Owen's Thoughts

I've found the first part of the book very interesting and I've come across things that you wouldn't normally see in a novel, which makes One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest so appealing. This book is written very well, the writer does a great job of describing characters, setting, and actions to the last detail and it makes the reading very easy to visualize and imagine the story. So far I already have a great visual representation of the mental hospital and the characters, because they're described so perfectly. I love the idea of the narrator (Chief Bromden) being a mental patient because you often don't know if what he's describing to you is always the truth. For example when he states that when he cracked open a pill, there were wires and machinery inside. I also really like my first impression of McMurphy, a loud mouth, outgoing guy, a troublemaker. I feel his character will make for exciting conflict later on in the book. I've found the first part of the book a bit slow but it's a nice build up to the rivalry that we might see with McMurphy and Miss Ratched, I'm intrigued to see how those two characters will rub off on each other. Even though it's set in the 1960s, I also think this book covers a deeper issue of are we treating mental patients with the proper care, whether it be the issue of electro-shock therapy or forcing patients to take pills. My final thoughts on this first part of the book is that I find the mental patients to be a perfect balance to each other, the dialogue between the characters makes for humour and very entertaining sections of the book. I'm eager to see the rising action, and the developing conflict that will emerge in the continuation of the novel.

Journal Entry #2

The second part of the book has its large differences from the first. The narration becomes much more complex and mysterious; it's hard to tell if what you're reading is actually reality or if Chief Bromden is just imagining things. I do however find the book's rising action to be very slow and maybe a bit boring at times, but that does help build up anticipation of events to come. Although the book is largely centered on the conflict between McMurphy and Miss Ratched, I've also found the suspicion arousing from Bromden's act of being deaf to be quite interesting and I'm excited to see if anyone clues in on the faking whether it's McMurphy or Miss Ratched. McMurphy's character traits have blossomed throughout this second part, I've found McMurphy to be very stubborn, manipulative, yet also intelligent. It's quite amusing to see him get under the skin of Miss Ratched and work his way around things to get his way, a good example being trying to watch the World Series. Another part of the book that has intrigued me is the 'fog'. It's brought up quite a bit and I'm not quite sure if it has a deeper meaning, or if it's symbolism to something. The way it's described by Bromden makes it so difficult to figure out if the fog is actually there, or if it's just in his imagination. Another thing that has amused me is the character of Doctor Spivey, he seems to be a leader in this mental institution yet he appears as a lenient and relaxed character talking about organizing carnivals and such, a polar opposite personality wise to Miss Ratched. I've also gotten a better sense of the other minor characters such as Cheswick and Harding. They're all so different in the way they act and say things which makes a nice blend of characters.

Journal Entry #3

I've just finished reading part 3 of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, this part was the longest but however was filled with some interesting parts and action. I feel some of the action picked up a bit with the fishing trip, and McMurphy punching through the glass, which made the reading much more amusing. I also enjoyed going back deeper into the roots of Bromden's past, getting an idea of why he started pretending to be deaf. It's nice to get a better understanding of a character by going into flashbacks. I also liked to see the relationship of MCMurphy and Bromden bloom. They seem to present great chemistry and the dialogue between them when they're in their dorm is quite entertaining. It's also interesting to see Bromden open up to McMurphy and actually talk to him. I wonder if Bromden sees McMurphy as trustworthy even though he's been seen doing all these reckless actions, and he's been portrayed as a pretty erratic character. I also found the fishing trip very amusing and interesting to read. The author depicts very well the fun the patients are having and it creates a very positive and fun atmosphere for the reader. It's uplifting to think they can still have find joy in their lives. As the book concludes I'm eager to see how the story will unfold, the book has built up very nicely to this final part, with the so called "war" between Big Nurse and McMurphy, and the revolution McMurphy has built around him. I feel all the events that have transpired will lead up to an exciting conclusion.

Journal Entry #4

I've just finished the reading of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, the last part was filled with action and excitement. Overall, the last part was the best part of the novel, the writing was great and the conflict developped very well in this part. The novel took a lot of unexpected turns, such as the patients getting drunk in the ward, McMurphy recieving a lobotomy, and Miss Ratched being viciously attacked by McMurphy. They were all very shocking and thrilling events in the novel, and they all happened so quickly in the last part of the novel. It was very exciting to see the action amp up between the patients and the orderlies, and also between Miss Ratched and McMurphy. The reading was very easy because of all the action.The ending of Chief killing McMurphy and escaping the institution was pretty climactic and quite unexpected. I believe Chief did it to set McMurphy free, knowing McMurphy wouldn't want to spend the rest of his life as a "vegetable". I think the ending gave good closure to the novel, although death usually brings sadness and sorrow to a novel, somehow I felt more okay with Chief's decision, and there was still a sense of a happy ending,it was uplifting to know the patients (especially Chief) were able to defeat the Combine in their own way.