‘The Disparity Point of View’ and ‘Identity Crisis’ both put forth ideas involving the choice of perspective in ‘One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest’. The articles introduce ideas about Chief, and his narration of events; what confronts his context and also reinforces it. Before reading the articles, my ideas about ‘One Flew over a Cuckoo’s Nest’ were primarily centred on McMurphy as a character, and his role in the ward. Nevertheless, he still plays a major role in Chief Bromden’s interpretation of his context. ‘The Disparity Point of View’ and ‘Identity Crisis’ suggest that the style of narration is not intended to tell the story of truth, but to rather reveal more about the narrator; Chief Bromden. The articles developed my understanding of why Kesey has presented the novel in the perspective of a mentally ill patient. Whilst reading the novel, I was aware that I was second guessing the happenings, but it was not until I read the articles that the hallucinations and unreliability throughout the novel told me something about the character Bromden, and the world he is living in. I decided that rather than the novel being about McMurphy and his power struggle in the ward, it explored Bromden, and how his experiences influences the way he interprets everything around him. Further, I realised Ken Kesey may even be suggesting something about our society and how differently we construe our surroundings.
Additionally, Chief Bromden’s hallucinations and warped interpretations of reality are just as important as the truth. Although most are in metaphors and symbols, I realised he’s often reflecting his society’s values through the illusions. ‘Dreamed or hallucinated, rather than merely written’, ‘Disparity Point of View’ quoted Leslie. A. Fiedler; Initially, I agreed, shrugging off his hallucinations, rather than looking at why he was actually hallucinating. ‘If they don’t exist, how can man see them?’ Once the article repeated a quote from Bromden, I re-evaluated the...