Lauren, I really liked how you noticed that women were not as influential in both of these books as you may have wanted them to be. I think that a partial reason for this might have been the lack of women right’s awareness during the past times when these books were written. For example, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was written in 1950s. During this time period, the women of the house were not in working positions because of the effects of the war, and in turn, women in this time period were house wives. I don’t particularly know about the author’s relationships with women, but it may be possible that their relationships had a profound effect on how women are portrayed in the books—considering how Ken Kesey’s experience with drugs had a major influence on the story. Also, I think that the quote that you had found was an excellent overview of both books. However, I think that the quote “I felt better. Yes, I sensed it like the sweat of relief when nausea passes away; I felt better. We were even after all, even in enmity. The deadly rivalry was on both sides after all” (page 43). I think that this quote summarized the relationship between both Finny and Gene, McMurphy and the Head Nurse, and also the correspondence between both sets of characters. In both cases, the theme of competition and rivalry was clearly evident. In the first book, both of the characters facing each other had gone against each other without trying to understand their reasoning for their feelings. In the second book, Gene convinced himself that his “enemy” had the same types of feelings towards him as he had for Finny. One thing about in particular that could have changed this feeling in the first book was if the Head Nurse took the time to understand her patients. I know that I suggested this idea earlier in our posts, but I think that the mental ward could have avoided the waged enmity if the Head Nurse was willing to understand the conditions of her patients. I feel that this quote has a connection to the real world as well. In a way, it tells people that making assumptions about their relationships with others can change them for the worse. I think that the importance of this quote is to motivate people to inquire about their current status in any type of relationship. In this specific example, Gene had believed that Finny hated him and that gave justification for his negative behavior and hostile thoughts.
One thing that I would like to mention about both books is the difference in the tone of the stories. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, I felt that the narrator was telling the story from a more sympathetic level. He clearly feels bad for the way the patients are treated in the ward, and he makes that clear in the way he describes the wards daily torturous routines. In the other book however, I feel that the book was told in a more reflective way. I say this because the book begins with the present version of Gene and how his depressing thoughts from fifteen years ago brought him back to the prestigious school. Personally, I think that the tones of the books would have been perfect for the opposite book. This means, that I think that even though the first book was told in a sympathetic way, it deserved to be told in a reflective way. If it was told in a reflective way, it would have served as a way to tell readers how to avoid situations if they could. For example, if it was told using this tone, the author would have been able to analyze whether or not Bromden had acted correctly to hide his hearing abilities from the ward. Also, A Separate Peace deserved to be from a sympathetic tone because the characters in the story had to go through the results of hatred. Although the theme was also a part of the first book, I think that it was not as strong because it did not result in death for a character like it did in our second reading. Also, the second story would have touched the hearts of many who had experienced a mistake in their past friendships if it was told in a way that made the audience feel sorry for the characters.
I wanted to also end my post with my commentary on the book’s titles. I already mentioned how I saw the title of the second book, and that was that “nothing was as peaceful as the summer of a few carless youths.” For the first book, the title really stands out to me. For one, it is based on a children’s rhyme. This reminded me also of the origin of the book The Catcher in the Rye. This is because this book’s title also comes from a child’s song. I think that the title of the first book comes from the end portion where the chief left the mental ward. In a way, I feel like he was able to go over the influence of the ward. I feel that the importance of the “cuckoo’s nest” relates to the mental ward and also how children call each other “cuckoo” when they mean to say that others are crazy. In a way, I feel that this title came from the fact that Bromden did not feel that the mental ward was his home just as a cuckoo bird would find its nest as its home. I hope my thought description makes sense. Do you agree with this reasoning? Why else could these books have been titled this way?
Lauren, I would like to conclude my post by thanking you for being my debate partner. I really appreciate the time you took to help guide my thought process and also to clear up any misunderstandings I had about the book. Thanks!
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