Memory and Perception in The Girl on the Train: From Literary Structure to Cinematic Adaptation

Abstract

The complex interaction of memory and perception in Paula Hawkins’s psychological thriller The Girl on the Train and its film version is investigated in this paper. The book and the movie both examine the fractured and erratic character of human memory, therefore illuminating how trauma and personal prejudices skew view. This research emphasises the dynamic transfer of these ideas across media by evaluating the narrative strategies and structural decisions in the book along with the visual and audible aspects in the movie. By means of an investigation of character development and the narrative techniques used, the study emphasises the part memory and perspective play in building reality and hence determining the audience’s conception of truth.