One Flew over the Cuckoo′s Nest
Chief Bromden is the narrator in “One Flew over the Cuckoo′s Nest,” by Ken Kesey, and his development as a character depends on the standards set by the fictional society. The novel dates back to the 1960s when the US community was strangling to choose between conformity and rebellion. The fictional society in “One Flew over the Cuckoo′s Nest” sets standards that can be viewed as freedom from one perspective, but another perspective can bring out the idea of forced conformity. The character traits associated with Chief Bromden, who later gets the nickname Chief Brooms takes shape due to the standards set by the society. The dilemma between conformity and rebellion seems to take a considerable part of Chief Bromden’s character as he is forced to conform to society but chooses to rebel.
The move to fight for freewill in a society is always associated with several challenges. Conformity, on the other side, requires that an individual has to lose a part of their determination so that they can be accepted into society (Lambe, 2019). Chief Bromden appears to be a victim of forced conformity. Bromden’s attempts to fight for freewill fail as the society accuses him of insanity, and he is formed into a medical facility. One of the character traits associated with Chief Bromden is that he is paranoid. Generally, Bromden’s Paranoia can be associated with his inability to fight for freewill and his exposure to machines that determine his psychology. The lack of power forces Chief Bromden to live in fear as he witnesses his freewill being taken away and can do nothing about it. The fog that surrounds Bromden and his fear symbolize his efforts to hide from reality since he had become too weak to continue fighting for his freewill. The response of Chief Bromden to the standards of the society changes throughout the story as he attempts to live as far from reality as possible.
Chief Bromdem grew up in a society that used all means possible to stop individuals from airing their opinions. Chief Bromden’s life was not much different from his father, who was a chief and was forced by the community to make decisions such as selling the community land. Therefore, Bromden had grown in oppression since childhood and had been developing responses all through. The admission of Chief Bromden into the hospital for ten years had made him aware of the reality surrounding his community. However, Bromden acted to show that he had surrendered to the community’s standards and stayed in the hospital. Bromden’s realization that he was not responsible for his situation; however, he changed his response to the treatment he was receiving. Bromden realized that society stopped listening to him and accused him of being deaf and dumb. After the realization, Chief Bromdem resolves to escape from the hospital after euthanizing McMurphy. Generally, Bromden was hospitalized out of ambiguity, and the hospital worked in collaboration with the society to oppress people who did not conform.
In sum, the fictional society in “One Flew over the Cuckoo′s Nest” has set standards that are responsible for developing the traits of Chief Bromden. The 1960s society was strangling with conformity and rebellion, and Chief Bromden is caught up in the conflict and is accused of insanity. Generally, Chief Bromden does not conform to the society and instead devices strategies to fight for his freewill.