Characters & Society

This week we take another break from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and dive into the character of characters themselves. How does society affect character?

Let's focus on a great book, pun fully intended. The Great Gatsby. Daisy Buchanan was born into a wealthy family. She grew up wealthy, she married wealthy. However, she fell in love with Gatsby, a poor man. Gatsby was only pretending to be wealthy, and it may have been this deception that attracted Daisy in the first place. Nevertheless, Daisy was distraught upon finding out her love was penniless. To keep up with society's standards, she married Tom, one of the wealthiest men at that time.

Then things changed when suddenly Gatsby reappears an extremely rich man. Daisy is drawn towards her love and his money. However, Gatsby is "new money" and is actually quite risky. He deals in mysterious, backhand ways unlike Tom who is "old money", meaning that his money was fairly earned through many generations. When push comes to shove, Daisy chooses to remain with her original financial source. She basically condemns Gatsby the punishment for her crime and moves away, leaving everything behind. Everything except her money and social standing, things society deemed more important than true love and faith.  

The Symbolic Symbolism of Symbols

Symbols are mundane objects the one overlooks at first. Then the begin to show up more and more frequently. The retain their original purposes, but also take on a new, deeper meaning. This deeper meaning is not always easily understood, but through careful examination of symbols the story becomes richer and more universal.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- It may be a bit of a stretch, but I feel that Chief Bromden's name sake broom becomes a symbol throughout the book. It is, in a way, his protector. He feels safe clutching the broom, doing his duties, and following orders. However, once the ward begins to rise up against the matriarchy, the Chief begins to let his duties slip. He is careless in his cleaning, representing that he no longer needs his broom to feel safe because the Big Nurse is losing her hold on him. He now has a new savior and protector in McMurphy. Will McMurphy's strong will be enough to change the Chief's ways? Or will his quiet, innate nature eventually reclaim him? I shall continue to follow the broom throughout the story arch to see where it lands.