Tuesday, October 7, 2008
My Interpretation of Cuckoo's Nest
While reading the first couple of pages in the book, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" I was quite annoyed by the author's writing style. I didn't understand the point of the story, until I started to take notes by focusing on the main characters. I learned to read in quiet place so there were no distractions, and I began interested in the text. I found that the author's hallucinations helped me differentiate between what was real and what was fake. The book has become more interesting each chapter especially with the character, McMurphy. I have enjoyed Kesey's use of figurative language throughout the book because it allows the reader to use his/her imagination while reading. Each character is described through imagery and detailed metaphors which makes reading more enjoyable. I know a lot of people in class hate reading this book, but I found that if you take time to read it, the book isn't so bad. Is this book boring and useless for our class to read, or is the book worthwhile learning about emasculating? What does everyone think?
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After the first few pages of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I instantly noticed that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is given through the perspective of the protagonist, Chief. How does this unique perspective affect the novel?
Over the Cuckoo's Nest is unique because we are getting the perspective of the protagonist, but it also means that we are not necessarily given an objective view. Because we are sometimes given a biased view, we have to work harder, as the reader, to interpret the validity of each statement. Is what Chief is saying true? Or is it crazy (literally)? At the same time, the perspective we are given allows us to connect with Chief more than any other character. Unlike any real life situation, we are given the ability to look directly into the protagonist's mind.
I agree with Brian, I feel that Cuckoo's Nest is very unique in the perspective of Chief. I have found that some of the illusions the Chief experiences are quite valid. We learned that the "fog" is a metaphor for the Chief's allusions. Though we understand that the Chief's mind is pulling away from what is real. He believes that when the "fog" turns on, he experiences the Combine taking over the world. This may seem like a stretch, but the Chief is trying to express the strong forces of conformity. As Brian put it, "the perspective we are given allows us to connect with Chief more than any other character." While I am reading in Chief's perspective, I feel like I am experiencing his thoughts and observations. I never realized this connection until Brian brought it up, but it is very interesting reading in the perspective of the protagonist.
I enjoy the way the novel was written because if nothing else, the writing style itself is interesting. It’s amusing trying to separate the reality from the hallucination. The fact that some of the hallucinations reflect real life is most interesting. When the chronic Blastic dies, the Chief imagines a slaughterhouse run by the Combine. Obviously, the Combine does not run a mechanical slaughterhouse underneath the patients beds. On the other hand, Blastic does die. Is it the Chief’s way of dealing with reality or is he actually just crazy? As we continue to read, perhaps we will discover the answer.
This book is actually quite easy for me to understand for a couple of reasons. First of all, I saw the play a couple of years ago. It was really well done and I remember it being one of my favorites. So now it's easier to get the jist of it. Also, my grandmother suffers from schizophrenia and has been for many years. A little while ago she claimed that the people working in the nursing home were stealing her ring. So my dad, being the upstanding son that he is, immediately called the home and started questioning everyone who worked there about the alleged ring. No one knew anything about it. A few days later, my dad called my grandmother and asked her about the ring and she said that someone put it back on her finger while she was sleeping. Did one of the nurses really steal a ring from a 90-someting year-old lady? I seriously doubt it. But it goes along with Cuckoos Nest, because just like my grandmother, I have to make sense of the cheif too.
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