The Manufacturer of the Split Psyche in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Abstract

Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962) is an authentic portrayal of what is like to be in a mental hospital, shedding light on the dehumanizing and punitive acts under the label of medical treatment that are done to the patients. The novel is narrated by Chief Bromden, a native American who pretends to be deaf to avoid interactions with anyone around him. This article argues that the 1960s psychiatric therapeutic measures and treatments contributed to the construction of a deteriorated, split psyche as exemplified in the novel. Moreover, it highlights the power of storytelling in challenging the mental institution metanarrative as well as the therapeutic aspects of the act of writing in gaining power and agency.