One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Essay Example

Throughout the film, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", many changes differentiate the movie from the book. Not only can these differences be seen in the characters of the novel, but also in the series of events that make this story so interesting. In this essay, the significance of these differences will be revealed as well as the reasons for the changes. The first difference between the film and the novel is the narration. In the book, Chief Bromden is the narrator who reveals McMurphy's story in the mental hospital. Chief is the main character since he is the one who's life we learn about the most throughout the book. We learn that he is a paranoid schizophrenic, and a half-breed Indian. We also learn about his family and his past. The movie version erases Chief as the story’s narrator, erases his background story, and makes him a less important character. In the film, Randle Patrick McMurphy is clearly the hero. The reason for this is that if the movie used Chief as the narrator, they would have to include all his background information. These details would most certainly not interest the viewers and would only make the film longer. Hence, they made McMurphy the main character to save them from writing about the Chief. Many important aspects of the book were eliminated in the film version. Cheswick's suicide is the most notable one. Cheswick was the first person in the novel to be motivated by McMurphy’s behavior and happy way of life. When McMurphy decided to conform to Nurse Ratched’s wishes and do as he was told, Cheswick felt abandoned and betrayed. Without notice, he ended his life by drowning himself in the pool. This was not the case in the film. Cheswick never commited suicide and was alive throughout the whole movie. The film does not include this scene because they are trying to make McMurphy seem like a friendly person towards the men on the ward and not just like someone they look up to and fear. In the book, Cheswick killed himself because he