Cuckoos Nest
Jack Gillan
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Mental hospitals are usually thought to be a help to the patients inside them, but in the case of the novel, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the ward actually does more damage to the patients than it does help them. Chief Bromden goes through struggles in his life at the ward in order to become clear minded and confident again. McMurphy is a new patient in the ward and he brings a new perspective to the ward. He shows the patients that Nurse Ratched is human and can be beaten. Throughout the novel, Chief Bromden undergoes a catharsis through McMurphy by pushing him towards clarity to escape the fog and give the patients confidence in themselves.
The role Chief Bromden plays in the novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is that of the narrator. Bromden is a 6’8, 280lb half Native American, half white man. His father used to be the chief of their tribe which lived by the Columbia River when Bromden was a child. Bromden’s father is overpowered by his white wife, whose maiden name is Bromden, which the family now uses. He has been in this ward longer than anyone else, besides Nurse Ratched. Bromden’s nickname in the ward is Chief Broom, referring to his basic role as the floor sweeper and this lowly task also makes it easier to pretend to be deaf and dumb. He is described “Like most Native Americans within mainstream America, he has been marginalized, left without a voice or identity.” (Bruccoli and Baughman) This quote shows that Chief Bromden is not the only Native American that was stripped of his culture and forced to assimilate into a new one. During the beginning of the novel Chief feels comfortable hiding in the fog and staying away from his problems, but in reality the fog, his inability to get better, will just keep him locked up in the ward forever. This fog is preventing him from expressing how messed up this ward really is and how corruptly Nurse Ratched is running this ward. At the beginning
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Mental hospitals are usually thought to be a help to the patients inside them, but in the case of the novel, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the ward actually does more damage to the patients than it does help them. Chief Bromden goes through struggles in his life at the ward in order to become clear minded and confident again. McMurphy is a new patient in the ward and he brings a new perspective to the ward. He shows the patients that Nurse Ratched is human and can be beaten. Throughout the novel, Chief Bromden undergoes a catharsis through McMurphy by pushing him towards clarity to escape the fog and give the patients confidence in themselves.
The role Chief Bromden plays in the novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is that of the narrator. Bromden is a 6’8, 280lb half Native American, half white man. His father used to be the chief of their tribe which lived by the Columbia River when Bromden was a child. Bromden’s father is overpowered by his white wife, whose maiden name is Bromden, which the family now uses. He has been in this ward longer than anyone else, besides Nurse Ratched. Bromden’s nickname in the ward is Chief Broom, referring to his basic role as the floor sweeper and this lowly task also makes it easier to pretend to be deaf and dumb. He is described “Like most Native Americans within mainstream America, he has been marginalized, left without a voice or identity.” (Bruccoli and Baughman) This quote shows that Chief Bromden is not the only Native American that was stripped of his culture and forced to assimilate into a new one. During the beginning of the novel Chief feels comfortable hiding in the fog and staying away from his problems, but in reality the fog, his inability to get better, will just keep him locked up in the ward forever. This fog is preventing him from expressing how messed up this ward really is and how corruptly Nurse Ratched is running this ward. At the beginning