By: Beverly Banks
BOOK SPOILER!!
Different forms of art often connect regardless of their time period, since there are many timeless themes presented in literature and music. Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), is set in a 1950s mental institution and is narrated by Chief Bromden. Chief Bromden is not a reliable narrator because he often hallucinates due to his medication and mental illness. Chief spends most of the novel observing from the sidelines. He tells the story of the charismatic R.P. McMurphy who joins the group of patients in the beginning. McMurphy quickly changes the vibe of the institution by not following rules and encouraging other patients to do the same. Nurse Ratched manages the hospital by herself and uses harsh methods to force the patients into submission. Her most violent method is electroshock therapy. In this environment, Chief refuses to talk. He pretends to be mute as a defense mechanism. This silence is comparable to a 2017 song called “Silence” by Marshmello ft. Khalid.
The beginning of the song says:
Yeah, I’d rather be a lover than a fighter
‘Cause all my life, I’ve been fighting
Never felt a feeling of comfort
All this time, I’ve been hiding
Chief is the biggest person in the institution, yet he has the weakest personality. He is never aggressive towards the other patients. The first time he fights back is to defend McMurphy. All his life he has fought his mental illness, which he has been hospitalized for.
I found peace in your violence
Can’t tell me there’s no point in trying
I’m at one, and I’ve been quiet for too long
I found peace in your violence
Can’t tell me there’s no point in trying
I’m at one, and I’ve been silent for too long
Chief Bromden finds peace in the violence he has observed and experienced while living in the institution. He does this by retreating into his mind and dissociating from his surroundings whenever he can. When McMurphy comes along, he shows Chief that he has “been quiet for too long.” The first time Chief speaks out loud in the book is in response to McMurphy.
I’m in need of a savior, but I’m not asking for favors
My whole life, I’ve felt like a burden
I think too much, and I hate it
I’m so used to being in the wrong, I’m tired of caring
Loving never gave me a home, so I’ll sit here in the silence.
By the end of the novel, Chief realizes that the savior he needed was McMurphy. Chief’s personality is defined by his overactive imagination due to his hallucinations. His thoughts cloud his mind and he has a difficult time differentiating between reality and his thoughts.
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