One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest By Ken Kesey

The prevalence of madness in twentieth-century literature paralleled the scientific and medical advancement of the underlying causes of insanity. At the height of this time period, people with mental diseases were admitted to state hospitals specializing in various psychiatric illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and dementia. Author Ken Kesey addressed this point in his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a groundbreaking book discussing growth, an important human nature that comes in all sizes and shapes. In his book, the patients have different reasons for being in the hospital, but one of the patients, Chief Bromden, is there because of having schizophrenia, a condition which causes him to have difficulty distinguishing between the

Kesey uses characterization and flashback so that Chief Bromden recalls the newly admitted patient's similarity to his father: “He talks a little the way Papa used to, voice loud and full of hell…he’s broad as Papa was tall” (Kesey 11). However, the main feature that drew Chief Bromden in was McMurphy’s scars shown by Kesey through the use of characterization. Bromden told us the reader, “All the rest of the knuckles were covered with scars and cuts, old and new. I remember the palm was smooth and hard as bone from hefting the wooden handles of axes and hoes, not the hand you'd think could deal cards. The palm was callused, and the calluses were cracked, and dirt was worked in the cracks. A road map of his travels up and down the West” (Kesey 25). Kesey’s description about the scars and cracks suggests that McMurphy is not afraid to get his hands dirty, something that Bromden gives respect for. In addition, with comparison between Chief Sr. and McMurphy, Kesey is able to give a reason behind why Chief Bromden look up upon McMurphy as an idol. With this, Kesey initiate a conflict in Chief Bromden’s self on whether or not to ‘grow’ and become as big like McMurphy. Eventually, Chief Bromden starts to appreciate the values of an individual with free will, and starts his path toward

He remembers a time when government officials came to his house in an attempt to buy off the ground native to his people as well as the insults shared by these individuals regarding the life of his people. This is a conversation that spurs his insecurities and feelings of being a second class citizen to the Combine. In a later conversation between McMurphy and Bromden, Bromden says, “[Papa] was real big when I was a kid…[one day, the Combine] made him too little to fight anymore and to give up” (Kesey 219-220). This quote refers to the effect the Combine has on even the strongest of man. Still, this conversation has also fosters a friendship that teaches him about himself. It has also reminds him not to repeat the mistakes of his dead father. In the end of the book, Chief Bromden finds the courage to escape the hospital for a taste of freedom. For the first time after decades, Chief Bromden becomes truly aware of what reality holds for him. Using imagery, characterization, and flashback, Kesey clearly shows Chief Bromden’s growth as his way to fight against society and become someone who he really is. In Forman’s film adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Chief Bromden is present, but the perspective does not add to the deeper meaning of his character. When McMurphy first enters the hospital ward, Forman tries to follow the content of Kesey’s