Book Review of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest
Introduction
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a breath-taking novel that was written in the twentieth century by Ken Kessey. The plot for this story was set in a psychiatric hospital found in Oregon. This narrative is essential in the world of research because it is a study of the institutional processes as well as the mind. Also, this story serves to critic the theory of behaviorism which is a psychological theory that stipulates that human behavior can be described by conditioning without giving weight to the thought processes and feelings (Ward 4). In other words, psychological disorders can be managed by mere alteration of behavior. This narrative also serves to celebrate the humanistic principles. It was adapted from Dale Wasserman’s play of the same title written in 1963. It was also tailored to a film in 1975, directed by Miloš Forman. This paper seeks to confirm that the novel is based on Kessey’s personal experiences with mental patients.
The plot begins with Chief Bromden who has been a patient at the Oregon Psychiatric Hospital for ten years. His diagnosis was paranoia and from the first lines of the text, it is evident that he is suffering from hallucinations and delusions. Bromden is six feet and seven inches tall, but he usually pretends to be deaf and dumb so that he can go unnoticed. Through his paranoia and fear, he views the world as a vast conglomeration that controls the whole society, what he calls the Combine. The mental patients in the hospital were categorized into Acutes (can be cured) and the Chronics (cannot be cured) and they are all managed by Nurse Ratched, known to be harsh (Safer 132).
The therapy that is mostly used in this psychiatric hospital is group meetings where Nurse Ratched pushed the Acutes to strike each other in their vulnerable places which would lead them into submission. If not, the patient is sent to electroshock therapy and sometimes lobotomy even though the medical community does not support these treatment modes. Randle McMurphy arrives at the ward and Bromden senses that he is different from the usual patients. He introduces himself as a man who loves women and cards and after his first group meeting, he finds out and shares with the rest of the patients that the nurse was more of a dictator. The other patients informed him that she is not to be disrespected because she is an all-powerful force within the hospital. Randle made a bet that he could cause the nurse lose his temper in a week (Ward 32).
Confrontations between the nurse and Randle provided lots of entertainment for the other mental patients. However, the insubordination depicted by Randle led the others into a revolt. The success of the bet is bent on Randle switching the television channel to a world series instead of the usual channel. In response, Randle stages a protest and during the time for chores, he sits in front of a blank television and when the others join him, they make the nurse shouts at them. With a victory, he taunts the staff with abandon but still does not get sent to the disturbed ward. Regardless, Randle discovers that he is at the mercy of Nurse Ratched and begins to submit (Muñoz 669). He had become an unintentional leader, and the other patients were confused when he stopped standing up to the nurse and staff. As the plot progresses, Randle stresses the dictator nurse and in retaliation, she had him lobotomized. Bromden ends up suffocating Randle in bed so that he would die with dignity rather than live and suffer under Nurse Ratched’s rule and absolute power.
Review
Despite the fact that this novel is on the list of some of the highly challenged books, it is necessary to note that this text has an excellent plot. This is because the plot is designed to describe the existing paradigm of power (Safer 132), where rulers have absolute power and would do anything to silence any form of rebellion. According to Kessey (Part II), “Never before did I realize that mental illness could have the aspect of power, power. Think of it: perhaps the more insane a man is, the more powerful he could become. Hitler an example.” Nurse Ratched, who represents the Combine, lobotomized Randle McMurphy because he was a threat to the power the nurse was using to control the patients. The text has a lot of wrong racial references and variations about sex, violence, hatred and people mistreating each other. For example, Randle McMurphy apparently reminisces about having great sex with one of his contemporaries at the age of 9 years. Therefore, the text depicts a lot of pathologies and so it is not meant for innocents and those with faint hearts. Some of the behaviors that exist in the book are disregarded and banned including drinking, sex, violence and use of vile language (liberal profanity).
It is profoundly noted that this novel is not meant for kids considering that some of the behaviors are not intended for socializing children. Regardless, the novel has a lot of positive messages in particular through the characters who end up standing up for themselves and the fact that they end up getting justice from the tyrannical system. Therefore, this book offers a cultural snapshot of the 20th century where rulers seek absolute power and the effects of the industrialization to the society (Muñoz 669). This is a very useful novel considering that the literary tradition technique employed here will enable the fans of mythology and heroic stories to enjoy.
Conclusion
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is an accomplished text with very potent themes. Ken Kessey is indeed a prolific artist considering that he was able to capture some of the contemporary issues about industrialization. I enjoyed reading the text and the fact that some of the described behaviors are considered vile by the society. The truth is that it brings out the crude nature of the environment and setting required to complete the text.
Works Cited
MUÑOZ, MANUEL. "A Veritable Angel Of Mercy": The Problem Of Nurse Ratched In Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest."Southern Review 49.4 (2013): 668-671.
Safer, Elaine B. "'It's The Truth Even If It Didn't Happen': Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." Literature Film Quarterly5.2 (1977): 132.
Ward, Selena, and Alexa Gutheil. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: Ken Kesey. New York: Spark Publishing, 2002. Print.
