Rita was too fast for us gang. We have been demoted to Humor two =^(
Anyway I think we can all agree Laurie Notaro is hilarious! Her ability to observe mundane life in such a way is quite chuckle worthy. The self deprecating humor can get depressing but her odd and obvious over exaggerations are her ways of poking fun at life and showing that mundane life is pretty funny, its all about how you look at it.
Notaro relies heavily on irony, for example all of chapter four, ‘Sickening.’ She openly mocks people and then goes and does something very similar. Its evident that by saying the other passenger “looked completely normal” sets up this idea that the passenger’s personality is contrasting with this normal image but as it goes on it is Laurie who takes out a “bird-flu mask” which we later find out came it packs of (I think) 50. She knows how abnormal she is and how these idiosyncrasies are actually amusing.
These over exaggerations in descriptions and actions are so ridiculous that you find them almost fictitious but then you realize they aren’t. Her observations are just written really in-depth. Not only does her insight cover a special needs family but also pg 24 when she seems completely delusion-less. Notaro has a real interesting concept of reality and fiction where she does not try to alter or change the truth but speaks only from her side of the truth. Her description of herself is completely off base, because of her horrible descriptions of herself it got me curios so I googled (in Microsoft word processor it underlined googled as a misspelled/fake word…this is depressing) her and she is CUTE.
This book is not a novel but actually a humor/autobiography due to the bias nature. It is so interesting how she chooses to describe things. Kenny Ray was an interesting section when she went into this full description of his “thin-lipped mug shot” (52). The chapters seem to have nothing to do with one another but her compilation is so interesting because they all have people like Kenny Ray in them, where they are important for a while and then the next chapter their existence means nothing, it’s a lot like life where after you leave that part of your life (like a job, school or vacation) the people you met there really don’t mean anything. it’s a lot different from a novel where you have to remember everyone but she really is telling this like her life.
The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death is so interesting and fun to read because of the personality that Laurie Notaro is able to bring to the pages. She does not tell this story as if the person viewing it or as if she were retelling it. Yes, it is in past tense but she brings so much more than retelling she brings the personality of this crazy thing we call life. All in all, I like it.
Ok I completely agree with Jeri this woman is absolutely hilarious but not just that she make it all so easy to relate to. I think what I first like the most about Laurie (the main character) is the she is very honest with herself, though she may not be with her husband, she gives the reader all her secret thoughts, ideas and peeves. For example on page 9 she gave her opinion on people who don’t eat dessert instead refuse and wait of the others for finish their desserts. Laurie seemed to be absolutely exasperated with people who simply did not join her for dessert. In many way I think she is making a connect and dessert can be anything: smoking, drinking, bullying, or just plain old cause mischief. Maybe I am reading too much into this? I think what I also really like about this book so far is that the way Laurie thinks is similar we as human think. She gives people nicknames such as the “Fantasy Lady” when she feels threatened by this beautiful woman. In many ways she reflects the human mind, even more so the mind of both of a woman and a girl: insecure, threatened, needy, naggy, unpredictable but lovable all the same. This book truly a great book, a page turner, I love it! Laurie Notaro you insane and we love you!
Right from the start, this book is hilarious! In every page, there's a million things to laugh about. Just like phedorah said, my favorite thing about the character is that she is very real and honest, especially with herself. She knows her habits, she knows herself & isn't afraid to make jokes about it.
The most hilarious trait that Laurie possess is that she develops crazy habits from the discovery channel. For example (page 39) when she talks about the bird flu mask. She watched a segment on discovery channel about the crazy amounts of germs around us during our daily life and now she is completely obsessed with keeping free of germs (which is practically impossible).
Another thing that really keeps the pages alive is the relationship Laurie has with her husband. He is supportive in a very funny way. And when he thinks she's being crazy, he tells her.
My favorite part so far is when the sex offender moves into her neighborhood, about three houses down from hers! If this ever happened to me,i probably wouldnt be able to crack such hilarious jokes, id probably be scared like nuts! But she is able to take this situation and through her anger of a sex offender living there, she makes it a hilarious event.
I cannot wait to continue reading this book! So far, i definitely recommend it to others who enjoy humor books.
Ok along with everyone else I completly agree Laurie Notaro is freaking hilarious. This is the funniest book I think I've read in awhile. Like most of you also I love how she is so honest and doesn't care about making fun of herself. I love her somewhat sarcastic tone to her jokes. Oddly her relationship with her husband reminds me so much of my brother and his wife. They have such a scarcastic joking realtionship where they can tell eachother anything no matter how honest they have to be, but they also can joke about anything like Laurie and her husband.
As Mon said about how she laughed and joked about the sex offender down the street. I know from experience when one moved into my apartment building I wasn't joking around! I was scared to death! I felt so indangered, and Laurie shes cracking jokes about it.
I love the way a situation and be crazy,angry, or sad and she turns it somehow into cracking a joke.
I had read Rita's comment on Humor I and it looks like she isn't enjoying it and it isn't funny! :( Looks like we picked an awesome group ladies:) Can't wait for the next chapter I'm interested about the Uhhhhhhhhhmazing Dr. Wells.
Finally, I think this a book I will actually enjoy reading and partaking in this year...It's the truth I had to get it off my chest. Idiot Girl is the best humor memoir have ever read before. Notaro makes her life off to sound almost as a sitcom plot in every chapter for example, the spying neighbors, when she is actually the spy herself and the sex offender moving in next door to her.
