Review Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest By Ken Kesey
Marcavage 1
Colin Marcavage
Mrs. Wenger
CP English 11
15 December 2014
Novel Review In 1962, Ken Kesey published one of the most well-known and controversial novels of all time, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Ken Kesey was born on September 17, 1935 and raised in Springfield, Oregon. Kesey was a very intelligent young man who attended Stanford University and earned himself a scholarship to their writing program. However, Kesey was not the typical writer, he volunteered to be a test subject for drugs being developed for the U.S. Army. Additionally, he frequently wrote under the influence of acid because he believed it was the key to individuality and the way to truly connect with his imagination. Kesey had hundreds of interesting and influential …show more content…
Although his intelligence is prominent throughout the novel, his view on the story may be inaccurate or skewed due to his mental state. Bromden states in the introduction of the novel, “It’s still hard for me to have a clear mind thinking on it. But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen” (Kesey 12). Bromden tells the story believing everything that he is stating is true and factual, but even he isn’t sure if he is exaggerating events or if his memory is altered by his imagination. Therefore, the narrator is not completely reliable because he frequently hallucinates during the novel and it is apparent that he has a psychological disorder since he is in a mental hospital. Even though Chief Bromden may not be a completely reliable narrator, he truly does care about the patients and consider others before even thinking about himself. For example, he backed up McMurphy when he was standing up for a fellow patient even though he knew there would be a great deal of consequences. Bromden’s only fear is becoming part of what he calls the Combine, which is how he believes the world works. McMurphy is his hope that the Combine hasn’t completely worked; this fills him with life and something to fight for.
In conclusion, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey was an eye opening experience and an extraordinary read. Kesey’s great deal of knowledge about lobotomies, electroshock therapy, and mental hospitals are what makes the book so vivid. Kesey’s goal to cause readers to question the management and therapeutic benefits of mental hospitals was definitely achieved. Kesey creates a very intriguing story through the setting of a psychiatric ward,
Colin Marcavage
Mrs. Wenger
CP English 11
15 December 2014
Novel Review In 1962, Ken Kesey published one of the most well-known and controversial novels of all time, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Ken Kesey was born on September 17, 1935 and raised in Springfield, Oregon. Kesey was a very intelligent young man who attended Stanford University and earned himself a scholarship to their writing program. However, Kesey was not the typical writer, he volunteered to be a test subject for drugs being developed for the U.S. Army. Additionally, he frequently wrote under the influence of acid because he believed it was the key to individuality and the way to truly connect with his imagination. Kesey had hundreds of interesting and influential …show more content…
Although his intelligence is prominent throughout the novel, his view on the story may be inaccurate or skewed due to his mental state. Bromden states in the introduction of the novel, “It’s still hard for me to have a clear mind thinking on it. But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen” (Kesey 12). Bromden tells the story believing everything that he is stating is true and factual, but even he isn’t sure if he is exaggerating events or if his memory is altered by his imagination. Therefore, the narrator is not completely reliable because he frequently hallucinates during the novel and it is apparent that he has a psychological disorder since he is in a mental hospital. Even though Chief Bromden may not be a completely reliable narrator, he truly does care about the patients and consider others before even thinking about himself. For example, he backed up McMurphy when he was standing up for a fellow patient even though he knew there would be a great deal of consequences. Bromden’s only fear is becoming part of what he calls the Combine, which is how he believes the world works. McMurphy is his hope that the Combine hasn’t completely worked; this fills him with life and something to fight for.
In conclusion, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey was an eye opening experience and an extraordinary read. Kesey’s great deal of knowledge about lobotomies, electroshock therapy, and mental hospitals are what makes the book so vivid. Kesey’s goal to cause readers to question the management and therapeutic benefits of mental hospitals was definitely achieved. Kesey creates a very intriguing story through the setting of a psychiatric ward,