Friendships In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's

The children reduce the hierarchical order between themselves and the adults by forming intimate friendships with them. Throughout the novel, the children mainly encounter and interact with adults. Inevitably, these adults become close companions to the children due to eventful circumstances that take place. The coal stealing affair was a memorable event that led to a friendship between the children and Perks the porter. By constantly visiting the railway station, Perks became “the dearest friend they had made” () In addition, Bobbie’s accidental encounter with the train driver and engineer led to “the particular driver and fireman who were now numbered among the children’s dearest friends.” () As the story progresses, the children continue to
Overall, the friendships that these children create signify equivalence. Within friendships, both the adults and children are identically called ‘friend.’ By being called the same term, one individual isn’t of a higher stature than the other, creating equality between the two and destroying the adult – child hierarchy set by society. Thus, when Bobbie states, “I think everyone in the world is friends,” she represents the childlike mentality that everyone, including adults, are equal to one another. () While the friendships between the children and adults blurs the adult – child hierarchy by setting everyone as equals, the childlike behavior of the adults also emphasizes the obscurity in the system.
As the novel progresses, the fine distinction between adults and children become ambiguous when the adults revert into a more