Cinema Speculation

by Quentin Tarantino

In Dickey’s novel, Ed is a graphic artist who’s a partner in a dinky ad agency. And Lewis inherited land from his family and lives off his earnings as a landlord. It makes you wonder how Ed and Lewis became friends. How did they meet? What made Lewis invite Ed on their first bowhunting trip? What made Ed go? In the film, Lewis asks Ed, “Why do you go on these trips with me, Ed?” But Ed replies like a movie character would, “You know, sometimes I wonder about that.” That sounds like a movie line. But in the book, Ed tells the reader why he goes on these bowhunting trips with Lewis, and it’s not to bring home deer meat for his wife to cook up. He enjoys Lewis’ company and even admires him. He informs us, “He was the only man I knew determined to get something out of life who had both the means and the will to do it.”