I love how she goes back in forth about all her life experiences, I envy that a lot about writers because as I write a college essay explain in a limited number of words myself to a board of people who have never met in my life I think of how to blend the epic stories of my life and what to say to catch the mind of a stranger analyzing my fate to go to their institute.
This book gives me a lot of ideas in my situation, for example, one of my favorites, instead of turning her weight (btw: she's not that big at all) into a sob fest but embraces it kind of with a joking matter with help of her husbands 'playful" games like "Two Dollars For Not Peeking Into Someone Else's Room (or dessert)" and "I'll Give You a Dollar for Every Hour You Don't Speak a Word" (my favorite) and also his uncanningly loath for desserts...!?!...
I love this book and how it plays out so far especially with characters like Notaro's husband. In the text it seems he is the more seriously taken, quiet, stern character, which makes it easy for him and Laurie to be a quite interesting match to follow (opposites attract), and deep down he might understand that she is what makes him somewhat alive and adventurous...They almost remind me of Chandler and Monica....that's as much that I can say for this book for now, but I have more...
Again Laurie does not fail to entertain! All I can say is she is insane! And let the record show I agree that women and men should have separate everything such as roads and cinemas. However this section we see a whole new side of Laurie; she is no longer crazy and fun but also compassionate and crazy…and funny.
Lets all admit we all got upset when her BLIND dog passed away, he was so pathetic and she made it seemed like he would make it then BAM, he was dead. She really was able to bring us into those last couple of weeks of ups and downs, she brought the reader on an emotional rollercoaster until finally we crashed landed with a single phone call that we all know was coming but could not face. The after math of her chasing the dog owner who she had chased before, “not her, not the same girl, but to other people,” her pathetic confession made me cry (122). If that wasn’t heart breaking enough, all the dogs she wants has t things wrong with them!! Awwww (we were all thinking it).
“People are going to see me fat!” classic line (140).This line explains her perfectly; always ready to mock herself, go to a birthday party for a dog, or go to the bathroom with the door open. Their crazy need to raise a “socialized and well-adjusted” puppy is so funny, this act just reinforces the craziness of the first quote, everything they do just makes them seem more comical than real (146). Their antics as a couple just continuously becomes more absurd and because of this it makes the book more interesting and keeps drawing the reader’s attention.
Laurie is so interesting because she’s too real, she is real life and all its crazy, funny, mishaps. To become her would be a fun experience, she’s not a normal adult who gets more mature with age but rather crazier. I shouldn’t say a ‘normal adult’ but rather a truthful adult who is willing to show her true self rather than hide it behind a façade designed to make her appear as what some might consider an ‘adult.’ To put it simple: she is interesting because she is honest.
Ahhh, Jeri, you basically stole my words! The compassion she has in the second part of the book, yet still keeping the funny in it, is just simply amazing. When her dog passed away, as jeri said, who laurie glorified, i was truly upset for Laurie. It's nice to see this side of her because yes, she is this hilarious, and i really mean hilariousss!, person, but she is also this loving person. My favorite part of this section though has by farrr got to be the part where she goes into the doctors office and gets laser hair removal..and my favorite favorite favorite quote is when the docor notices a tiny bit of fuzz growing on her lip, she overexxagerates and says... PAGE 95 "i wanted to gasy i was so embarrassed. I mean having chin growth is one thing, but i had no idea i had a goatee going on. And apparently it was not merely 'going on' but was substanstial" She is just so hilarious. Her thoughts are just so real and are probably things we think about one or twice during our lifetimes. This is probably why i find this book so interesting. For example, the part where she says she "doesnt want people to see me fat". Many of us, especially myself, have been in that situation. The things she talks about (to some extent) we can most likely relate to.
I cannot wait to read the next part. I am soooo happy that we chose this amazing book!
I think what I like the most about Laurie Notaro is that she is very honest even when it may not seem cool. She is also very much a kid as she bugs her husband non stop about getting a new dog or the way that her old dogs death effected her so greatly. She does a great job of making the reader mourn for this poor dog, this poor blind dog.
Another one of my favorite parts in this section of the book is how she talks about all she wants is a friend. I thought this was so honest almost raw in the way it is presented. I think it almost works as a commentary that we as people need to feel a connection with someone whether person or animal, that signs of life are desired.
Finally I think a huge part of this section is the idea of self perception. On page 127 she says “The Awful Glimpse is an unforgiving , unfiltered portrait of the real you when you least expect it”. I thought I could relate this because often times we lie to ourselves or turn a blind in order to make things better then they appear. We judge others that are not that different only to be shell shocked at the huge similarity between “that fat girl” and I which ties into what Jeri was saying. I really love her writing and the points she makes. It is easy to read but you can draw so much from them at the same time.
Also Monika I also agree that Laurie Notaro just made hair removal hysterical.
Okay so the end wasn’t so much a let down as it was odd comparatively. The beginning of the memoir (maybe autobiography) was so different from how it ends. No longer is Laurie dependent on her husband but has this weird bond with her friend. What I didn’t like is that we have no idea where her husband is or what he is doing. The best part of her stories is that as she is losing her mind her husband acts as a normal/non-crazy person, making the story funny because of the contrast in personality, but when its only Laurie and her best friend (whom is also crazy) that cute/quirky relationship is no longer there.
