If there’s one thing we as a society can agree upon, it’s the cultural impact of Jaws.
Jaws (the book) by Peter Benchley came out in 1974 and Jaws (the movie) directed by Steven Spielberg rapidly followed only a year later in 1975. Jaws spent 44 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, sold millions of paperback copies, won three academy awards, and is widely considered the first modern blockbuster.
One could say Jaws really made a splash in 70’s pop culture. *wink wink*
The book’s foreword by Wendy Benchley, Peter’s wife, states “the mythology and enduring cultural impact of Jaws begins with shark folklore. It is also a tale about timeless elements of human life and society, including fear of the unknown, death, science, greed, corruption, and summoning our “better angels” to do the right thing.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the film. So, naturally I had to finally read the book it all came from. I’m not sure what I expected when I picked this one up, perhaps just a slightly more built out version of the movie? Who knows?
I do know that there was a list a mile long of things I didn’t expect though. I didn’t expect a book where nearly a quarter of the plot was Ellen Brody’s foray into extramarital affairs or the suspiciously shady underbelly of the inner workings of a resort town’s leaders. Genuinely, who are the selectmen? Why is this board of people able to make decisions for the town and more importantly why are they all concerned less about public safety and more about finances?
What I did expect and what I got was my beautiful magnificent shark.
Am I deathly afraid of sharks? Yes.
Do I religiously watch Shark Week like my life depends on it? Also, yes.
One might say I fell into the “Jaws Effect.” Unapologetically, I rightfully give sharks the respect they deserve as apex predators… and it has nothing at all to do with my galeophobia. (That is my story and I am, in fact, sticking to it).
When we think of Jaws, of course, we’re all picturing that glorious Great White… whether in actuality or that giant mechanical monstrosity they used in the film. To my surprise, the town of Amity almost rivals the shark’s weight in terms of plot. To put it in perspective, if the shark didn’t exist there would be no story, but if Amity didn’t exist the shark’s presence in the water wouldn’t even matter. People care about the shark because of what its presence means for them, not because of its actions.
People like Larry Vaughn, the mayor of Amity, care because it affects their bottom line. He can’t rent out the houses in his portfolio if people are too scared to come to town while a shark is killing people. Vaughn cares because the longer the Chief of Police keeps the beaches closed, the more money he loses as a direct result of his mafia buddies pulling his strings.
I know what you’re thinking “the mafia? In Jaws??” Yes, I was taken aback too. The book so vastly differs from the movie that I found myself shocked at every minuscule added detail.
Police Chief Martin Brody’s biggest concern is the townspeople of Amity and the stability of their future… and if his wife is sleeping with the new in town oceanographer, Matthew Hooper. Brody is being pressured from all angles to keep the beaches open, since without the business of the “summer people” the locals won’t be able to keep themselves afloat throughout the year. When he makes the mistake of caving to that pressure for the first and only time, two people lose their lives – one of which is a six year old boy. The guilt he carries from this informs his every action throughout the rest of the story.
Brody puts the wellbeing of the town before even himself as he risks life and limb to catch this shark. Now, don’t get me wrong. I was deeply annoyed with him at points. Like, my guy, pull yourself together! Your wife cheated on you and you know it, you’re consulting the editor of the town paper as if the Police Chief needs to run decisions by him for some reason (??), and you’re letting other people walk all over you. You are the Chief of Police. Act. Like. It.
Am I a huge fan of Ellen Brody? No, she annoyed me too. But, here’s a thought. Maybe don’t talk to her like she’s a grown child and your marriage wouldn’t be on the rocks, Martin. I digress though. Clearly, I got sucked into this subplot (mostly) against my will.
Benchley generates this underlying tension via the looming threat of a “villain” who spends most of their time off the page. Sure, people are dying and a town is slowly fading into financial ruin, but I’ve still got the Jaws orchestral theme playing on a loop in my head, raising the suspense and waiting patiently for the shark’s return.
My copy of the book has special bonus content in the back and it says that at one point a possible title for the story was A Question of Evil. Philosophically, I found the concept which that title implied fascinating.
Can we in fact blame the shark for following its instincts? Is it truly at fault for all the death and mayhem it’s caused if it’s just following its nature? Can the shark even be considered evil if all it’s doing is trying to survive?
“That fish is a beauty. It’s the kind of thing that makes you believe in a god. It shows you what nature can do when she sets her mind to it.”
Jaws has and always will be my mom’s favorite movie (seriously, she’ll tell anyone who’ll listen about the time she bumped into Roy Scheider a few years after the movie came out on the streets of Manhattan). Meaning, I feel particularly qualified to give this review, given that Jaws played in my house biweekly growing up. For a long time, I couldn’t even stand the sight of it and god forbid if I heard “you’re gonna need a bigger boat,” my eyes would roll so far into the back of my head I’d be scared they’d stick.
Now though, I find myself putting the movie on every chance I get. Before they closed it, I ran that Jaws ride in Universal into the ground. Jaws just fills me up with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.
Getting to revisit this story and the world of Amity in a new (to me) way, felt like the appropriate avenue to celebrate Jaws’s 50th anniversary. If you were a fan of the film or just love a good Shark Tale, this book is absolutely worth sinking your teeth into (get it?) 😉
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