『뻐꾸기 둥지 위로 날아간 새』: 소설과 영화 비교

The dramatic techniques of Ken Kesey's novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) and those of Milos Fonnan's film adaptation (1975) are investigated and compared. Our conclusions may be summarized as foHows. Firstly, the novel is composed of four parts, spanning 20 chapters. The film mirrors the novel's four parts but develops them over 33 scenes. The novel and the film develop very similarly. Both the novel and film have their dramatic climax in the salmon fishing scene and the crisis of confrontation between McMurphy and the Big Nurse, Miss Ratched. There are a few notable differences. For example, in the cinematized version Cheswick is alive until the end of the film but in the novel he commits suicide. Secondly, from the aspect of point of view, the perspective in the film is different from that of the novel. In the book, the first-person narrator, the schizophrenic Chief narrates the incidents in the hospital by stream of consciousness, but in the film the camera angle creates an omniscient point of view. Thus, the former discloses subjective and unreal aspects while the latter reveals objective and real ones. Thirdly, character representation can be contrasted in the film and the novel. The film focuses on major characters at the expense of smaller ones. Major characters like McMurphy, the Big Nurse, the Chief in the novel are freshly seen with their characteristics in the film. Additionally, the film uses footage of real vegetables at the Oregon State Mental Hospital. But other psychopaths and minor characters in the novel are changed or cut in the film. Fourthly, there are subtle differences between the novel and film in terms of symbolism. Symbols of the fog machine, colors, laughter, hands, the control panel, the glass Station and fish in the novel are represented, condensed or omitted in the film. The symbolism of colors, laughter, the control panel and fish are represented similarly 10 both the novel and film. The symbolism of hands is condensed and that of the fog machine omitted in the film. Fifthly, allegory, animal imagery, and Biblical allusions vary from novel to film. Some allegorical names, including Ratched, R.P.M., the initials of McMurphy, the Chief "Broom" in the novel are not easily detected in the film. Various animal images in the novel are omitted in the film except for the "bull goose loony" indicating McMurphy. Several Biblical allusions in the novel are also distorted in the film. In conclusion, the novel and the film share a common theme, but use different dramatic techniques to express that theme. Both works focus on the Chief and his pursuit of freedom from the state hospital. Both the novel and the film make the connection between the state hospital and the realty of American life. The U.S.A. is "the cuckoos' nest." The conflict between McMurphy and the Big Nurse represents the conflict between the common man and absurd authoritarianism, modern establishment and femininity. McMurphy's protest against establishment and authority results in his own lobotomization. This over-riding theme is clear in both the book and film. Symbols, allegories, animal images, and Biblical allusions are dramatic techniques used in the novel. Lively conversations, physical actions, CinemaScopic scenes, doleful music and sound effects are the dramatic techniques that the film relies upon to communicate its message. The subtle images of the novel are probably only grasped by intellectual readers, while the visual and realistic effects of the film are probably directed at a more general audience.