Notaro is still able to make me laugh, I won’t lie, because she is still herself as she curiously asks the boat attendants about their sleeping quarters showing that she still is a caring person. Though the book takes a turn, Laurie is still able to show that crazy people can be empathetic too. Its annoying that they gorge themselves on all of this food in the ship, also its irritating as she passes judgment on the “windowless” passengers (I think this is when the book really turned for me, my family probably can’t afford tickets for this ship. The fact that she passes judgment on these lesser than rich people pisses me off because she makes such a general statement about them). But that’s not the point, its obvious that she cares about the boat attendants, as she kind of mocks their conditions and doesn’t really pay that much interest, then she gives them partially eaten food, though its probably better than the food they usually get its still kind of insult as their hands have probably been all over it and the cheese probably congealed by the time they got it). But I really liked her short story about her Prius, I totally get where she is coming from.
Ok (I just realized that I started my first paragraph similarly with an ’okay’ but I’m not going to change it because I think it shows that I kind of went off on a rant lol) this is starting to sound like a hate rant and I feel bad because it was an okay book so I’m not going to pass judgment upon it. Laurie is still a pretty interesting character because her odd mix of morals and child-like personality that gets her into these messes. Over all it was an interesting story of her life and travel, I wish it had touched more upon her trials and tribulations as a writer, it was the one aspect of her life that the reader knows nothing about. Its funny we know about her hair removal, her body image issues, what she does in the bathroom but we know nothing of career...it’s a little odd that she is so open about her private life and appears to have no boundaries but her commercial life is something that she never touched upon.
I find Jeri's last point very interesting about how open Laurie is with letting the reader into her personal life. I mean yes, it is a successful topic because as sad as it is, people do want to read about others pathetic lives or interesting lives, but it was very shocking to see just how much Laurie actually lets us know. I also agree with Jeri's point about the ending being very different from the beginning. I noticed the bit about her husband as well. I thought he was a huge part of why the book was so hilarious. His wife would do all this crazy stuff & he would calmly and pretty rationally, brush it off like he was so used to her lifestyle. He almost made it seem like Laurie's crazy ideas and thoughts were actually pretty normal. When he started being mentioned less and less in the end of the book, the story got a tad bit less fun to read. Despite that though, I still do think Laurie is an exceptional writer of humor. Making the reader laugh can be very hard to do but with Laurie, it seemed as if i was literally chuckling at least once or twice on each page. Finally, I wanna say that i had a great time reading this book. It was nice to get some humor in a book that we are reading in school. We're so used to reading literature with all this dense language so this was a nice read. I hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as i did (:
First of all did anyone else burst out laughing when the saw the picture of the dish towel at the end of the story? Cause I sure did!
As far as the ending I agree a bit with Jeri and Monika it wasn't a let down but it was your typical closing for a story which I think it many ways works because it act as almost an introduction for her other books. But there is kind of a maturity seen between the beginning of the book and to end. At the end she ordered "two desserts" (p. 198) when before she had such a huge issue with having dessert and her weight. In the begin of the story she struggled a little with jealousy and by the end she had learn to cope in her own hysterical way with the women around her.
Also I find Jeri's comment interesting: she never actually touches on her commercial life and I wonder why that is. Does she think that it kind of self explanatory or obvious? Or maybe even unrelated? I think it is funny how different she is from her husband and how she is always high stung and he keeps her some what sane and grounded. I personally really liked this book and I am actually ordering the book based on when she was getting married was should be fun to read. I really lover her funny kind of insane and spontaneous dialog with the reader and find it really engaging.
Hey guys in my week and a half of pneumonia and sickness I neve rposted a blog for the second half of the book sorry:/ So here it is.
Ok so first off I could not stop laughing at the whole hair removal deboicle. Who knew someone could make hair removal so hilarious. The fact she thinks a forest is growing from her chin and THEN the doctor says how about I do your lip too jus tmakes it even better cause now she gets to worry about the forest that has crept to her upper lip. When she started having trouble breathing and basically hyperventalting I couldn't help but laugh. Only Lauri Notaro would start hyperventalating getting hair removal.
Next, when Laurie goes to the Indian Festival with her friends and the get what she thought to be a "water balloon" thrown at them which she realizes is nothing but a bird who as she says shit on them. I literally couldnt stop laughing at her describing this moment " bird deces the consistency of liquid paper" I was dying. Then when she went to get more food and the lady with the tokens cut her and my FAVE line last paragraph on pg 111 "if you're reading this to the lady who brought all the token people in line...I remember your face..I remember that pinchy wrinkly mouth" I was like oh Laurie. haha
Ok my last comment is to when her dog Bella died. I have two cats one ironicly named Bella. I was legit holdign abck the tears reading this part, I couldn't even think of losing one of my pets I was so upset reading how she didn't get there in time to say goodbye and she had sucha bound with her little blind puppy. I felt so bad for her and her reaction after. I read I think it was Phedorah said something about her reaction to her dogdying and her begging her husband for a new one. I really didn't see how that is childish? Because if my cat(in her case dog) died I would be devistated and I would after a while probably want a new one cause after having a companion like that so long you get lonely. I don't know I just didnt really see that as her acting like a kid. She does other times but I didnt see it there. I really really love this book, I'm soooo glad we picked it it keeps me laughing and intertained.
Ok as a few of you said I also got the feeling that the third half wasn't really the same as the first two. I kinda felt let down but kinda not lol. Ok so as Jeri said in part 3 Laurie is less dependant on her husband and is much closer to her friend. I also like Jeri felt kinda wait where'd her husband go? She seems to sort of just stop talking about his importance to her, he just seems to poof gone.
Monika and Jeri both talked about how Laurie lets us into her life as a whole but mostly her personal life, as monika says its sad but true we love reading about other people lives. I know a lot of people creep into others lives facebook updates, twitter updates etc. to get into their lives to compare their lives to those they read abouts lives.
