One Finished Reading The Cuckoo's Nest

The final reflection

What started in April has come to an end. Ken Kesey, the author of this book give us amazing characters with interesting personalities, which were mentioned that during the course of this blog. McMurphy, one of the best characters that I in books, along side with Atticus Finch from How to kill a Mockingbird. Also the story should be noted with a good speed and description and of course, that shocking and emotional ending.

One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is not only refered as one of the best novels of the last century, but also can be said of all time. Personally, it became one of my favorites books thanks to all the elements I briefly mentioned in the first paragraph. It serves as a study of the institutional processes and the human mind.

While the movie adaptation is considered a masterpiece of cinema, the original book will remain always influential. What else can I say? Well...  I am glad I read this book and I recomend it to everyone.

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What is the meaning of the title?

It means ...

Given the fact that I already covered my opinions about the main characters, I think it is time for me, to explain my perception about the meaning of the title.

"One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest". The "cuckoo´s nest" is the hospital, where our story takes place  and the one who flew is obviously McMurphy. He's a rebellious spirit who refuses to buckle under the rules, assiduously observed and applied by the head nurse, nurse ratchet, and is a constant source of free-thinking activity in violation of said rules.

  His persona becomes uplifting, enlightening, freeing - much as a bird might inspire others to fly.

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And now... Billy Bibbit

Who is Bibbit?

Following the line of characters already mentioned, now is the turn of the boyish patient Billy.

Billy is nervous, shy and has to deal with an extreme speech impediment. In the book, it is implied that he cuts himself, attemping several occasions to commit suicide. Billy becomes the Nurse Ratched's informant because he is afraid of her.

Another aspect is his fear of women, but that doesn't prevent spending one night with a prostitute in order to lose his virginity, thanks to McMurphy. Of course, the next mornig the Big Nurse finds him with the lady and start threatening to tell his mother. Then he goes and finally kills himself in his room because, I believe, he doesn't want to lose his mother's love.

His death affects McMurphy, which leds to the final events in the book.

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The Big Nurse

Or Nurse Ratched

She is our tyrannical head nurse of the mental institution. Also cold and heartless, she does not hesitate when it comes to restricte her patients' access to medication or even human basic necessities if it suits her whims. She has an informnant, Billy Bibbit, who is very terrified of her and does whatever she says. This show us the nature of the Big Nurse and the perception of the patients that have on her.

But her dictatorial rule is nearly toppled when McMurphy arrives, and the two of them can't stand each other. She tries everything to stop the behavior of McMurphy, using threats, mild punishment and at one point, shock therapy, but are not sucessful.

Nurse Ratched can be seen as a metaphor of the corrupting influence of power and authority in bureaucracies such as the mental institution in which the novel is set.

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The new patient

 R.P. McMurphy

Okey, at the end of my firs post, Randle McMurphy was introduced but why is he important? What is the deal with him?

Our  Irish-American patient is a Korean war veterant.  He is guilty of battery and gambling. He had also been charged with, but never convicted of, staturory rape. McMurphy is transferred from a prison work farm to the hospital, thinking it will be an easy way to serve out his sentence in comfort. The problem with is he is agaisnts everything the Big Nurse says or does. Just when he is introduced, they had a cold start and the Big Nurse tries to explain him that  "everyone" must follow the rules. McMurphy, beginning with with the rebellious attitude that will define him, replies:

"Ya know, ma'am. Ya know. That is the same exact thing somebody always tells me about the rules... just when they figure I'm about to do the dead oppsite."

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One Started To Read The Cuckoo's Nest

 Introducing characters and... Randle McMurphy

Welcome, my name is Enrique (some people like Henry) and I will be writting my thoughts about the all time classic One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, written by Ken Kesey.

During the first pages we meet the half - native American, Chief Bromden who serves as the narrator. He explains how the mental hospital works, a place where he has been since the end of World War II. It is an irony his role as the narrator given he pretends to be mute and deaf. Bromden tells us about the black boys, other patients, the routine of the mental hospital and the Big Nurse. Nurse Ratched, is the tyrannical head nurse of the mental institution, we soon learn everybody is afraid of her. At the end of his  description, we find out there is a new patiet, the rebellious convict Randle "Mac" McMurphy. With this character, the main events of the story will happen.

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