An Interesting Hero

When I finished the final chapter of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest on Thursday night, I could not help but feel a twinge of sadness. I really enjoyed reading the novel, and unless I am very pleasantly surprised I will probably not like another English book as much as this one. My perceptions of the novel and its characters changed constantly as I read, which kept me intrigued and interested in the plot. Additionally, the subject of mental illness has always rather interested me. One of the main struggles in the book, as I read it, was the conflict between the individual (as seen in McMurphy, Bromden, and the other patients) and society (seen in Nurse Ratched, the hospital aides, and the government workers).  In this respect, the novel reminded my a lot of another novel I enjoyed very much, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. Rand's novel focus on the struggle between the producers of the world, like the owner of a railroad company, for example, and the government who tried to limit their productivity for "the good of society". Although the comparison of these two books is a bit of a stretch, I couldn't help but think of the controlling government in Rand's novel whenever Bromden mentioned the Combine. Another interesting fact in the parallel between these two novels is that I am, ironically, indirectly comparing mentally ill patients with the most productive members of society. In both cases the individuals possessed qualities that made them unlike the rest of society, and in both novels the government strives to control and limit these individuals' power. In both novels the role of the oppressor operates in basically the same way. In Atlas Shrugged, government bureaucrats tried to limit the influence of the producers by enacting laws that restricted their productivity and profit and they gained a sense of power in doing so. In Kesey's novel, Nurse Ratched gains her power by limiting the freedoms of the patients and through her subtle intimidation and manipulation. And in both novels, the hero of the story is not a typical societal role model. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, McMurphy clearly has many negative qualities, which in many cases would make him a deplorable character, but he nevertheless gains admiration from the patients and readers. In Rand's novel, the hero of the story is a man who takes the producers out of society and basically leaves the country to die so the producers can start fresh and run to government how they see fit. In both novels, the hero is not a typical hero, but instead men who stand up to the government and society for their individual freedoms. Although I am quite sad One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has come to an end, I do not think I will ever forget the story of McMurphy and Chief Bromden.