One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1

It was very difficult trying to find something to write for my first post. Part one of Cuckoo's Nest is mainly about introducing the readers to the main characters. In addition, it is to inform us about the psychiatric ward and the horrendous things that takes place there. While reading, the readers notice that the narrator is one of the patients in the mental institution. The narrator goes by the name of Chief. He is considered the most "sane" of the all the patients in the mental institution. However, is he really the most "sane"? He pretends that he is deaf so he can spy and analyze other people conversations. With that being said, it goes with a question that came across my mind while reading this novel. The question is how the author, Kesey, made me question my accepted definitions of "sane", "insane", "sick", and "healthy"? Up until this point these words had a concrete meaning to me; yet, now I am questioning their meaning. Like are you "insane" or "sick" because you are not following the status quo? Just because you are different from others in certain ways does not mean that your "insane"? For example, many of the the patients in the psych ward were put in their because they were to believe to be a homosexual. Back in the day if you were a homosexual than they believe that you were "insane" because that was not part of the status quo. They believed that if you had a chemical imbalance if you were a homosexual and sent you to psych wards. Homosexuality was not accepted in society as it is now today. Basically if you did not conform to societies norms than you were sent to some mental institution so that they can "repair" and "cure" you. To be release from the institution you must be "cured". That means you must conform to society norms. By doing that you are not using your own brain like before. Kesey writing of Cuckoo's Nest was effective. It really has me thinking about what does those four words really mean.