Since English is my second language, I have difficulty understanding the language overall. So, if someone can please translate the following to simple terms without missing key concepts, that'll be appreciated!
The Masterstroke That Launched A Masterpiece:
In his attempt to convey what he believed to be "the essentially schizophrenic nature of mankind," Kesey, rather than telling the tale from the perspective of an uninvolved "God-Narrator," or from that of R. P. McMurphy, who might have been too involved in the main action, opted to present the story from the point of view of one of the psycho ward's bystanding schizophrenic inmates; "the Big Chief."
By telling the tale through the Chief's schizophrenic eyes, Kesey was able to, not merely "tell" the tale from an "eye witness perspective," but actually "show" the tale in a sort of "poetic-sensurround;" the reader would come to understand and appreciate the healing effect provided by McMurphy's inspiring individualism as the Chief's narration became progressively less "schizophrenic," and more concrete and objective as the story moved forward.
Additionally, it gave Kesey a viable way to provide the story with a mystical, supernatural quality. This, in turn, enabled him to give full force and effect, through the Chief's altered perception, to his allegoric and metaphoric symbolism; allowed him to have the Chief see and hear impressionistic and imaginary stimuli as though they were solid objects and real actions and occurrences, allowed him to turn the verbal and mental sparring between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched into epic battles waged between mythical, larger-than-life titans, between the very forces of good and evil itself. In sum, it enabled Kesey to convey a deeper, more personal and more spiritual reality in his story, on a variety of psychological levels, and in a manner that allows the reader to experience events 1st hand, as a bystanding schizophrenic, rather than merely collect story-related data like a detached observer.
The Mysticism Living In The Metaphors
Being of 3/4 Irish descent (a descendant of Murphys, no less) I feel a spiritual kinship with any Irishman who seeks to use his inbred insanity to dodge the spirit-sterilization wrought on individuals by society's uniformity-establishing combine. In like fashion, the OFOTCN skillfully employs the literary conventions at its disposal; allegory, metaphors, symbolism, etc., to transcend the superficial, rationally-restricted objective-appearance level limitations on the reader's understanding and appreciation of the story's characters and events.
From the moment the reader first "enters" the ward, in scene 1, Kesey awakens the reader to the existence of a spiritual reality just beyond the mundane objectivity of everyday reality, yet whose secret ministry invisibly influences actions and effects event-outcomes rational people mindlessly write off to random chance. It's from this twilight world that Kesey's "mystic-metaphors," when funneled through the schizophrenic perception of Chief Bromden, gain a palpable, presence; take on a supernatural life of their own, and guide the reader to a deeper, more intuitive understanding of his story's actions and events, whose subjective appeal requires that the reader allow them to bypass the invalidating mechanism of the mind, in favor of the superceding veracity of the truth of the heart.
Examples Of Metaphors/Symbols/Allegories Crucial To OFOTCN's Effectiveness:
"Mechanical Noises" --Kesey uses Bromden's perception of "Mechanical Noises" whenever the Big Nurse approaches, to suggest her inhumanity, lack of spirit and lack of individuality; the victory of machines over man.
"Giant Combine" --Kesey effectively uses Chief Bromden's perception of the Big Nurse as a "giant Combine." On a symbolic, intellectual level, it represents the risks & dangers attendant to one's "being an individual" in society; the conformity-police, society's stigmatizing rejection of innovators, leaders and oddballs generally.
Victims who fail to survive "being mulched by the combine," are usually alcoholics, recluses and outcasts, who at one time had been bold leaders, rugged individualists or nonconformists of one kind or another, but whose quirky, unusual social behavior; i.e., maintaining personal integrity, cultivating convictions, standing up for an unpopular view or defending the actions of other outcasts, etc., rendered them visible, easy to single out, track down and gang-up on by the ever-watchful, pack-traveling conformity-jackals.
