To begin with, there is a significant difference between the plot of Berton Roueché's short story, "Ten Feet Tall" (1955) and that of Nicholas Ray. adaptation of this in his film Bigger Than Life (1956). Both storylines deal with characters who suffer from manic-depressive psychosis due to their cortisone addiction, but Robert Laurence's illness is not self-inflicted. This mild-mannered character falls victim to medical malpractice when his doctor prescribes him high doses of cortisone, which Robert does not question due to his childish faith of "the doctor knows what's wrong." better ". While Ed Avery's dominant and sassy character goes on a rampage and takes it upon himself to increase his doses, pretending to be a doctor in a pharmacy and writing his own prescription. The differences between these two characters constitute an interesting twist in Nicholas Ray's adaptation of the plot of "Ten Feet Tall." Furthermore, these two very different plots built on cortisone addiction depict opposite genres. Roueche's "Ten Feet Tall" is a short story written for the New York Times under the title "The Annals of Medicine" and illustrates the true story of a school teacher, Robert, who becomes seriously ill. While Bob's story might fall into the category of science fiction, revealing the medical benefits of drug production and their side effects, Ed Avery's addiction to drugs presents his society of manic consumption as a movie of scientific horror. Cortisone, in Ed's case, is a manifestation of the American dream gone wrong. The diabolical delivery of large societal doses of rules, discipline, religion, education, non-dependence, living standards, status and power, demonstrates the fine line between living a dream and manic behavior. Specifically, ...... middle of paper ......r and second Red Scare. The Cold War, the collision of scientific advantages and technical progress changed the mindset of society. Paranoia has infested the minds of nations, especially the United States, leading to science fiction themes or analogues of subversion and destruction of the American dream in stories and films. Real. Nicholas Ray. 20th Century Fox, 1956. DVD. Ellis, John. “Literary adaptation”. Screen (1982) 23 (1): 3-5. Rebel without a cause. Real. Nicholas Ray. Warner Bros, 1955. DVD.Roueche, Berton. “Ten feet tall.” The New Yorker September 10, 1955. Print. Sanders, Julie. Adaptation and appropriation. London: Routledge, 2006. Print. Wilson, Timothy D., et al. “The Pleasures of Uncertainty: Prolonging Positive Moods in Ways People Don’t Expect.” Review of personality and social psychology 88.1 (2005): 5.