One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest: Looking Through Bromden’s Perspective
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (written by Ken Kesey) is set inside a mental facility, where the characters’ psychological illnesses are revealed to the readers. Kesey provides information by depicting the mentally ill Chief Bromden in the role of the protagonist. The novel is particularly successful in showing the symbolism of Bromden’s delusions as well as in writing the dark tale from Chief’s point-of-view.
Chief’s original character portrays Chief as extremely mentally ill. Chief’s delusions enhance the plot. Kesey opens the book with multiple layers of information. Kesey states that Nurse Ratched is “letting her arms extend long enough to wrap round” several misbehaving staff members (Kesey 6). Kesey does this to describe Ratched’s character and show the reader that Chief’s narration is not reliable. Chief is also obsessed about “the Combine”, a massive organization that seeks to adjust the Outside and […] inside. (Kesey 22). Chief is a ranting maniac about the combination, but he does have a point. One night, Chief swears that he can see a “whole Wall [slide] Up” (Kesey67). This happens after a dramatic ward situation, in which he is concerned that Mcmurphy will win. The incident gives an insight into the effect of Mcmurphy’s actions on others in the Ward. The chief’s delusion is that the combination reacts to and adjusts in real life, which allows the reader to see the meaning of each action within the context of the plot as well as its symbolic significance. His delusions allow the reader to have a better understanding of the text as well as the world beyond it. Chief Bromden’s delusions as well as hallucinations skew the view from which the otherwise tense story is told. This gives him an insider’s perspective on the hospital’s operations, particularly as McMurphy subverts Nurse Ratched. Chief calls Nurse Ratched a “real veteran at setting things up” (Kesey 22,). This information is reliable. According to Chief, there are no differences between the patient’s attitudes and Chief’s. It is demonstrated that Chief can manipulate the circumstances and engineer her desires. Chief’s delusions might be more abstract than they seem. Chief claims that he believed a group robbed a patient at the hospital. Chief’s quiet, lugubrious and choleric life makes it interesting.
The Combine, a symbol of the conformist pressures in American society, also serves a dual purpose. Chief’s madness is symbolized by the Combine, which he legitimately believes is a combination. The symbol of power and control is the “Combine”, a metaphor that is used throughout the book. Chief describes the Combine as a “large organization that aims the Outside as well the she has the inside” (Kesey 22). Chief is a constant writer about the control over the combine. He claims that all the patients “breath[sic] out… in… perfect order; hearts beat at the same rate as the OD cartes have ordered”(Kesey 25). The lack of freedom in wards symbolizes the inability to live in the real world, as well as the nonconformist ideals of Chief. The Big Nurse said that Mr. Taber asked what medicine was being administered to him and that if he “chooses” to behave like a child, then he might have to be treated accordingly (Kesey 26). Kesey does these things to show people that they can’t rebel if they are treated like children. The story’s symbolism is connected to control in real-life, as Kesey brazenly identified himself with a hippie. He also clashed with authority.
Kesey is a lucidist, describing Chief as an insane man through powerful metaphorism and perspective. Kesey’s work shows how the moribund culture of the time was unfairly biased against free-flowing spirits that want to leave a mark on the world, and against mentally ill individuals. Perhaps, Chief Bromden could only have a voice through One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
