The Many Questions of "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"

For this assignment, I have chosen to read "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey. I chose this novel because Richie has read it and he told me I would really like it. I am a little over halfway through reading it, and I except to finish it this week. So far, Richie was right; it is really good.

In my paper I am going to explore the meaning of a variety of topics from the novel that really interest me. They include Bromden's unreliable narration, the concept of the speed of time, the fog that Bromden constantly sees, and effect of McMurphy's rebellious nature on those around him.

As I have been reading, I have questioned whether or not the "fog" that Bromden claims comes down on everyone in the ward is simply metaphorical fog, or if there really is a fog machine in the ward as well. I eventually came to the point where I had convinced myself that the fog must be purely metaphorical because it sounds crazy that there would be a fog machine in the ward; and then I remembered that Bromden is in fact "crazy" and is therefore not a reliable narrator. Hence, I may never know the answer to my question.

In addition, Bromden claims again and again that the Nurse controls the clock and that she slows time down and speeds it up as she sees fit. I think that the question of whether this is true or not is an interesting one in addition to the relation time has to the small isolated world the patients are living in. If the patients do not have control over their daily activities and follow the same schedule their whole lives, does is matter that time is irregular? And what does time represent in the novel?

I look forward to finishing the novel and looking further into Bromden's character. Hopefully I will find at least parts of the answers to my questions as well!