I agree with all of you the end seemed sort of a let down BUT I agree with Phedorah that it seems to be end to this book but a start to he rother books. ]WHICH I really want to read she has a book called There's a (slight) chance I might be going to hell: A novel of sewer pipes, pagent queens and big trouble which looks HILARIOUS.
So I decided reading the first part of this book I wanted to think up what I thought Laurie Notaro would look like.Since at the end we are only given a picture of a towel animal and a picture of her as a toddler I thougth about what she might look like, and I mus say I didn't see what I found when I googled her, see for yourself ladies this is Laurie Notaro in the flesh and blood. http://www.flickr.com/photos/katieray/14057507/ I even more love the convo the flick user put at the bottom too funny oh laurie.
I'm not sure if we are supposed to continue our blogs here for our next book, but i sure hope so (:
So, a new book: One Flew over the CUckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. Right from the start of the book, we can tell that the main chracter in this is not very liked. He is manipulated and mis-treated by the other mates in this psych ward. It is interesting how on the first page, the narrator, who is also the main character, gives us an explanation of him.."my beind half indian..", but he does not give us his name until about the 6th page. The other patients in the ward call him "chief broom" because they always make him mop the rooms. Also, i thought it was completely hilarious when the narrator said he pretends to be deaf so that he can overhear conversations. Of course, this opens the door for more patients to make fun of him and manipulate him--but at least he can overhear what they say. When not sweeping, he is left alone by the ward--for the most part-- since he does pretend to be deaf and pretty dumb. He is extremely tall--like 6 feet 7 inches-- but yet, people still tend to leave him be.
The next part i want to mention is the part where Miz Ratched wants to give Bromden a shave. I wonder why he runs away quickly and hides after overhearing this? In the next chapter, a new patient joins the ward. Randle, the new patient, has a sense of joy and pride in himself. I can't tell right now if everyone dislikes him because he is so happy (well not happy but confident and pride-ful) while everyone else is gloomy and mean. So far, the book is not as humorous as the last, but i find this book more realistic than the last book we read. I really like the style of writing that the author has. Also, the first person narration is very appropriate because we get to hear Bromden's thoughts. I think I will enjoy continuing this book. I might watch the movie after reading the book as well.
First things first, I hear the movie is horrible compared to the book but I think we should watch it as a group afterwards but besides the point. Anywho I really enjoy One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, its funny in a cynical and dark type of way. But some parts are as funny as it is painful with emotion, like when Bancini says he was born dead, these people are aware that they aren't like everyone esle and in this moment the audience really understands the full measure of this. Its not difficult to realize that these people aren't mainstream but the part of society everyone else tries to avoid. They are even ashamed to be seen with one another as they seperate themselves into Acutes and Chronics. This sick realization that these people are sick and they know it, they are abused and they know it is the most disturbing part of the book. But this sudden appearance of McMurphy will probably change the silent submission. The choice of narrator is odd because he doesn’t seem like the story is about him but rather the institution or McMurphy. He is very passive but the story is told from a very piognant and objective view. The beginning when he explainss Nurse Ratched with her bag filled with everything except female products and his paraniod beliefs that there are little electroinc devices in the pills that aren’t vitamens that desinergrate when touched by oxygen. All in all I’m really excited about the rest of the book and I think its gona be a really good read. Also I'm super excited to finally find out where NurseRatched comes from, I never got the reference until now.
Ok so clearly Murphy is like the new cool kid in town. He defiantly breaks kind of the stereotype for people in the facilities: cant communicate, can't be around other, unable think for themselves. In a way I think Kensey is using Murphy as argument that people in these facilities are human too. Murphy is defiantly employed as a source of humor in the story but also make people question what a guy like him would be doing in a mental institution.
One thing that struck me greatly is in the book a man is giving a tour of the institution and says "think back on the old days, on the filth,, the bad food, even, yes the brutality" (15). When in actuality the narrator observes and experiences the brutality of the nurses. I think the writer may be arguing there is still smoke and mirrors around mental institution Even after all this "progress" and hype.
I was really confused at the part about the clocks. Ratched was able to turn the clocks to move as fast or as slow as they wanted -- or so Bromden thought. Is this supposed to be metaphoric or symbolic of something in Bromden's life? The symbolism i could think of was that it showed the side of Bromden's life that he just wants to stop time and be with himself. He feels pain when time is going by but when time feels stopped, he feels better. I really like McMurphy's character because he is so different from everyone in the ward and he brings a new attitude and shines a new light in the ward. McMurphy and Bromden begin to connect in a weird way. They don't talk to much and no one really seems to like McMurphy because of his strong and quirky personality, but i predict that him and Bromden are going to connect. I tihnk McMurphy is going to help Bromden change as a person.
Ok, so to answer your question Monkia the clocks are totally symbolic, its to show that htat the Chief isn’t all there and the fact that Miss Ratched has complete control over the whole ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ even doown to the time. It’s almost troublesome when McMurphy is trying to talk to Ratched about the radio and all of a sudden he is talking like when one of the other patients who has already been beaten down by her “I never thought of that” as if she is turning him into one of her zombies. This section was so interesting because it gave us more insight to why the Chief is there and how he came to be considered ‘insane’. He believes the ‘fog machine’ is somehtign he had seen when he was in the army, showing this might be PTSD, also his viewing in his other Indian friends’ deaths also could cause the same kind of stress. The Chief obviously comes from a very traumatic background and it explains his need to be “cagey” and why he thinks cutting himself off from the rest of the them might save him. Also the moment with Colonel Matterson when he thinks “you’re making sense…a sense of your own…you’re not crazy” shows this comradary that wasn’t originally present. This recent connection with his other house mate, McMurphy, when he raises his hand to vote shows him coming out of this shell and breaking free from the idea that he is crazy. Also McMurphy is beginning to feel the crazy setting in, like when he tried to lift that metal thing, and might really need another sanee friend.
