ipl-logo

Of Chief Bromden In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

1546 Words7 Pages

In the text One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the main character, also known as Chief Bromden, is a Native American man who fought in World War II. Growing up, he had to watch as his father was torn down. Throughout the book, Chief explains that the combine is strong and made his father too little to fight back. He explains all this in a mental institution ward surrounded by other men who had also checked in. All those on the ward believe Chief is deaf and dumb even though he is not.Although he is not deaf and dumb, Chief has been forced through extreme events and as a result has developed PTSD, hallucinations, and stripped of his masculinity due to society causing him to not cope well in relationships, work, or in society in general. Traumatic …show more content…

Among the ward, it is a well known fact that Chief had served in World War II. Since they know this, they believe that he is deaf and dumb which he is not. Chief does not just have nightmares and flashbacks of his childhood but also of the time he served in World War II. One of the horrifying flashbacks he has in the book is of him watching as a close friend of his dies (Kesey 195). This flashback specifically can cause PTSD because watching a friend die in war is tough to get over. Especially if that friend is very close, this particular flashback though can cause PTSD due to the fact that Chief knew he was supposed to help his friend. This can cause Chief feeling as though he is the reason his friend is dead because if he just went out and helped his friend like he knew he should have, maybe his friend would still be alive. However no matter if Chief went out and helped or not, it is not his fault. His reasoning for not helping was that he could have died himself from being seen by the enemies. This event in the book shows Chief has PTSD because after something happened, the flashback was triggered. The flashback had cause Chief to go into a panic, thinking back on how he could have saved his friend and the horrific screams that were filling the air as World War II dragged on around him. These events …show more content…

Dealing with PTSD is not just the one illness. When dealing with any type of illness, that illness comes with others. Information from The refuge; a Healing place, With PTSD, symptoms of the illness are nightmares or flashbacks, distress when facing a trigger of the event, irritability, avoiding things that may trigger a flashback and much more (“PTSD: Statistics, Causes, Signs & Symptoms”). The symptoms of PTSD can be extreme or not so extreme however they still are signs of the illness and should still be looked at seriously. According to The refuge; A healing place, sleep problems, depression, nightmares, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts (“PTSD: Statistics, Causes, Signs & Symptoms”). To some, a few of these effects may seem as exaggeration however these are extremely serious problems. Nightmares may cause one to wake up in a panic and sweaty, breathing deep. Sleep problems such as night terror, can cause one to stay awake due to the fear of someone or something deadly being near them. Maybe they visualize a demon or such standing in their room, much like a child being scared of monsters. However with this illness, one can visually see the monster. This can cause panic, stress, and anxiety about going to

Show More
Related
1929 Words | 8 Pages

For the character McMurphy for example, he was unable to find his place in society due to his criminal behaviour and actions, which made him be viewed as mad. Although he was only wrongly accused of his actions, such as seen with his conviction of statutory rape, and his rebellious nature made it a challenge for him to be accepted within his society . It can further be seen within the character Billy Bibbit, who price for being unable to live up to the expectations his mother put upon him, was his own life, and resulted in him having a hard time coping with all the unfortunate circumstances in his life. These unfortunately were brought upon by this pressure and rejection of those around him, that has not driven him mad, however has only pushed him to his limitations and caused others to only perceive he is truly mad. Lastly, this was seen within the character Chief Bromden, whose Native American background is repressed by society, thus causing the Chief a tremendous amount of pain, anger and grief, that made him be looked upon as crazy and pushed even further

Read More
938 Words | 4 Pages

Chief Bromden, the narrator of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, is a willingly mute inmate of a psychiatric ward, run by a nurse who clings to control in order to secure herself as the leader of the ward. She uses her matronly presence as a weapon against Chief and his fellow inmates in order to deprive them of their masculinity. The Nurse (what Chief calls her) uses these tactics to break down the inmates. Chief, wanting to avoid this confrontation decides to be mute. As he tells the story through his eyes, Chief repeatedly looks at his inmates ' hands and describes them thoroughly.

Read More
454 Words | 2 Pages

In novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, a leader organizes a group of mental patients and rebels against the figurehead of the broken institutional system of the mental hospital. McMurphy pushes The institutions rules of order, bringing out the evil in the situation. Bromden, due to his bias narration, misconstrues Nurse Ratched as the antagonist where, in truth, she falsifies this by trying to maintain order and by ultimately seeking the best for her patients. Kesey chooses Bromden as the narrator, by doing this, he introduces an element of skepticism for the audience as Brombden opposes the institution.

Read More
1153 Words | 5 Pages

PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder occurs when a person has been through either emotional or physical trauma. Veterans often times develop PTSD due to the physical and emotional trauma that comes along with being in a war. Symptoms of this disorder can include; “depression, worry, intense guilt and feeling emotionally numb. People with PTSD also display impulsive or self-destructive behavior and changed beliefs or changed personality traits” (WebMD). Lastly, AboutHealth.com states that people with PTSD are also very likely to partake in substance abuse in order to numb out their internal turmoil.

