Setting

I recently began reading Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The story takes place in a mental institution where the narrator is one of the patients: a half-Native, named Chief. Chief seems to be a likeable character thus far in the story. Scared to talk to anyone, he pretends to be a deaf-mute and is most often sweeping around the ward. I think that this is quite a clever move on Kesey’s part since it helps to get rid of some of the limitations of having a first-person narration. Nurse Ratched, the head nurse of the ward, seems to be at the opposite end of the spectrum. She feels the need to control everyone around her and interferes in the lives of all the patients. From what I can tell, she seems to be mad with power and claims all that she does has therapeutic value. The institution seems to be a pretty boring place. Everything is run with routine day after day. Even the patients are categorized based on their condition. Kesey gives the impression almost of a totalitarian regime ruling the area. I find interesting the new terms that are being introduced, such as the “Combine” which is supposed to represent the outside forces that constantly work to create a standard in society. The vocabulary in this book reads easily since Kesey uses colloquial English quite prominently, similar to Catcher in the Rye. From what I have heard from people who have read this book and read from reviews online, I am sure it will not be one to disappoint.