Scan barcode
A review by msorce
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I struggle with defining my overall opinion of this book. It is equally great and terrible.
The theme of emasculation is, frankly too much of a major theme to allow me to say I completely liked the book. I can give some things a pass because of the year the book was written, but it was just too much of a main theme to overlook. It is horribly sexist and constantly eludes to society being harmed by women demasculating men and not allowing them to be the true manly men they should be allowed to be. Terrible even for the time it was written.
The other major theme is about society forcing you to be what they want you to be and eliminating all that makes someone unique and different. That theme is something I enjoy.
It is also very humorous, something I think the movie missed the mark on.
Overall it's so-so. It was funny and had good symbolism of society destroying individualism, but the major sexist theme running through the book made it extremely unenjoyable as well. I would recommend reading it to form your own opinion even if I can't say it was a good book.
The theme of emasculation is, frankly too much of a major theme to allow me to say I completely liked the book. I can give some things a pass because of the year the book was written, but it was just too much of a main theme to overlook. It is horribly sexist and constantly eludes to society being harmed by women demasculating men and not allowing them to be the true manly men they should be allowed to be. Terrible even for the time it was written.
The other major theme is about society forcing you to be what they want you to be and eliminating all that makes someone unique and different. That theme is something I enjoy.
It is also very humorous, something I think the movie missed the mark on.
Overall it's so-so. It was funny and had good symbolism of society destroying individualism, but the major sexist theme running through the book made it extremely unenjoyable as well. I would recommend reading it to form your own opinion even if I can't say it was a good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, and Forced institutionalization