RPM reminds the Chief of his father; a big, fearless, uncompromising tribal chief who was systematically ground down by the combine, forced to submit to the white man's unnatural laws and society, and move onto a reservation in order to save his tribe. To accommodate the white man's "civil" ways, his wife, who had useful, domestic skills, became the dominant, indispensable family leader, while he turned into a withering alcoholic recluse.
On a literal, schizophrenic level, Nurse Ratched magically takes on the physical form of a combine when she singles out individuals in the ward who don't fit in and fail to conform. In her combine form, she systematically chops down and mulches anything and anybody that "stands out," resists being subsumed or defies established order; doesn't "fit in" or neatly and efficiently blend into Society's generic pattern of sterile sameness, mechanized progress and, above all, consumerly helpfulness.
"Fog Banks" --Kesey uses Chief Bromden's perception of "fog banks" as a dual-function, "living" metaphor. For the reader it translates as, both a symbol intended to indicate the lingering or returning presence of Chief Bromden's schizophrenia, and/or a reversal of the healing process and/or the Big Nurse's reasserted dominance. Kesey imbues the metaphor with a life of its own by providing it with an "actual" physical presence as delusionally interpreted through the Chief's schizophrenic consciousness. The fog protectively enshrouds Bromden and makes him invisible whenever he anticipates conflict or confrontation; it allows him to block out unpleasant people and events and screen out anxiety-causing objects from view.
Crucifixion/Christ Allegory --Kesey revisits and modernizes the "crucifixion/Christ-figure" allegory by having RPM sacrifice his own life so that "his disciples," i.e., his fellow inmates, could be made whole again.
"The Insane Asylum As A Microcosm Of Society" Allegory --Kesey effectively employs the "insane asylum's inmate ward and its inmates" to assert a microcosmic correlation between it/them and their respective counterparts in today's repressive, dysfunctional modern society. By doing so, he asserts that the unnecessary, yet systematic & intentionally abusive methods and ideas used to treat the inmates in the institution, are no different, except on a broader scale, than that used by the state/society in its systematic abuse of IT'S respective "inmates."
Your introductory statement is worded very well. :-) You also are reading very challenging material for an ESL student.
We can help you if we know what you DO understand in these excerpts. Please tell us what you think -- and we'll be glad to critique your ideas, and help you understand them better.
It's about symbolism? I don't know what "it" is ...
The examples of metaphors, symbols, etc. represent conformity and nonconformity in society -- the misfits, the authority, the oppressiveness, etc.
The first two headings:
The Masterstroke That Launched A Masterpiece
The Mysticism Living In The Metaphors
^^ I don't understand any of it at all
The Masterstroke That Launched A Masterpiece:
The 'masterstroke' is the use of the character Big Chief to tell the story that Kesey wants to tell. Big Chief's narrative tells the story from an "involved" point of view ( 1st person) ; Big Chief shows how McMurphy's actions affect the inmates (Big Chief becomes more in touch with reality); Big Chief provides the symbolic "good" to Nurse Ratched's "evil" .
The author of this analysis is saying Kesey's choice of telling his story through Big Chief is a main part of what makes the book great.
In his attempt to convey what he believed to be "the essentially schizophrenic nature of mankind," Kesey, rather than telling the tale from the perspective of an uninvolved "God-Narrator," or from that of R. P. McMurphy, who might have been too involved in the main action, opted to present the story from the point of view of one of the psycho ward's bystanding schizophrenic inmates; "the Big Chief."
By telling the tale through the Chief's schizophrenic eyes, Kesey was able to, not merely "tell" the tale from an "eye witness perspective," but actually "show" the tale in a sort of "poetic-sensurround;" the reader would come to understand and appreciate the healing effect provided by McMurphy's inspiring individualism as the Chief's narration became progressively less "schizophrenic," and more concrete and objective as the story moved forward.
