{"id":173781927,"date":"2019-10-29T10:48:40","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T10:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/answershark.com\/writing\/?p=173781927"},"modified":"2022-12-29T13:48:43","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T13:48:43","slug":"one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/payforwriting.com\/writing\/fiction-review\/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-book-review.html","title":{"rendered":"One Flew over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

The practice of reconsidering the values and perspectives offered in an important literary work is not uncommon. Many novels have been revisited and criticized for the values that they carry. Ken Kesey\u2019s One Flew over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest<\/em> is one of such works, as it has numerously been accused of sexism, racism, and propaganda of machismo. However, it seems that many critics have missed the important point of the novel, which is the narrator being a mentally ill individual. Once Kesey\u2019s decision to put a character suffering from schizophrenia in the central spot is analyzed, the novel itself reappears as a powerful proclamation of humanistic ideas and empathy toward people with mental issues.<\/p>\n

Ken Kesey is considered one of the most influential writers of his generation, being compared to Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. In his debut 1962 novel One Flew over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest<\/em>, Kesey depicts a story of a mental health institution where ideas of sanity, individual freedom, and humanity collide with the grim reality of the hospital, filled with authoritarianism, injustice, and brutal humiliation. However, while the novel has been accused of sexism, racism, and glorification of a highly controversial hero, its main legacy, it seems, lies in the unique narration style.<\/p>\n

The narrator of the novel is Bromden (also known as \u201cBig Chief\u201d), a tall middle-aged man suffering from schizophrenia. Consequently, the plot of the novel is almost entirely located within the mental health institution where the patients stay. While many view the story line that depicts the fight of Randle McMurphy, the institution\u2019s newcomer, with the despotic authoritarian regime created by Nurse Ratched, the woman in charge of the hospital, as the dominating line of narration, even Ken Kesey later emphasized the major importance of Bromden\u2019s role in the novel (Madden 109). Bromden\u2019s schizophrenic condition makes him occasionally confuse his own perception and emotional experience with the reality, influencing his narrative style, or, as Semino and Swindlehurst call it, a \u201cmind style\u201d of the narration (146). As a result of his psychological condition, Bromden stands as a \u201cpartly unreliable narrator,\u201d making the readers decide which part of the story really did happen and which were a part of Bromden\u2019s imagination (151). At the same time, Kesey\u2019s decision to put Bromden as a narrator of the story makes another important contribution: it humanizes people with mental issues, potentially reducing the negative attitudes toward mentally ill individuals.<\/p>\n

Because of Kesey\u2019s bold decision to put Bromden in the center of the narration, not McMurphy (a character who is perceived as the main antagonist by most of the readers), the reader has the opportunity to get inside the head of an individual with a mental disorder. While schizophrenia does cause some of the difficulties in Bromden\u2019s narrative consistency and use of language, what any reader can clearly see is the bright, humane inner world of Bromden. Essentially, all he (and the rest of the institution\u2019s members) wanted was to be treated like a human being by the hospital\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n

Though McMurphy may be rightfully accused of harboring a sexist, racist, and hyper-masculine agenda by many critics, his main positive quality was that he cared about his fellow institution inmates and treated his community members with dignity, respect, and personal responsibility (Madden 108). Contrastingly, Nurse Ratched and her staff did the opposite, continuously dehumanizing those who had already suffered a great deal of rejection and misunderstanding in their lives. Therefore, Kesey\u2019s choice of narrator reinforces the readers\u2019 empathy toward the individuals with mental issues.<\/p>\n

In One Flew over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest<\/em>, it is the \u201cinsane\u201d community that is portrayed as struggling for liberty and humane treatment for all, while the \u201csane\u201d medical staff uses brutal force and its power to bring the patients to their knees. Interestingly, it seems that the story would have been told in a completely different manner had McMurphy been the narrator, let alone Nurse Ratched. Although there are claims that the movie based on the novel had a negative impact regarding viewers\u2019 attitudes toward mental illness, it seems that both Milos Forman (who directed the movie) and the audience ignored the powerful aspect of narrator choice (Domino 179). Bromden\u2019s narration in combination with his mental condition turn many controversial issues of the story upside down, and that move of Kesey was undoubtedly intentional. While Bromden\u2019s narration is far from being perfect, his commitment to the story and basic humanistic principles serve as the fundamental triggers of the story that cause empathy toward individuals suffering from mental issues.<\/p>\n

Although Ken Kesey\u2019s One Flew over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest<\/em> leaves a mixed emotional tone at the end, including both tragic and optimistic events, it does surely serve as an inspirational literary piece. Despite the accusations of Kesey\u2019s sexist and racist representations in the novel, the story remains a powerful ode to humanism, individual freedom, and equal treatment for all. Moreover, Kesey\u2019s decision to make Bromden, a patient struggling from schizophrenia, the narrator of the story serves as an instrument that humanizes people suffering from mental illness and reinforces empathy toward this vulnerable social category.<\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/p>\n

Domino, George. \u201cImpact of the Film, \u2018One Flew over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest,\u2019 on Attitudes towards Mental Illness.\u201d Psychological Reports<\/em>, vol 53, no. 1, 1983, pp. 179-182. SAGE Publications<\/em>, doi:10.2466\/pr0.1983.53.1.179. Accessed 27 Sept. 2018.
\nMadden, Fred. \u201cSanity and Responsibility: Big Chief As Narrator and Executioner.\u201d Ken Kesey\u2019s One Flew over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest<\/em>, Harold Bloom, 1st ed., Infobase Publishing, New York, 2007, pp. 107-122, Accessed 27 Sept. 2018.
\nSemino, Elena, and Kate Swindlehurst. \u201cMetaphor and Mind Style in Ken Kesey\u2019s \u2018One Flew over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest.\u2019\u201d Style<\/em>, vol. 30, no. 1, 1996, pp. 143\u2013166. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org\/stable\/42946325<\/p>\n

The Power of Payforwriting Lies Here<\/h2>\n

Payforwriting, an outstanding writing service helping students cope with their pains, is the best bet to handle your academic challenges in a professional and committed way. Just like with this \u201cOne flew Over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest\u201d<\/em> book review, our seasoned experts will take great care of your writing duties and make your paper stand out! The range of writing services we offer is not limited to developing profound and thought-provoking reviews in literature. Payforwriting<\/a>\u2019s writers will create for you an academic paper of any type, length, and complexity. And, similarly to this book review of \u201cOne Flew Over the Cuckoo\u2019s nest,\u201d<\/em> the quality you\u2019ll receive will make you want more from us. Try out our unparalleled assistance!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The practice of reconsidering the values and perspectives offered in an important literary work is not uncommon. Many novels have been revisited and criticized for the values that they carry. Ken Kesey\u2019s One Flew over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest is one of such works, as it has numerously been accused of sexism, racism, and propaganda of machismo. However, it seems that many critics have missed the important point of the novel, which is the narrator being a mentally ill individual. Once… <\/p>\n