It’s kind of ironic to see that all the other people in the ward thing McMurphy is such a violent or harmful person, but that is because he is different than the rest in the Ward. He is the most outgoing—clearly, and has a lot of confidence unlike everyone else, so they feel threatened and offended. Ratched, during the meeting, disagrees and tries to stand up for McMurphy, claiming that he is just like everyone else. When Bromden sees the dog running in the highway with an oncoming car near it, is this supposed to be a foreshadow of Cheswick’s suicide? Or what they think is suicide, seeing as his fingers got caught in the drain, which seems hard to do if its not on purpose. Or is it just symbolic of the type of life Bromden has seen or been living? Towards the ending of this section, McMurphy seems to have a different attitude. Ever since he witnessed the seizures of Sefelt, his attitude changes completely. He seems more paranoid, or nervous even. He becomes more angry and the violent side of him that everyone was worried over begins to come out.
Whoa. That was amazing. Kesey attacks a lot of different things through this books, he attacks the shotty knowledge/treatment of psychiatric patients and questions its efficiency and also attacks government and how its works to oppress fellow man. This whole book questions insanity to sanity, it creates this idea that those in the asylum are just people who can’t deal with harsh reality and would rather be in a faux place deemed safe. They have been told repeatedly that they do not belong and that they are less, creating a self-esteem issue that results in inferiority and this though of insanity. This is seen through Miss Ratched’s treatment of them and the government’s treatment of the Chief’s dad. Kesey attacks this idea of a group in control, of government because its only seen as an oppress source that keeps its followers low as a way to control them. The institution itself acts as a cage to restrain the inhabitants, to force themselves to think that they are different. Finally the cage gets McMurphy, against his will, and finally takes him. The Chief and McMurphy switch roles, as the Chief acts as a way to free McMurphy from the enslavement. Through euthanasia, the Chief defies this force, freeing McMurphy the only way possible after his lobotomy. Kesey tells this sad tale to warn of corruption leading to maltreatment and oppression.
Hey guys sorry for my fail to blog:/ So this is going to be about all 3 sections.
Section 1: Ok so I like how "Chief Broom" is the one whos narrorating it all, it really makes it seem more personal in a sense. I find it interesting how they make him sweep the floors hence his name of Chief Broom. He's way bigger than all of them. I also am a fan of how he pretends to be deaf and dumb when in reality he hears everything going on, it's very sneaky of him. I think it's kind of like a school or high school at the ward because they have specific group people get put in. There are the acutes, who are people who can be cured and then the chronics which are "machines with flaws inside that can't be repaired"
Section 2: I agree with Mon in how I got a little confused wht Ratched and the clocks. But then now reading Jeri's comment it cleared it up. As I got further into the book it made me really want to see the movie. I wanna be able to see how they portray each character and put to rest what I've heard of it being good or not being good.I'm honestly not a fan of Ratched after he freak out and as jeri says she basically takes over the ward i dont know what it is but she really annoys me. She's way too overbearing and I just don't like the way she treats everyone in the ward. I understand you need control but I feel like she just has WAY too much.
Section 3: When Bromden and McMurphy go for their "treatment" McMurphy goes into it like nothing but Bromden goes into it basically scared to death. When he recalls all his childhood memorie I thought it was kind of like a if I die moment. I just don't get how McMurphy can continuously take all these shock treatment I would think it would effect him more than it does/did. I think the ending was crazy, the fact that Bromden kills McMurphy and escapes was in mind a perfect ending. Like not what I full expected but was a WHOA. moment. must see this movie. another good pick for humor 2:)
So it seems McMurphy is putting his foot down and actually standing up to the head nurse! Yay! This kind of allows the abused patients to realize that they way they are being treated is not right. McMurphy, though some may think he is sane I think he might be a little damaged as well. Kesey makes a clear difference between the ways McMurphy perceives the world. Many of the patients want to be safe and remain in the “fog”. These broken patience admit that they would be “easy to get at” if they where pulled out of the fog. What is the fog however? Is it structure and protection from any sort of change and even mystery? No likes the life they lead in this mental situation but they are too afraid to leave. Kensey I believe is making a connection overall the people fear change, mystery, the unknown. We take pleasure in what is familiar even if it is cruel to us.
Out of the whole book I would have to say my favorite character in the book is Chief Bromden. He is, or so many people think a deaf mute. He kind acts a whirlpool of secrets since nobody thinks he can understand or will say anything. He kind of reminds me of the billboard with the eyes on them from the book The Great Gatsby. Chief Bromden I think is very well characterized and I think it says a lot about him they way he thinks he is a mountain. Another thing I find fascinating about this book is the nick names give to each character. Chief Bromden probably got his because he is Native American but also because of his seriousness and almost solemn attitude.
23 Comments:
Rita was too fast for us gang. We have been demoted to Humor two =^(
Anyway I think we can all agree Laurie Notaro is hilarious! Her ability to observe mundane life in such a way is quite chuckle worthy. The self deprecating humor can get depressing but her odd and obvious over exaggerations are her ways of poking fun at life and showing that mundane life is pretty funny, its all about how you look at it.
Notaro relies heavily on irony, for example all of chapter four, ‘Sickening.’ She openly mocks people and then goes and does something very similar. Its evident that by saying the other passenger “looked completely normal” sets up this idea that the passenger’s personality is contrasting with this normal image but as it goes on it is Laurie who takes out a “bird-flu mask” which we later find out came it packs of (I think) 50. She knows how abnormal she is and how these idiosyncrasies are actually amusing.
