As the author of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey did not approve of the film that was later produced in honor of his piece of writing. There is an ongoing debate over whether the movie, or the novel, was a better piece of art. In the novel, Chief serves as the narrator, which allows the reader to get into the heads of the patients in the institution, and better understand their perception of what is going on in the ward. In the movie, you are better able to experience what is actually going on in the ward, and the motives of the patients, such as McMurphy. The difference between the characterization in the movie version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest allows the audience to achieve a more realistic understanding of
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In the novel, Nurse Ratched is less irritating than in the movie. Throughout the novel, the reader is not able to distinguish between what Chief is making up, and what is true. Therefore, the reader is unable to make a definite opinion of Nurse Ratched, based solely on what the Chief is saying. In the movie however, Nurse Ratched’s manipulation is portrayed stronger than ever, and you can see how negatively she is affecting everyone on the ward. One example of this is when the nurse threatens Billy Bibbit that she is going to tell his mother about the sexual relation he had with the prostitute, Candy. Because of Billy’s fear for his mother, the Nurse knows that this will get to him. His fear takes over so much that he ends up killing himself, and it is hard to believe, especially in the movie, that it is not the Nurse’s fault. At once point throughout the novel, Chief says, “All I know is this: nobody 's very big in the first place, and it looks to me like everybody spends their whole life tearing everybody else down.” (Kesey, 174) This quote perfectly explains the persona of Nurse Ratched. Everyone, including herself, believes that she is the top of the ward and that everyone needs her to be there to help with decisions and problems, but in reality she is just bringing everyone else down and she is not needed. Nurse Ratched and the power she craves over the men in the ward …show more content…
However, it does not allow the audience to get an inside view of what is actually going on in the minds of the patients. The biggest amendment that was made between the movie and the novel was the narration. The audience was not able to get an inside look on what was actually going through the patients minds and what they were experiencing at the time. Also, the idea of the Combine was not brought up, which was an essential part of the novel, and a message Kesey wanted to give off to the readers, because of its application to the real world. Because of this difference, the movie version can be viewed as more of a storyline, rather than a piece of art with a message to give off. Although Chief’s narration was an important part of the novel, and the biggest difference between that and the movie, the audience was still able to achieve the same idea of the manipulation that was going on in the ward, and the affect that Chief and McMurphy had on the ward. There is the same idea that nothing will be the same anymore and the patients may have even lost respect for Nurse Ratched after what happened with Billy Bibbit killing himself because of her, and McMurphy’s downfall, which was also caused by her. Everyone that
In the novel, Nurse Ratched is less irritating than in the movie. Throughout the novel, the reader is not able to distinguish between what Chief is making up, and what is true. Therefore, the reader is unable to make a definite opinion of Nurse Ratched, based solely on what the Chief is saying. In the movie however, Nurse Ratched’s manipulation is portrayed stronger than ever, and you can see how negatively she is affecting everyone on the ward. One example of this is when the nurse threatens Billy Bibbit that she is going to tell his mother about the sexual relation he had with the prostitute, Candy. Because of Billy’s fear for his mother, the Nurse knows that this will get to him. His fear takes over so much that he ends up killing himself, and it is hard to believe, especially in the movie, that it is not the Nurse’s fault. At once point throughout the novel, Chief says, “All I know is this: nobody 's very big in the first place, and it looks to me like everybody spends their whole life tearing everybody else down.” (Kesey, 174) This quote perfectly explains the persona of Nurse Ratched. Everyone, including herself, believes that she is the top of the ward and that everyone needs her to be there to help with decisions and problems, but in reality she is just bringing everyone else down and she is not needed. Nurse Ratched and the power she craves over the men in the ward …show more content…
However, it does not allow the audience to get an inside view of what is actually going on in the minds of the patients. The biggest amendment that was made between the movie and the novel was the narration. The audience was not able to get an inside look on what was actually going through the patients minds and what they were experiencing at the time. Also, the idea of the Combine was not brought up, which was an essential part of the novel, and a message Kesey wanted to give off to the readers, because of its application to the real world. Because of this difference, the movie version can be viewed as more of a storyline, rather than a piece of art with a message to give off. Although Chief’s narration was an important part of the novel, and the biggest difference between that and the movie, the audience was still able to achieve the same idea of the manipulation that was going on in the ward, and the affect that Chief and McMurphy had on the ward. There is the same idea that nothing will be the same anymore and the patients may have even lost respect for Nurse Ratched after what happened with Billy Bibbit killing himself because of her, and McMurphy’s downfall, which was also caused by her. Everyone that