PART I A
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest begins with narration from the silent observer, Chief Bromden. Chief is an inmate of a mental hospital and while he is tormented by constant paranoia, he has a profound understanding of the inner workings of the mental hospital. Having the staff believe him to be deaf, Chief is privy to private information of the staff that they share around him. After some introductory paragraphs, Chief brings Randall McMurphy - the ecstatic new inmate - to center stage. McMurphy was sent to the institution after he claimed insanity, however the real reason was his unwillingness to work in a prison labor camp. Charismatic and charming, McMurphy soon gains the trust of the inmates by engaging in gambling and other games with them. In an effort to gain more acceptance, McMurphy bets the inmates that he could drive Nurse Ratched (the head nurse) out of her mind. A strict, rule oriented woman, Nurse Ratched demands compliance and subordination, something McMurphy cannot and will not do.
The book begins with an interesting beginning. Kesey’s character Chief seems to be such a leveled character, most likely with a troubled past. Nurse Ratched resurfaces old memories of Big Brother from 1984 or Sauron; rule with an iron fist and control all that lays before them, because I believe that I am better. Excitement spills into me as my imagination runs rampant with ideas of what McMurphy will plague Nurse Ratched’s controlled environment with.
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