did and is met with applause from his peers.In this we see that there is hope for Billy that he leave alone not have to go down tpit as he states in the first scene with Jud and that his passion for life, his everything, is Kes. Kes is what is keeping him from defeat and against the odds he has found, in his circumstances, something to live for. Unfortunately following this scene where there is a sense hope are scenes where, as readers (and viewers) we realise the tragic situation that Billy is in and the story begins to become one of defeat. Billy is tasked to write a overblown story by Mr Farthing an imaginary story that really get his imagination going (pg. 87).Billy writes what is in reality what we would consider to be an average day. His interpretation of something that is unbelievable and far-fe tched (pg. 88) is what we accept every day without a instant thought Mrs Casper has no time for Billy Oh stop pestering me Im late enough as it is She finds her social life and nights out more important than listen to what Billy has to say, yet in his Tall storey Billys mother makes him breakfast in tail and she does not have to work and will be at home for her family. Hines makes effective use of detail as Billy observes the carpet, the radiator and the vase of fresh daffodils.We take these for granted now and they would not have been rarified when the novel was written, but they distressfully are not part of Billys life. The Tall Story tells us of Billys longing not for just a normal home but for his mother to show some affection towards him (she makes him breakfast in bed), Jud to go away (he joins the Army), his Dad to return, the teachers to be nice to him and for school to be interesting. Billys dire circumstances are amplified after reading the Tall Story as we realise that no(prenominal) of what Billy desperately longs and yearns for is going to occur and the sense of defeat becomes more apparent and prevalent in the story.This scene is omitted during the film but, as mentioned in the word From Page to Screen Given the inherent differences in the ways novels and films work to make their meanings and to engage their audiences, and given the different conventions governing the production, distribution and reception of each, it is just surprising that the process of transposition from one medium to the other should be fraught with gruellingies (omission of scenes being one of them) including Billys Tall Story in the film would have been highly difficult.The film is not at a loss til now as scenes such as the one where Billy visits the callowness Employment Office fully capture the sense of defeat and all but extinguish the sense of dwindling sense of hope remaining attractively written by Hines and equally so captured on film, the Youth Emplo yment Office scene is one where Billy, desperate to hide from Jud enters the room only to be met with a harsher reality than Juds imp polish physical retaliation for not placing the bet his future will be one working in the fear mines.The workout officer asks of what Billy is good at and is met with no response. Consulting Billys report card the officer prints MANUAL as Billys type of employment and when mentioning mining is met with this response Im not goin down tpit Conditions have improved tremendously I wouldn t be seen dead down tpit Well there doesnt seem to be any job in England for you then.The employment officer inquires of Billys hobbies but, preoccupied with his thoughts, Billy neglects to mention his one true passion, his one chance to escape his depressing future Kes. Billy gets up and leaves, not knowing the gravity of what he has just done. The ensuing scene is incredibly sad Billy sprinting home from school asking all whom he meets have you seen our Jud? and calli ng out Kes Kes As he becomes more and more frantic we and Billy realise something has happened to his beloved kestrel.In the film the shot of Billy only if in the field, swinging his creance and screaming for Kes is incredibly powerful as details such as Billys slowly changing facial vista as he becomes more desperate and the sad, slow music that begins to play amplify the sense of defeat that he feels and the realisation from a viewers perspective that he has most certainly lost everything, including hope. Billy enters his house and exclaims whats tha done wi it? and his mother responds Where have you been? Your teas getting bleak . Jud throws Billy to the ground when he confronts him and all Mrs Casper can muster is a light slap to his arm.Billy gets up and says to his mother hes gone and killed me hawk Jud, nonchalantly whilst broddling the fire states so what if I have? What are you going to do about it? In the novel Billy attempts to bury his head into his mothers skirt a nd is pushed away out of embarrassment and met with the tease of his mothers words dont be so daft however the defeat and despair in Billys mind after hearing Juds comment is, in my opinion far better verbalized in the film Billy throws himself down onto the couch and buries his in the pillow as his worst fear in the world has now been confirmed.Billy lifts his head to yell repeatedly, through tears youre a bastard A big rotten bastard . Billy then, to the shock of Mrs Casper yells you bastard You fucking bastard The sad notion here is that the swear word that Billy has just used is the worst he can do, his attempt at a knockout blow to Jud as he cannot (nor his mother) physically intimidate he instead unleashes the largest weapon in his arsenal language. It is met with this comment from his mother Shut up Billy Im not having that kind of language in my house Billy yells well do summat to him then , begging his mother to understand what Jud has done but she simply disregards th is and asks Jud whats tha done wi it? . The line that solidifies in viewers and readers minds that all is lost for Billy escapes Juds lips its in tbin. We now know that the novel is ultimately about Billys defeat as his closest companion in the world, Kes, is dead and in the rubbish bin. Kes, deceased and in the bin is symbolising the sliver of hope that we as readers and viewers had at the beginning of A Kestrel for a Knave the hope that is now dead.In possibly the most compelling scene in both film and novel Billy grabs Kes from the bin and runs back inside, dangling the domestic fowl in front of his mothers face with tears streaming down his own, desperately yearning for some comfort, some love, affection and understanding. He receives none and Mrs Casper pushes the bird aside. Billy asks his mother to give Jud a hidin to which she asks how? and Jud snorts in amusement. Youve cried about it long enough now Billy, you can get another cant you? Billy cannot take any more of thi s and lunges at Jud one last time before leaving the house yelling Youll never catch me , Kes dead in his hand. In the film he goes to the wood, stroking his dead feathered hopes and dreams and buries Kes, defeated, however I do believe that the novels ending, though difficult to transfer to film is far more apt Billy returns to the theatre and relives the traumatic experiences of the day his father left home a combination of his tall story and tragic past. In a dreamlike sequence, Billy imagines himself on the screen, starring in a film with Kes, triumphing over Jud but he realises this will never happen.The suggestion is that things just wont get any better, that hope is lost and that he has been defeated. Hines has shown a distinct change in his writing here however I believe that his credibility is still intact as the highly staccato surreal sequence expresses Billys despair, distress and ultimate defeat seeing his past and dead hopes for a life with Kes. Billy returns home, a nd the novel finishes bluntly with him burying Kes and going to bed. The unexpected and unsatisfying ending maintains the harsh, lonely and caustic note of the novel, emphasising ultimately Billys defeat.Though A Kestrel for a Knave begins with a sense of hope with the arrival of Kes it becomes apparent from the Tall Story onwards that it will be about Billys defeat, something we see from scenes such as the Youth Employment Office and the tragic, highly sad ending where Billy is doomed to work in the pit and has lost the one thing he cared about and cared for him. The day, novel and film ends how it started with Billy returning to bed with Jud however he now has no Kes, no hope, and is completely and utterly defeated.