Naturally, a story told in first-person point of view is flawed. However, the author Ken Kesey picks Chief Bromden, the least suspecting of all characters, to narrate his book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. As Bromden tells the story from his perspective, he is able to gain credibility from the audience because he faithfully recounts not only the misadventures and mayhem in the ward but also the story of his personal breakthrough.
In the beginning, Bromden tells us that he is under that unassuming disguise of a catatonic, playing “deaf and dumb.” In actuality, he is the rather observant, prudent, and sensitive. After McMurphy is in the ward for a month, he soon becomes self-aware of his induced state (178). He eventually realizes that he …show more content…
All his dreams and suspicions manifest into reality, revealing his vision of smothering furnace, patients mechanically moving and hanging from a production line, infinitely long tentacle-like electric wires strangling the victims. The next morning, Old Blastic’s death justifies his dreams, worthy of reader’s attention (82). For most of the book, Bromden mentions the dog who cannot smell anything but his own fear. The dog represents Bromden’s recovery to strength. In part II, the dog does not let fear overwhelm him and no longer runs in panic, “loping steady and solemn like he had an appointment”, as though he had broken out of his cage and knows he is entitled to his own destiny created by his own hand (143). This perception is reinforced when Bromden undergoes a transition later on when he escapes in the direction of the highway as the dog did.
Equally important, Bromden draws parallels between his father and McMurphy, allowing the reader to more readily follow his thoughts because they foreshadow the trajectory to McMurphy’s demise. When McMurphy knows why the nurse is so calm and collected with his brass attitude, he is forced to cowered in the face of truth (147). Bromden allows time and room for the reader to engage in why he speaks about his father. Thus when McMurphy experiences a setback in the fight against the nurse, the reader is prepared to think along the narrator 's reasoning, and the news does …show more content…
But with Bromden’s narration, we know that it is not just power: lives are at risk. A war is waged against the patient’s autonomy to not be beaten down by labels of simplicity. It is not a mere battle of wits and virtue. A momentary but heart-breaking scene occurs when Bromden wants to “touch [McMurphy] because he’s who he is” (188). McMurphy is everything Bromden upholds and aspires to be. Despite the loss of personal sense during his time in the ward, he has regained his humanity, desperate for human connection.
Furthermore as the narrator, Bromden is able to delineate the patients ' and his discovery of personal stamina. Pivotal moments include the ones they truly feel real and natural: their first genuine laugh at the fishing trip (212). Bromden chooses to talk about nature before enduring shock treatment, his conquering the EST battle, and stands up to help McMurphy fight the aides (271). Led out of their default stupor, the patients take it upon themselves to believe that they deserve
In the beginning, Bromden tells us that he is under that unassuming disguise of a catatonic, playing “deaf and dumb.” In actuality, he is the rather observant, prudent, and sensitive. After McMurphy is in the ward for a month, he soon becomes self-aware of his induced state (178). He eventually realizes that he …show more content…
All his dreams and suspicions manifest into reality, revealing his vision of smothering furnace, patients mechanically moving and hanging from a production line, infinitely long tentacle-like electric wires strangling the victims. The next morning, Old Blastic’s death justifies his dreams, worthy of reader’s attention (82). For most of the book, Bromden mentions the dog who cannot smell anything but his own fear. The dog represents Bromden’s recovery to strength. In part II, the dog does not let fear overwhelm him and no longer runs in panic, “loping steady and solemn like he had an appointment”, as though he had broken out of his cage and knows he is entitled to his own destiny created by his own hand (143). This perception is reinforced when Bromden undergoes a transition later on when he escapes in the direction of the highway as the dog did.
Equally important, Bromden draws parallels between his father and McMurphy, allowing the reader to more readily follow his thoughts because they foreshadow the trajectory to McMurphy’s demise. When McMurphy knows why the nurse is so calm and collected with his brass attitude, he is forced to cowered in the face of truth (147). Bromden allows time and room for the reader to engage in why he speaks about his father. Thus when McMurphy experiences a setback in the fight against the nurse, the reader is prepared to think along the narrator 's reasoning, and the news does …show more content…
But with Bromden’s narration, we know that it is not just power: lives are at risk. A war is waged against the patient’s autonomy to not be beaten down by labels of simplicity. It is not a mere battle of wits and virtue. A momentary but heart-breaking scene occurs when Bromden wants to “touch [McMurphy] because he’s who he is” (188). McMurphy is everything Bromden upholds and aspires to be. Despite the loss of personal sense during his time in the ward, he has regained his humanity, desperate for human connection.
Furthermore as the narrator, Bromden is able to delineate the patients ' and his discovery of personal stamina. Pivotal moments include the ones they truly feel real and natural: their first genuine laugh at the fishing trip (212). Bromden chooses to talk about nature before enduring shock treatment, his conquering the EST battle, and stands up to help McMurphy fight the aides (271). Led out of their default stupor, the patients take it upon themselves to believe that they deserve