Matt Perry answers “How would the novel be different if...”

Sarah Fleming asked this question about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest:

How would the novel be different if McMurphy was the narrator? Why is it so important that everything is seen through the eyes of the Chief?

Matt Perry McMurphy acts but doesn't think. The Chief thinks but doesn't act--that is, until he is increasingly inspired by McMurphy to do so. Characters are mor…moreMcMurphy acts but doesn't think. The Chief thinks but doesn't act--that is, until he is increasingly inspired by McMurphy to do so. Characters are more interesting when they develop over the course of a story, and the Chief develops, whereas McMurphy doesn't. McMurphy is the initial hero in that he is an outsider who disrupts the system, but the Chief is our hero in the end because he disrupts himself and the traumas that have held him down. He is therefore the more interesting narrator. Also, there's the matter of the last scene.(less)

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

by Ken Kesey

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