July & August 2018 Classic Group Read - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kasey

[Leslie]

I have started this - am about a quarter of the way through. I was taken by surprise that the first part is done in first person narrative by the "Chief" - my memory of the film was that it was from McMurphy's point of view.

I just finished a section which makes me realize what an unreliable narrator the "Chief" is - (view spoiler)[the section when he didn't take his nighttime meds and then thinks the whole floor descends into a nightmare factory with robots eviscerating people (hide spoiler)].

Despite that warning, I still tend to believe his analysis of the characters!

[Alannah]

Leslie wrote: "I have started this - am about a quarter of the way through. I was taken by surprise that the first part is done in first person narrative by the "Chief" - my memory of the film was that it was fro..."

No, your memory has not mistaken you, I think they changed the main character to the movie from Chief to McMurphy because Chief was not a good protagonist, he was too quiet. When we discussed this change in the seminar, we said that McMurphy would have been a better choice because he was more memorable.

[Jess]

I think the change in protagonist reflects the differences between books and films as a medium.

Chief worked well in the book as a protagonist as he is able to observe and reflect on what is going on in the hospital. However, as we can't see inside his head in film, this would not have worked on screen.

[Pink]

I'm late commenting, but I've been listening to this book on audio over the past week or so. It's a vivid experience hearing it narrated and I think it works well. I'm really interested in the relationship between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, as they have their game of cat and mouse. McMurphy has clearly been capable of getting the upper hand, but has realised what price he might pay for 'winning'.

I like the character of Chief too. I agree with the comments above about his believability. Even though he's clearly an unreliable narrator, as it becomes apparent that his depictions aren't based in reality, I still think he speaks a lot of truth about what he quietly observes.

I watched the film many years ago, but can't actually remember how it ends, so I'm interested in finishing up the book and seeing what happens. I have about three hours left, so not too long now.

[Leslie]

Pink wrote: "I'm late commenting, but I've been listening to this book on audio over the past week or so. It's a vivid experience hearing it narrated and I think it works well. I'm really interested in the rela..."

I listened to it on audio as well -- I was worried that I would drift off (something that happens to me when I am not tremendously interested or get distracted) but it wasn't a problem at all.

I think that the book makes it much clearer that McMurphy eventually chooses to keep needling the 'Big Nurse' even after he realizes the potential price & with more thought than the movie did. In that, the book becomes more about the universal struggle of individuality versus conformity than I had expected. My memory of the film was more about the abuses of those in power, which of course is one aspect. But in the book, I found Nurse Ratched less overtly sadistic than I had imagined. In fact, she wasn't really sadistic as much as obsessively determined to keep all the patients under her thumb.

I liked the fact that Kesey showed a few employees in the asylum as caring, such as the nurse on the dangerous ward.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

I read this book in university, and I thought it was pretty good. The film version I have seen more recently, and I thought Jack Nicholson was a great choice for McMurphy.

[Alannah]

Maggie wrote: "I read this book in university, and I thought it was pretty good. The film version I have seen more recently, and I thought Jack Nicholson was a great choice for McMurphy."

I agree.