Wrap Up: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

 

Photo by Stephen Paterson on Unsplash

        I apologize for not writing more posts about our June read of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey named one of Time Magazine's 100 Best English-Language Novels.  I just relocated from Chicago to Indianapolis and am in the process of creating a new life!

    As we read, the novel is set in a psychiatric novel in Oregon and is narrated by a half Native American named "Chief" Bromden.  Bromden pretends to be deaf and mute and why is explained later in the novel.

    There are several other characters introduced as the story progresses including two other main characters-- Randle Patrick McMurphy and Nurse Ratched.  The two have a highly antagonistic relationship primarily because Randle, as a new patient on the ward, is highly encouraging of change both in terms of rules of the ward and the spirits of the men.  I won't go into too much more of the plot but some things to consider is the topic of lobotomies and is murder ever okay even when it is done from a place of mercy.  

    I have to warn you, as an individual of the 21st century who values equal rights and is angered by stereotypes-- there were many going on in this novel based on race and gender.  It was frustrating to see this happening with the choice of description of the characters and their role or lack thereof in the story.  Reading literature from a range of periods sheds insight into the values and culture of some members of that time period.  I challenge you, and feel free to write comments below, to share your thoughts on how much impact you feel a novel can have on the society in which it is published in.

    Our next read will be Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits!  Please go ahead and order your books and my post next Sunday will introduce the book.