Adam asked this question about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest:
I have long thought of this book as one of my favorites, but noticed some heavy racist and misogynistic undertones when I re-read it. Much of this was left out of the film. Does old fashioned sexism sully an otherwise great work of literature?
Josef Constantine McMurphy isn't a good guy. He is full of faults, full to the brim with them! He's a misogynist, a sex offender, a con man, a gambler, a thug. He isn't…moreMcMurphy isn't a good guy. He is full of faults, full to the brim with them! He's a misogynist, a sex offender, a con man, a gambler, a thug. He isn't our protagonist because he is virtuous in any way. We want him to succeed, to beat Nurse Ratched not because he is good, but because the alternative - a total, crushing conformity and control - would be worse. (less)
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