One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey is part of a select club of books that produce both great reads and excellent film adaptations. The film is entertaining even though it modified the book, both for brevity and artistic taste. One such change from book to film is in the character of Dr. Spivey. When transformed from book to film, Dr. Spivey remains a minor character who appears only briefly in both, but plays a more crucial role in the film because the film focuses on McMurphy; here, Dr. Spivey's actions have a direct impact on McMurphy's development. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Kesey's book is told from the point of view of Bromden, a mad Native American who pretends to be mute. Bromden's first-person narration works well in the book because he provides a truthful account of the events that occurred in the asylum. However, Bromden's narration includes frequent hallucinations that make the book interesting to read, but would have been difficult to portray in the film. The written word is very apt when we enter Bromden's schizophrenic mind, but the medium of film cannot easily convey such inner thoughts well, even if the audience were able to "hear" the thoughts. This may be why the film uses third-person perspective and Bromden is eliminated as the narrator. We know nothing of his inner thoughts and can only see what he and the other characters do. This transition from book to film was also necessary because it is not possible to have a silent character as narrator without the benefit of seeing into the character's mind. Bromden had to abandon the role of narrator for the move to be successful. At the same time, the film promotes McMurphy as the protagonist. This is not surprising since the role of McMurphy went to Jack Nicholson, who was already a Hollywood star, with the potential to make this film a success. Forman, the director of the film, chose to focus on the character of McMurphy and made him very appealing to the audience. While, in the book, the reader may not have liked some of McMurphy's actions (particularly when he scams the department into lifting the control console), the film's viewers firmly support McMurphy, encouraging him in his rebellion against Nurse Ratched and the authority. With star power like Jack Nicholson's, it's only natural that a director would want McMurphy to be the focus of the film and sideline Bromden for the majority of the film. The difference in McMurphy's role (between book and film) is so stark that it impacts the role of minor characters like Dr. Spivey. In both the book and the film, Dr. Spivey is tasked with diagnosing whether McMurphy is actually crazy or if he is simply trying to quit his job. However, in carrying out this task, the doctor in the film is very different from the one in the book. The doctor is a somewhat weak character in the book, but strong in the film. Additionally, his role in the film (compared to the book) has a greater impact on McMurphy because McMurphy is the focus of the film. In the book, the doctor seems amused and delighted by McMurphy when he first meets him during the first interview. Bromden states, “He smiles a little as he flips through the file, tickled by this new man's cheeky way of talking like the rest of us, but, just like the rest of us, he is careful not to let himself come out and laugh.”(45). Later in the book. Dr. Spivey becomes friendly with McMurphy when he realizes that he and McMurphy attended the same high school..