These over exaggerations in descriptions and actions are so ridiculous that you find them almost fictitious but then you realize they aren’t. Her observations are just written really in-depth. Not only does her insight cover a special needs family but also pg 24 when she seems completely delusion-less. Notaro has a real interesting concept of reality and fiction where she does not try to alter or change the truth but speaks only from her side of the truth. Her description of herself is completely off base, because of her horrible descriptions of herself it got me curios so I googled (in Microsoft word processor it underlined googled as a misspelled/fake word…this is depressing) her and she is CUTE.
This book is not a novel but actually a humor/autobiography due to the bias nature. It is so interesting how she chooses to describe things. Kenny Ray was an interesting section when she went into this full description of his “thin-lipped mug shot” (52). The chapters seem to have nothing to do with one another but her compilation is so interesting because they all have people like Kenny Ray in them, where they are important for a while and then the next chapter their existence means nothing, it’s a lot like life where after you leave that part of your life (like a job, school or vacation) the people you met there really don’t mean anything. it’s a lot different from a novel where you have to remember everyone but she really is telling this like her life.
The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death is so interesting and fun to read because of the personality that Laurie Notaro is able to bring to the pages. She does not tell this story as if the person viewing it or as if she were retelling it. Yes, it is in past tense but she brings so much more than retelling she brings the personality of this crazy thing we call life. All in all, I like it.
Ok I completely agree with Jeri this woman is absolutely hilarious but not just that she make it all so easy to relate to. I think what I first like the most about Laurie (the main character) is the she is very honest with herself, though she may not be with her husband, she gives the reader all her secret thoughts, ideas and peeves. For example on page 9 she gave her opinion on people who don’t eat dessert instead refuse and wait of the others for finish their desserts. Laurie seemed to be absolutely exasperated with people who simply did not join her for dessert. In many way I think she is making a connect and dessert can be anything: smoking, drinking, bullying, or just plain old cause mischief. Maybe I am reading too much into this?
I think what I also really like about this book so far is that the way Laurie thinks is similar we as human think. She gives people nicknames such as the “Fantasy Lady” when she feels threatened by this beautiful woman. In many ways she reflects the human mind, even more so the mind of both of a woman and a girl: insecure, threatened, needy, naggy, unpredictable but lovable all the same.
This book truly a great book, a page turner, I love it! Laurie Notaro you insane and we love you!
Right from the start, this book is hilarious! In every page, there's a million things to laugh about. Just like phedorah said, my favorite thing about the character is that she is very real and honest, especially with herself. She knows her habits, she knows herself & isn't afraid to make jokes about it.
The most hilarious trait that Laurie possess is that she develops crazy habits from the discovery channel. For example (page 39) when she talks about the bird flu mask. She watched a segment on discovery channel about the crazy amounts of germs around us during our daily life and now she is completely obsessed with keeping free of germs (which is practically impossible).
Another thing that really keeps the pages alive is the relationship Laurie has with her husband. He is supportive in a very funny way. And when he thinks she's being crazy, he tells her.
My favorite part so far is when the sex offender moves into her neighborhood, about three houses down from hers! If this ever happened to me,i probably wouldnt be able to crack such hilarious jokes, id probably be scared like nuts! But she is able to take this situation and through her anger of a sex offender living there, she makes it a hilarious event.
I cannot wait to continue reading this book! So far, i definitely recommend it to others who enjoy humor books.
Ok along with everyone else I completly agree Laurie Notaro is freaking hilarious. This is the funniest book I think I've read in awhile. Like most of you also I love how she is so honest and doesn't care about making fun of herself. I love her somewhat sarcastic tone to her jokes. Oddly her relationship with her husband reminds me so much of my brother and his wife. They have such a scarcastic joking realtionship where they can tell eachother anything no matter how honest they have to be, but they also can joke about anything like Laurie and her husband.
As Mon said about how she laughed and joked about the sex offender down the street. I know from experience when one moved into my apartment building I wasn't joking around! I was scared to death! I felt so indangered, and Laurie shes cracking jokes about it.
I love the way a situation and be crazy,angry, or sad and she turns it somehow into cracking a joke.
I had read Rita's comment on Humor I and it looks like she isn't enjoying it and it isn't funny! :( Looks like we picked an awesome group ladies:) Can't wait for the next chapter I'm interested about the Uhhhhhhhhhmazing Dr. Wells.
Finally, I think this a book I will actually enjoy reading and partaking in this year...It's the truth I had to get it off my chest. Idiot Girl is the best humor memoir have ever read before. Notaro makes her life off to sound almost as a sitcom plot in every chapter for example, the spying neighbors, when she is actually the spy herself and the sex offender moving in next door to her.
I love how she goes back in forth about all her life experiences, I envy that a lot about writers because as I write a college essay explain in a limited number of words myself to a board of people who have never met in my life I think of how to blend the epic stories of my life and what to say to catch the mind of a stranger analyzing my fate to go to their institute.
This book gives me a lot of ideas in my situation, for example, one of my favorites, instead of turning her weight (btw: she's not that big at all) into a sob fest but embraces it kind of with a joking matter with help of her husbands 'playful" games like "Two Dollars For Not Peeking Into Someone Else's Room (or dessert)" and "I'll Give You a Dollar for Every Hour You Don't Speak a Word" (my favorite) and also his uncanningly loath for desserts...!?!...
