One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest I

I am reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and I am not that far into it. I am far enough into it, however, to see the clear difference in the ways that Nurse Ratched is portrayed and described. In the movie she is a small figured, somewhat soft spoken woman. Although I think it is important that the book is in the voice of “Chief”, and the movie is a little more objective, the differences still seem pretty concrete. Instead of being petite, like in the movie, she has a big bust and anger issues. I couldn’t help but wonder why the book’s Nurse Ratched (even though I recognize it came after) is so different from the movie’s. As I continue reading, I want to see what role those small yet glaring differences play in the plot. I think that the nurse in the book is much more interesting. She had big breasts, and a big temper, while having a small job with seemingly unimportant people.

            Similarly, I wonder how the first person account of the story I’ve seen in film form will change the experience I have with it. I like getting to hear more descriptive accounts of the home, and the eclectic collection of people in it. It seems popular now to write books about the quiet, or “strange” people. (Diary of a wimpy kid, Confessions of a Wallflower.. etc.) This book did that before it was cool! I like the modern theme, while still being very dated in the early 60’s. I’m excited to see where these slight differences lead, because I have the movie to compare it to.