Devon's Thoughts

Journal Entry 1

   While reading through this first quarter of the book what most stuck to me was the idea of having a main character that pretends to be deaf tell the story through his eyes. I found this an innovative way to tell a story, because it gives the point of view of the main character but only through what he can hear and see. Because after time and time again of giving the option of talking he would rather keep his silence and be perceived as someone who is truly mentally ill. Just by talking with others he could be able to discuss what he sees because he does not take part of the main group, he chooses rather to watch from the outside and see all. See people who do not enjoy being there to people who see it as an opportunity. As well by reading what he thinks, we may get another view of what is going on. He sees stuff going on that may be a fact, and by telling the story through his actions instead of his thoughts, we as readers would miss some of this important information no matter how small. Such as him hearing machinery in the walls. It may not have a big impact in the beginning of the story, but it could develop into a more major event in the story. Though these may not be the reasons he chooses to be deaf, seeing things from a different view, he may have chosen this path because he saw it as an opportunity to evade most of the torture brought upon by the staff of this hospital. When it comes down to it, the author chose this style, maybe because it would give a more interesting view of the story, or because this would and could be the only way of telling it.

Journal Entry 2

   While reading through the second part of the book I was impacted by the memory of every time I would visit Algonquin Park, and never miss one. This is related to the book because we learn that McMurphy has never missed a Baseball championship game. We learn that even after the nurse told the patients that it just would not work, and would disrupt the schedule. As we learn this does little to not stop McMurphy from telling the other patients the upsides. He even ends up getting the doctor to agree with him saying that they should at least try it out for a couple of days and if it does not work they can go back to their old schedule. To me I would use any form of compromise to get my parents to allow me to go. Even if I had work that had to be finished I would not let it stop me.

   As well from reading this bit we learn about what happens in these "meetings" that the nurse holds in order to bring order among her staff. We learn that Bromden because he acts deaf and dumb can get away with working in the staff room, because none of them expect for him to hear their discussions. We learn that some of their greatest plots were discussed while Bromden was in the room. This may be foreshadowing what is to come because if they learn that in fact he is not deaf and dumb and he could hear all that they have said, his life may be in danger because the only option they may have is to silence him for good. 

Journal Entry 3


   Throughout the third quarter of the book a lot has changed since the early stages of the arrival of McMurphy. Little by little we slowly began to learn about the true past of Bromden. We learn the reason why he is deaf. For myself even though I can not relate to his childhood I still feel the pain that he went through. Knowing that no matter how hard you fight for someone to hear you, and knowing they will never take the time out of their lives to even spend a minute listening to you must have been very frustrating. However Bromden ends up using this as an advantage. Instead of going on being all depressed that people will listen to him he takes it upon himself to continue life as if nothing has changed. It takes a lot for someone to do this and to continue doing so until you do not have to anymore. The moment he chose to stop being who he was not and start acting like the person he was meant to be was probably one of the most powerful moments in the book. Because as a reader we know from this point on the whole story is about to change with the arrival of a new character to interfere with the nurse. This character being Bromden.

   This is not all that happened we also realize that McMurphy has just given up trying to be the nice guy in an attempt to leave the hospital as fast as possible. But he defies his wishes, because he knows that his fellow patients need him more than ever. He decides to come back to life by breaking through the glass a first time striking fear into the nurse and just telling her that the glass was so clean he just forgot it was there. He even went out of his way to break the glass a few more times just to make his point clear that no matter what stands in his way he will always break through it if it will benefit him. This message is going to become a recurring theme for McMurphy throughout the last bit of the novel, because he will not stop for anything, or anyone. 

Journal Entry 4

   This was not the most action packed part of the book, but none the less it still had a large impact on the character development as well as the plot. Though personally the climax was probably the fishing trip, the party at which the whole scheme fell apart was probably the end of the climax as well as seeing the true nature of McMurphy. The party had a large impact on the novel because it showed that none of these men were crazy, and that they knew what society was, they understood how to rehabilitate. Though most of the them would not leave until after the incident, if they could of left they would of. There was also a deeper meaning to the character we call Billy Bibbit because up to this part of the novel we see Billy as someone who needs his mothers approval and has a stuttering issue. But once the nurse walks in and sees the mess the Billy was in we learn that given a chance he can be a normal person. Most people may read this passage and actually miss that for the first time Billy can actually pronounce a full sentence without stuttering. But once the nurse describes his mother reacts he at that moment completely falls apart, and we see at this moment why he may of been put in this hospital in the first place. Billy was not the only person to change with the ending of the novel, we also see a change in McMurphy. Once he learns that Billy has committed suicide it is at that moment that McMurphy proves that in fact he can be psychopathic and there is no turning back with him knowing it is the nurse's fault for the death of Billy. Though he still dies in the end he shows the light at the end of the tunnel for the rest of the patients. He lets them know there is more to life than staying in a hospital and letting yourself rot away. This book is a great interpretation of the way a mental hospital could of been back in the 1960's.

   This book as been a great read and I would suggest it to anyone.

- Devon