Additionally, it gave Kesey a viable way to provide the story with a mystical, supernatural quality. This, in turn, enabled him to give full force and effect, through the Chief's altered perception, to his allegoric and metaphoric symbolism; allowed him to have the Chief see and hear impressionistic and imaginary stimuli as though they were solid objects and real actions and occurrences, allowed him to turn the verbal and mental sparring between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched into epic battles waged between mythical, larger-than-life titans, between the very forces of good and evil itself. In sum, it enabled Kesey to convey a deeper, more personal and more spiritual reality in his story, on a variety of psychological levels, and in a manner that allows the reader to experience events 1st hand, as a bystanding schizophrenic, rather than merely collect story-related data like a detached observer.
The Mysticism Living In The Metaphors
In regard to this article... the author gives you examples of what he is talking about . This is a good example.
Crucifixion/Christ Allegory --Kesey revisits and modernizes the "crucifixion/Christ-figure" allegory by having RPM sacrifice his own life so that "his disciples," i.e., his fellow inmates, could be made whole again.
A good definition of a metaphor is " an easily understood word picture of a complicated emotionally charged concept."
If you have further questions, please repost.
"The Masterstroke That Launched A Masterpiece":
In this passage, the writer is talking about how the author, Kesey, chose to tell the story in a unique way. Instead of having a neutral narrator or focusing on the main character, McMurphy, Kesey decided to tell the story from the perspective of one of the mentally ill patients, Chief Bromden. By doing this, Kesey was able to show the healing effect that McMurphy had on the Chief. As the story progresses, the Chief's narration becomes less chaotic and more clear, allowing the reader to understand and appreciate McMurphy's impact.
The writer also mentions that Kesey used the Chief's perspective to give the story a mystical and supernatural quality. This allowed Kesey to use metaphorical and symbolic elements to their full effect, making the conflicts between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched more epic and representing larger themes of good and evil. Overall, this storytelling approach allowed Kesey to convey a deeper and more spiritual reality in his story, engaging the reader on a psychological level and making them feel like a part of the events.
"The Mysticism Living In The Metaphors":
In this passage, the writer discusses how Kesey employs literary techniques like allegory, metaphor, and symbolism to go beyond the surface-level understanding of the story's characters and events. From the very beginning of the story, Kesey creates a sense of a spiritual reality that influences actions and outcomes in ways that rational people might dismiss as random chance. The writer suggests that Kesey's use of metaphor and symbolism, especially through Chief Bromden's perspective, brings these mystical elements to life, allowing the reader to gain a deeper and more intuitive understanding of the story.
Examples Of Metaphors/Symbols/Allegories Crucial To OFOTCN's Effectiveness:
The writer provides a few examples of metaphors, symbols, and allegories that are important in the story:
- "Mechanical Noises": Chief Bromden hears mechanical noises whenever Nurse Ratched approaches, which symbolize her lack of humanity, individuality, and control over the patients.
- "Giant Combine": Chief Bromden sees Nurse Ratched as a giant combine, which represents the risks and dangers of being an individual in society. The combine symbolizes society's rejection of innovators and those who don't conform.
- "Fog Banks": Chief Bromden perceives "fog banks," which serve as a metaphor for his schizophrenia and can symbolize a reversal of progress or Nurse Ratched's dominance. The fog also acts as a protective shield for the Chief, allowing him to block out unpleasant people and events.
- Crucifixion/Christ Allegory: McMurphy's sacrifice for his fellow inmates can be seen as a modern version of the crucifixion and Christ-figure allegory.
- "The Insane Asylum as a Microcosm of Society" Allegory: The writer mentions that Kesey uses the inmates and the asylum to represent a broader critique of repressive and dysfunctional aspects of modern society. Kesey suggests that the abusive treatment of the inmates in the institution parallels the systematic abuse by the state or society as a whole.
These examples show how Kesey uses metaphors, symbols, and allegories to deepen the reader's understanding and connection to the story, allowing them to see beyond the surface level and engage with larger themes and ideas.