Abby Hudrlik

     In "One Flew Over the Cuckoos's Nest" Chief Bromden is the narrator in the story. Everything that occurs throughout the book is seen through his eyes and his perspective. This changes the story because if it was narrated in third person, readers wouldn't understand how Bromden thinks. Also, readers wouldn't have as good of an understanding of characters in the book because Chief Bromden knows everyone better than anybody else. This of course is because he pretends to be deaf and people feel they can say things they typically wouldn't because they think he can't hear them. Also he is a patient in the facility so he knows the ins and outs of the place. He has been there for many years and understands what it's like to be in there and the mistreatment of the patients. He understands what everyone's going through and tries to explain it in his own words. Additionally, we get to see what's going on in his brain with the hallucinations. This can be confusing at times since he is the narrator, we can't tell what's actually occurring and what's just a figment of his imagination.
     The author is trying to convey a realistic story with a person who's actually experiencing what's going on in the story. He uses Chief Bromden's hallucinations so we can get an insight on what it's like to be a little insane. We can understand fully what's going on because he's a part of McMurphy's team and gets the insight of what he has planned.