Tuck Everspiring - Compare and Contrast Essay Is living forever the greatest gift than the ultimate curse? This is the question that both the popular ALA book, Tuck Everspiring by Natalie Babbitt, and the film based on the book raise. Both explore the exciting possibility of never facing death, the harsh reality of infinite life and the greed it can bring. A look at the similarities and differences will reveal that the theme, along with the overall plot, was one of the few things that remain the same in the translation from book to film. The book and the film are similar in their portrayal of a young girl, Winnie Foster, on the verge of becoming a woman, who feels discontent with her sheltered life. He comes across the Tuck family, Mae, Angus (called Tuck), Miles and Jesse, who share a surprising secret, an eternal life, the source of which is a spring found in the woods belonging to Winnie's family. Winnie is kidnapped by them until they are sure she will not reveal their story. The Tucks are hunted by a mysterious man in a yellow suit who suspects their secret. The man in the yellow suit desires to own the forest and exploit its contents for personal gain. He finds out where Winnie is being held and offers to tell her family in exchange for ownership of the woods. Winnie's family agrees and the man in the yellow suit accompanies the sheriff to the Tuck house. Mae, the mother of the Tuck family, hits the man in the yellow suit over the head when she discovers his plan. Mae is then taken to prison and sentenced to hang when the man in the yellow hat is revealed to have died from his injuries. The Tucks are extremely worried that Mae will not die when she is hanged and their secret is revealed....... middle of paper ......ild. In the film, Winnie directly confronts the guard on duty at the prison and dramatizes her fear and worry of being chased. Tuck's boys, Jesse and Miles, wait outside looking like supernatural outlaws and scare the guard, who runs away. Winnie unlocks Mae and Tuck's cells. This complete change in rescue tactics seemed artificial and unreal. The film's writers most likely thought that the added suspense and drama would make the film better and that an older Winnie could play the part. The film, most likely, is made well enough to intrigue the intended audience. It captured the theme and plot of the book. Yet it falls short when compared to Natalie Babbitt's beautiful, sensitive, contemplative prose. One can only hope that watching the film will lead the viewer to experience the book and be delighted by it even more.