Intrigued by the Insane

While reading Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I noticed some aspects of the novel that I thought paralleled my experience reading In Cold Blood last year. For starters, both focus on individuals suffering from mental disorders, though this fact is much less emphasized in Truman Capote's novel. Secondly, both books were hugely successful, spawning movies and grossing millions of dollars in revenue, despite the rather unpleasant subject matter. Last year in my class we discussed the reason for Capote not detailing the Clutter murder chronologically, and instead saving it for the end of the novel. We concluded that his choice in doing so built up suspense and anticipation for those juicy details from readers, making it harder for them to judge Dick and Perry for murdering the family, since the readers also have a fascination with murder (Or something like that). Anyway, I am really enjoying One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and  in my enjoyment I began to ponder why exactly I find it so interesting. What does it mean if I enjoy reading a novel about mentally diseased individuals being tormented by the evil Nurse Ratched? I know that not everyone enjoys reading our new novel as much as I do, but I would like to think that I am not alone in my opinion, based off the fact that TIME magazine rated it one of the Best English-language Novels of past century, in spite of the the irksome subject matter. Upon further inspection of this list, I noticed that a great deal of the books included focused on some of the more disturbing aspects of human nature. Some of the novels included Lolita, Lord of the Flies, On the Road, A Clockwork Orange, and Slaughterhouse-Five, any of which contains material and themes condemned by society, yet these books are some of the most influential and most read in the world. I find it curious that people, as they should, quickly condemn and punish murderers and sexual predators, yet find novels with subjects like murder and insanity interesting and thought-provoking reads. Perhaps my opinion of our new novel will change the further I read, but for now I will continue to ponder my fascination with the case of Mr. Bromden and McMurphy.