Like the story, Field of Dreams is also set in small town Iowa. The story also progresses the same as the short story but instead of ending after he meets Shoeless Joe the story continues. This time the narrator is given a name, Ray. The plot moves to various locations throughout the story that are relevant to the "voice". For example, Ray drives to the great Fenway Park because it, yet again, deals with baseball. Every place Ray goes has to do with baseball. Each scene is driven by the "voice" and Ray is compelled to follow wherever it tells him to go.
Point of View
The movie is portrayed through Ray's actions. In this way, the audience can see the struggles Ray faces when he is given a direction from the "voice". The "voice" causes Ray some deep inner turmoil because he doesn't understand what it wants until the end. Unlike the story, the visions/voices aren't clear to him until he receives some sort of sign. When he does receive the sign, Ray goes on to do what the "voice" tells him. For instance, the "voice" tells Ray to "ease his pain". This, Ray figures out, is referring to Terence Mann. The audience is able to see that Ray will not give up until he finds out what the "voice" wants and how far he will go to find out.
Characterization
Ray is characterized as a middle-aged man who has everything he's ever dreamed of until one day where his normal life is challenged. He has a strong sense of self because he acts purely on instinct. If Ray's character were different, this would make the story completely different. Ray is also strong willed in that he knows exactly what he wants when he wants it. After Ray hears the second calling and figures out the message, he decides to leave his wife at the risk of ruining their relationship. Along with this, Ray subconsciously regrets the relationship with his late father.
Setting
The movie takes place during the 80s which is concurrent with the short story. This makes the story more interesting because Ray and his family don't have all the modern technology that people do today. For example, instead of calling Terence Mann like many would today, Ray has to drive there to get his message across. The time is also relevant to when his dad played minor league baseball and when Shoeless Joe Jackson played as well. Most of the setting takes place in Iowa. Several of the "ghost" players often asked Ray, "Is this Heaven?". This makes sense because of Iowa's beautiful landscape and rolling hills. The small town appeal also makes sense because it gives Ray the opportunity to be called crazy by the everybody-knows-everybody type town.
Theme
The theme for the movie has the same ideas as the short story. Gut instinct appears a lot in the movie. Ray makes crazy decisions based solely on a "gut feeling". Another reoccurring theme is to follow your dreams. Ray never believed he would be able to mend his relationship with his father until he followed the "voice". Along with this is the theme of nonconformity. Ray made decisions based purely on what he knew he needed to do. He didn't care if the neighbors called him crazy, he did what he had to do. The last theme is to never give up. Half the time, Ray didn't know why he was being told to do certain things. Nevertheless, he did them anyways because he knew there would be a reward.
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