One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Themes

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Analysis One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a novel, written by Ken Kesey and published in 1962. The novel was adapted into a film, produced by Michael Douglass and released in 1975. The film was directed by Milos Forman, with screenplay by Bo Goldman and Lawrence Hauben, and was the second film to ever be awarded all five major academy awards. The film is a moderately accurate portrayal of the film, but it loses the crucial aspect of Chief's point of view. Chief is a half Native American patient in the mental hospital, assumed to be deaf and mute. No one is aware of the fact that Chief only presents himself that way. In the novel, Chief narrates everything and provides a very unique point of view for the story. Throughout the novel, Chief's memories are interwoven with the story of the mental ward. Chief's reliability as a narrator is unclear, as manifestations of his psychological disorder …show more content…
A big theme throughout the novel, which was carried into the film, is the individual versus society. McMurphy's struggle against authority and Chief's battle to regain his sense of self are both present in the novel and the film. One theme that the film did lose some of, was the Christ analogy that can be seen throughout the novel. Also, in the novel Chief is able to give insight into his past, which brings another theme, the marginalization of Native Americans, into the work. The film, again, loses those recollections and therefore the overall theme. Overall, the film was able to capture the general idea and storyline in a way that keeps much of the novel's ideas and themes with it. Despite the loss of Chief's perspective, and a few overarching themes, the film is a work of art, and a relatively accurate portrayal of the novel. With a very talented cast, and crew, the film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is a very engaging and thought provoking, a must