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Summary:
An inmate of a mental institution tries to find the freedom and independence denied him in the outside world.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
A Book That Lives Up to its Reputation
Customer Rating:
A truly rare thing. A much heralded classic of modern literature that lives up to its promise and hype. The plot is outlined in multiple reviews, so, as usual, I will skip that, and focus on what was done right (a lot), what was done wrong (a little), and what it all means.
The book was a well-written character study on the part of almost all of the characters. This is one of the widely regarded aspects of the book that holds water. Nurse Ratched, (Nurse Wretched, perhaps?) the totalitarian commander of the insane asylum where R.P. McMurphy finds himself, has widely been portrayed as a figure of evil, or at least one of obedience to the law because it IS the law. Never in the work, suspiciously, are we given the opportunity to question whether Ms. Ratched truly doesn't have the patient's interests at heart. Instead, we are treated to innuendo about her obsessive need for control and order, perhaps leading some to question the sanity of Ms. Ratched. Regardless of the truth, it is a welcome question, offering a depth of thought not common in heralded classics, in my view.
McMurphy, naturally, was the most interesting character in the book, by turn pensive or outrageous, obedient or mischievous. Our much beloved anti-hero, who can stand up to the grinding forces of the corrupt mental health institution and remain himself. But is he? At several points, "Chief" Bromden, our unreliable narrator, points to the haunted and hunted look in the eyes of our protagonist, wondering if, perhaps, he is tiring of the fight.
Perhaps. Or perhaps our illustrious mischief-maker, our perpetual Loki, has not the heart for making mischief. Perhaps our dear Mr. McMurphy actually wishes merely to conform. At several points, the statements of the anarchist seem to suggest that he feels himself something of a figure of destiny, like Achilles in the movie version of Troy. Perhaps, just perhaps, his fate is NOT his own to make, nor that of the grinding Combine. Perhaps it is rather in the hands of his fellow inmates. McMurphy gives himself freely in a futile chase to remind them that they are men. In return, they take from him everything that he has. Not to speculate too wildly, but perhaps there is something a bit messianic about the book, where an uncontrolled man comes into the midst of the community, bucks the authority, teaches the people that they are human beings with dignity, and ends up giving everything for the people he has adopted.
At the end, one must wonder what would have become of Our Protagonist if, perhaps, he had found himself in a more supportive clime, perhaps under the control of the nurse from Disturbed. Or perhaps even better, if he had found himself in a formless place without outside influence to worsen him. He might have become anything, and he might not have burned himself up, approximating the candle that they needed him to become, leading the way through the darkness, back to humanity, back to manhood, back to grace?
The other characters are all interesting as well, including Harding, whose alluded to homosexuality, Billy Bibbit's social avoidance disorder due to his mother's reverse Oedipal complex, and Sefelt and Fredrickson's epilepsy has led to their voluntary commission to the ward. These characters, more than anything discussed in their treatment, tell a sad and compelling tale of the state of mental disease in the 1960's. These people don't need ECT or a lobotomy. They need help, and they certainly don't get it here.
There was very little done wrong in this book. Perhaps the most grievous thing was the treatment of "Chief" Bromden's paranoid schizophrenia. At many times in the novel, it became necessary for me to simply go, "All right. We get that Bromden is an unreliable narrator, and that he is hallucinatory. The hallucinations, as a matter of fact, do little but detract from the remainder of the novel. It is fine for the character to be unreliable. He is in a mental institution, so we probably ought not take everything he says or thinks at face value. Nevertheless, the utter lack of realistic symptomology for this character detracts from his otherwise compelling impact.
This was a truly good book, and I will return to it again and again. The search for meaning and for leadership here, for a sense of self in the face of overwhelming pressure to conform, and R. P. McMurphy's final act of heroic surrender, all make this a book worth reading for anyone who is interested in what makes us who we are.
B+
Harkius
A great edition for a modern Classic
Customer Rating:
The cover for this book is wonderful. Its sturdy and has an inside flap to tell you the book summary. The font is great as is the set up of the different parts. If you want a book full of symbols and meaning but set in something mundane and frightening as a crazy house --this book is great. The only problem I had with this book is the pages. The edges are not uniform. I had great difficulty turning the rough, unven edges of these thick pages. But if you don't have any difficulty with manual dexterity, it should be ok.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Customer Rating:
Multiple people told me before I read this book and while I was reading it that it's a great book and one of the best they've ever read. With only twenty pages left, I agree that it is a well written and very interesting. I would recommend it to almost anyone that is looking for something different to read. I didn't have any idea what this book was about before I started reading it. About halfway through the book, I could almost say the same thing, I wouldn't be able to summarize what had happened at that point. This book is not hard to read or understand, but in the beginning not very much happens. Mostly beginning introduces us to the characters and allows the reader to get to know them, and it also describes the setting, which is a mental institution. The characters are all well defined and unique; they're very interesting to read about. Ken Kesey writes in a descriptive way, but not to the point that it's boring. Actually this book isn't boring at all; it's the type of book that keeps you turning the pages. For most people, the situations and characters aren't familiar at all, and it's hard not to become intrigued. Of all the classic books that I have read, this is by far the best one.
One Flew East, One Flew West
Customer Rating:
'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' is easily one of the greatest novels ever written. Chief Bromden is, by far, the most humanizing narrator I've ever read. Though this novel is an unyielding social criticism, it's also a very effective one in that it forces the reader to empathize with confined characters while realizing the authoritarians' actions - particularly those of Nurse Ratched - seem even more villainous due to the demoralization which is felt when one is corrected or otherwise censored without being capable of understanding what it is they've done to deserve such.
A beautifully written and timeless novel.
Must Have
Customer Rating:
This book is a very good read. You feel as though you are truly experiencing the hospital through the eyes of the chief and it is refreshing to be in the third person from all the action. Found the book to be extremely refreshing.
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