Read More
566 Words | 3 Pages

It shows he has psychological problems. In the film audiences were not given this information, therefore it give the impression that Chief does not have any psychological abnormalities. This makes the film less effective because throughout this story mental illness of Chief plays a huge part. It helps readers understand why Chief is a patient of the mentally ill and it indirectly created a bond between him and McMurphy. For example, if Chief was not mentally ill, he wouldn’t think he was “small in size” and McMurphy wouldn’t offer to help Chief gain back his size; “make him

Read More
1380 Words | 6 Pages

Chief Bromden is a quiet patient that pretends to be deaf and mute. His transition to being a narrator is an important metamorphosis from his state of silence. As Thomas Scally states, “The Chief's movement from the pretense of deaf-mute to the status of narrator means to him that he has once again become "big" enough to resist the forces of the Combine” (Scally). Through the narrative, Chief Bromden constantly has delusions of a world controlled by the Combine. This group's intentions are to force conformity and total control on the world.

Read More
1091 Words | 5 Pages

PTSD is an illness that cannot be easily healed. The symptoms include: Nightmares, flashbacks, triggers, hard time sleeping, difficulty concentrating, you could also be easily startled. There are many situations that you would make you angry, or upset. If you were close to death in a Vietcong dug hole, you may hate being in small places, avoiding them at all costs becoming claustrophobic. This disorder often times does not end up being healed and is something you have to deal with for the rest of your

Read More
545 Words | 3 Pages

The main characters of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest have very distinct and different traits that in return make the novel the classic that it is today. One of the main characters is Chief Bromden. He is basically narrator of the book. Chief Bromden is the son of the chief of the Columbia Indians and his wife is a white woman. He has suffered from paranoia and hallucinations, has endured many electroshock treatments, and has been in the hospital for ten years, the longest patient to ever be in the hospital.

Read More
1206 Words | 5 Pages

PTSD is a reaction to being exposed to an event which is outside the range of normal human experience. Everyone reacts differently to different situations and it doesn't have to be a life threatening experience for someone to respond in this way. PTSD affects hundreds of thousands of people who have been exposed to violent events such as rape, domestic violence, child abuse, war, accidents, natural disasters and political torture. A lot of people go through PTSD without even noticing it. PTSD needs special treatment, and if you don't get it treated it could get worse.

Read More
993 Words | 4 Pages

The author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey, presents the ideas about venerability and strength by using his characters and the way they interact with each other to establish whether they are a submissive or a dominant, tamed or leading, venerable or strong. Kesey uses strong personalities to show the drastic difference between someone who is vulnerable and someone who is strong. Nurse Ratchet is a perfect example of how Kasey presents the idea of strength over the venerability of others (the patients). Keys also exhibited vulnerability throughout characters such as Chief Bromden and his extensive habit of hiding himself in all means possible from Nurse Ratchet. Another idea presented by Kesey is a character’s false thought on what

Read More
757 Words | 4 Pages

PTSD is a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock. Veterans who have suffered service related injuries are four times more likely to develop PTSD than those who have not been injured. Experiencing a terrifying event, whether it happens to them, or they witness it happening to someone else, can cause PTSD (NIMH). It makes the traumatized person feel frightened, sad, anxious, and disconnected. Developing PTSD can also make them feel endangered

Read More
1645 Words | 7 Pages

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that follows the experience of a traumatic event. Of the 2.7 million American veterans that served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, at least 20% were diagnosed with PTSD (Veterans Statistics). PTSD affects everyone differently but the most common symptoms of PTSD include: reliving the event, increased anxiety, and avoiding any reminders of the trauma (Robinson,Segal, Smith). These symptoms negatively affect their life

Read More
547 Words | 3 Pages

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, is a mental disorder that most often develops after a veteran experiences a traumatic event. While having this illness, the veteran believes their lives are in danger. They also may feel afraid or feel they have no control over what is happening. If their feeling does not go away, the symptoms may disrupt the person 's life, making it hard to continue daily activities.

Read More
427 Words | 2 Pages

He is a normal being of society and is not insane. Just as Chief finished his dose of Electroshock Therapy ,or EST, he says “And when the fog was finally swept from my head it seemed like I’d just come after a long, deep dive, breaking the surface after being under water a hundred years”(289). Here Kesey conveys that even though living under the comfort of the fog does seem applicable to many, it is in fact a rather dreadful living situation. Chief is now “cured” and can at last see the reality of life. Being under water represents how Chief was under the influence of authority over his own ideas.

Read More
673 Words | 3 Pages

Ken Kesey uses his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, to describe the lives of patients in a mental institution, and their struggle to overcome the oppressive authority under which they are living. Told from the point of view of a supposedly mute schizophrenic, the novel also shines a light on the many disorders present in the patients, as well as how their illnesses affect their lives during a time when little known about these disorders, and when patients living with these illnesses were seen as an extreme threat. Chief Bromden, the narrator of the novel, has many mental illnesses, but he learns to accept himself and embrace his differences. Through the heroism introduced through Randle McMurphy, Chief becomes confident in himself, and is ultimately able to escape from the toxic environment Nurse Ratched has created on the ward. Chief has many disorders including schizophrenia, paranoia, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and, in addition to these illnesses, he pretends to be deaf and dumb.

Read More

More about Of Chief Bromden In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Related Topics

Open Document