One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey is a frightening book about alleged insanity and abuse of power. Told by Chief Bromden, the silent Indian in an insanity institution, the reader gets the inside scoop on conman Randall McMurphy and Ice Queen Nurse Ratched. Written in 1859, this book rails against the rules of modern society particularly WASP - White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, or really any kind of institution that cripples the individual. Randall McMurphy is the hero of this book, flawed, yes, and maybe even insane, but his character is so beautifully written one can't help but root for him. However, Nurse Ratched, Big Nurse (Big Brother) is the villain. We are not suppose to root for her, but reading this book for a second time, I found pity for her. She is oppressed by the rules governed by order and routine. She is not an individual but a society stiff in its own oppression. I even found myself not feeling sorry for Mr. McMurphy because part of me found him to be insane and worse in a forever state of despair which is largely worse. In the end, I found Chief Bromden as my personal hero. Yes, great book and one that is not forgotten.
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