I love this book and how it plays out so far especially with characters like Notaro's husband. In the text it seems he is the more seriously taken, quiet, stern character, which makes it easy for him and Laurie to be a quite interesting match to follow (opposites attract), and deep down he might understand that she is what makes him somewhat alive and adventurous...They almost remind me of Chandler and Monica....that's as much that I can say for this book for now, but I have more...
Again Laurie does not fail to entertain! All I can say is she is insane! And let the record show I agree that women and men should have separate everything such as roads and cinemas. However this section we see a whole new side of Laurie; she is no longer crazy and fun but also compassionate and crazy…and funny.
Lets all admit we all got upset when her BLIND dog passed away, he was so pathetic and she made it seemed like he would make it then BAM, he was dead. She really was able to bring us into those last couple of weeks of ups and downs, she brought the reader on an emotional rollercoaster until finally we crashed landed with a single phone call that we all know was coming but could not face. The after math of her chasing the dog owner who she had chased before, “not her, not the same girl, but to other people,” her pathetic confession made me cry (122). If that wasn’t heart breaking enough, all the dogs she wants has t things wrong with them!! Awwww (we were all thinking it).
“People are going to see me fat!” classic line (140).This line explains her perfectly; always ready to mock herself, go to a birthday party for a dog, or go to the bathroom with the door open. Their crazy need to raise a “socialized and well-adjusted” puppy is so funny, this act just reinforces the craziness of the first quote, everything they do just makes them seem more comical than real (146). Their antics as a couple just continuously becomes more absurd and because of this it makes the book more interesting and keeps drawing the reader’s attention.
Laurie is so interesting because she’s too real, she is real life and all its crazy, funny, mishaps. To become her would be a fun experience, she’s not a normal adult who gets more mature with age but rather crazier. I shouldn’t say a ‘normal adult’ but rather a truthful adult who is willing to show her true self rather than hide it behind a façade designed to make her appear as what some might consider an ‘adult.’ To put it simple: she is interesting because she is honest.
Ahhh, Jeri, you basically stole my words! The compassion she has in the second part of the book, yet still keeping the funny in it, is just simply amazing. When her dog passed away, as jeri said, who laurie glorified, i was truly upset for Laurie. It's nice to see this side of her because yes, she is this hilarious, and i really mean hilariousss!, person, but she is also this loving person.
My favorite part of this section though has by farrr got to be the part where she goes into the doctors office and gets laser hair removal..and my favorite favorite favorite quote is when the docor notices a tiny bit of fuzz growing on her lip, she overexxagerates and says... PAGE 95 "i wanted to gasy i was so embarrassed. I mean having chin growth is one thing, but i had no idea i had a goatee going on. And apparently it was not merely 'going on' but was substanstial"
She is just so hilarious. Her thoughts are just so real and are probably things we think about one or twice during our lifetimes. This is probably why i find this book so interesting.
For example, the part where she says she "doesnt want people to see me fat". Many of us, especially myself, have been in that situation. The things she talks about (to some extent) we can most likely relate to.
I cannot wait to read the next part.
I am soooo happy that we chose this amazing book!
I think what I like the most about Laurie Notaro is that she is very honest even when it may not seem cool. She is also very much a kid as she bugs her husband non stop about getting a new dog or the way that her old dogs death effected her so greatly. She does a great job of making the reader mourn for this poor dog, this poor blind dog.
Another one of my favorite parts in this section of the book is how she talks about all she wants is a friend. I thought this was so honest almost raw in the way it is presented. I think it almost works as a commentary that we as people need to feel a connection with someone whether person or animal, that signs of life are desired.
Finally I think a huge part of this section is the idea of self perception. On page 127 she says “The Awful Glimpse is an unforgiving , unfiltered portrait of the real you when you least expect it”. I thought I could relate this because often times we lie to ourselves or turn a blind in order to make things better then they appear. We judge others that are not that different only to be shell shocked at the huge similarity between “that fat girl” and I which ties into what Jeri was saying.
I really love her writing and the points she makes. It is easy to read but you can draw so much from them at the same time.
Also Monika I also agree that Laurie Notaro just made hair removal hysterical.
Okay so the end wasn’t so much a let down as it was odd comparatively. The beginning of the memoir (maybe autobiography) was so different from how it ends. No longer is Laurie dependent on her husband but has this weird bond with her friend. What I didn’t like is that we have no idea where her husband is or what he is doing. The best part of her stories is that as she is losing her mind her husband acts as a normal/non-crazy person, making the story funny because of the contrast in personality, but when its only Laurie and her best friend (whom is also crazy) that cute/quirky relationship is no longer there.
Notaro is still able to make me laugh, I won’t lie, because she is still herself as she curiously asks the boat attendants about their sleeping quarters showing that she still is a caring person. Though the book takes a turn, Laurie is still able to show that crazy people can be empathetic too. Its annoying that they gorge themselves on all of this food in the ship, also its irritating as she passes judgment on the “windowless” passengers (I think this is when the book really turned for me, my family probably can’t afford tickets for this ship. The fact that she passes judgment on these lesser than rich people pisses me off because she makes such a general statement about them). But that’s not the point, its obvious that she cares about the boat attendants, as she kind of mocks their conditions and doesn’t really pay that much interest, then she gives them partially eaten food, though its probably better than the food they usually get its still kind of insult as their hands have probably been all over it and the cheese probably congealed by the time they got it). But I really liked her short story about her Prius, I totally get where she is coming from.
