Although the book has received much criticism, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest shows the world through a man's eyes who is mentally ill and is on drugs. I don't feel like this book is bad in any way, and i don't think it should be looked down upon or banned. The man who is telling his story, Chief Bromden, is very much so separated from reality and says many things that are considered to be offensive. He refers to the African Americans that work in the ward as "Black Boys" and he is constantly using rude generalized gender slurs to refer to the Big Nurse and other women who work on the ward. There are people who look at this book as a bad, unethical piece of literature and I am not sure why, because from reading this book you can get that he is always talking about being in a "fog," obviously normal people who aren't ill don't walk around seeing everything in a "fog." In one part of the book, he has a dream that he thinks is reality where the floor opens up and the workers of the ward hang one of the patients by their foot and open him up. No one who isn't divorced from reality would ever dream this up and believe that it is reality. Why anyone would take his book and find it offensive in any way is beyond me.
2 comments:
Elizabeth makes a very good point when she says "The man who is telling his story, Chief Bromden, is very much so separated from reality and says many things that are considered to be offensive." We are reading through the eyes of a mentally ill patient who has an extreme case of schizophrenia. Before people ban the book they need to realize who's telling the story. We're so used to socializng and reading about life through the "average" persons eyes that when we read through the eyes of an mentally ill patient we become more defensive.
This book so far, is one of the most intriguing I've read. At first it was a nightmare to read but when i started to get more familiar with the characters it just got to be easier to follow and more pleasant to read. I do very much agree with Elizabeth when she says that Cheif Bromden is very separated from reality and says many things considered to be offensive. I can understand why this book has been banned from a good number of schools but i believe that it gives you such a different perspective on the rest of the world that i think its a good idea to read this book. I agree with Allie, we are so used to reading novels through 'normal' eyes but i think its also good to read through the eyes of a mental patient. I disagree with the schools who have banned this book. This is such a great book that everyone should have the opportunity to read it and discuss it in school.
Post a Comment