Ok (I just realized that I started my first paragraph similarly with an ’okay’ but I’m not going to change it because I think it shows that I kind of went off on a rant lol) this is starting to sound like a hate rant and I feel bad because it was an okay book so I’m not going to pass judgment upon it. Laurie is still a pretty interesting character because her odd mix of morals and child-like personality that gets her into these messes. Over all it was an interesting story of her life and travel, I wish it had touched more upon her trials and tribulations as a writer, it was the one aspect of her life that the reader knows nothing about. Its funny we know about her hair removal, her body image issues, what she does in the bathroom but we know nothing of career...it’s a little odd that she is so open about her private life and appears to have no boundaries but her commercial life is something that she never touched upon.
I find Jeri's last point very interesting about how open Laurie is with letting the reader into her personal life. I mean yes, it is a successful topic because as sad as it is, people do want to read about others pathetic lives or interesting lives, but it was very shocking to see just how much Laurie actually lets us know.
I also agree with Jeri's point about the ending being very different from the beginning. I noticed the bit about her husband as well. I thought he was a huge part of why the book was so hilarious. His wife would do all this crazy stuff & he would calmly and pretty rationally, brush it off like he was so used to her lifestyle. He almost made it seem like Laurie's crazy ideas and thoughts were actually pretty normal. When he started being mentioned less and less in the end of the book, the story got a tad bit less fun to read. Despite that though, I still do think Laurie is an exceptional writer of humor. Making the reader laugh can be very hard to do but with Laurie, it seemed as if i was literally chuckling at least once or twice on each page.
Finally, I wanna say that i had a great time reading this book. It was nice to get some humor in a book that we are reading in school. We're so used to reading literature with all this dense language so this was a nice read.
I hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as i did (:
First of all did anyone else burst out laughing when the saw the picture of the dish towel at the end of the story? Cause I sure did!
As far as the ending I agree a bit with Jeri and Monika it wasn't a let down but it was your typical closing for a story which I think it many ways works because it act as almost an introduction for her other books. But there is kind of a maturity seen between the beginning of the book and to end. At the end she ordered "two desserts" (p. 198) when before she had such a huge issue with having dessert and her weight. In the begin of the story she struggled a little with jealousy and by the end she had learn to cope in her own hysterical way with the women around her.
Also I find Jeri's comment interesting: she never actually touches on her commercial life and I wonder why that is. Does she think that it kind of self explanatory or obvious? Or maybe even unrelated?
I think it is funny how different she is from her husband and how she is always high stung and he keeps her some what sane and grounded. I personally really liked this book and I am actually ordering the book based on when she was getting married was should be fun to read. I really lover her funny kind of insane and spontaneous dialog with the reader and find it really engaging.
Hey guys in my week and a half of pneumonia and sickness I neve rposted a blog for the second half of the book sorry:/ So here it is.
Ok so first off I could not stop laughing at the whole hair removal deboicle. Who knew someone could make hair removal so hilarious. The fact she thinks a forest is growing from her chin and THEN the doctor says how about I do your lip too jus tmakes it even better cause now she gets to worry about the forest that has crept to her upper lip. When she started having trouble breathing and basically hyperventalting I couldn't help but laugh. Only Lauri Notaro would start hyperventalating getting hair removal.
Next, when Laurie goes to the Indian Festival with her friends and the get what she thought to be a "water balloon" thrown at them which she realizes is nothing but a bird who as she says shit on them. I literally couldnt stop laughing at her describing this moment " bird deces the consistency of liquid paper" I was dying. Then when she went to get more food and the lady with the tokens cut her and my FAVE line last paragraph on pg 111 "if you're reading this to the lady who brought all the token people in line...I remember your face..I remember that pinchy wrinkly mouth" I was like oh Laurie. haha
Ok my last comment is to when her dog Bella died. I have two cats one ironicly named Bella. I was legit holdign abck the tears reading this part, I couldn't even think of losing one of my pets I was so upset reading how she didn't get there in time to say goodbye and she had sucha bound with her little blind puppy. I felt so bad for her and her reaction after. I read I think it was Phedorah said something about her reaction to her dogdying and her begging her husband for a new one. I really didn't see how that is childish? Because if my cat(in her case dog) died I would be devistated and I would after a while probably want a new one cause after having a companion like that so long you get lonely. I don't know I just didnt really see that as her acting like a kid. She does other times but I didnt see it there.
I really really love this book, I'm soooo glad we picked it it keeps me laughing and intertained.
Ok part three of the book now haha=)
Ok as a few of you said I also got the feeling that the third half wasn't really the same as the first two. I kinda felt let down but kinda not lol. Ok so as Jeri said in part 3 Laurie is less dependant on her husband and is much closer to her friend. I also like Jeri felt kinda wait where'd her husband go? She seems to sort of just stop talking about his importance to her, he just seems to poof gone.
Monika and Jeri both talked about how Laurie lets us into her life as a whole but mostly her personal life, as monika says its sad but true we love reading about other people lives. I know a lot of people creep into others lives facebook updates, twitter updates etc. to get into their lives to compare their lives to those they read abouts lives.
I agree with all of you the end seemed sort of a let down BUT I agree with Phedorah that it seems to be end to this book but a start to he rother books. ]WHICH I really want to read she has a book called There's a (slight) chance I might be going to hell: A novel of sewer pipes, pagent queens and big trouble which looks HILARIOUS.
So I decided reading the first part of this book I wanted to think up what I thought Laurie Notaro would look like.Since at the end we are only given a picture of a towel animal and a picture of her as a toddler I thougth about what she might look like, and I mus say I didn't see what I found when I googled her, see for yourself ladies this is Laurie Notaro in the flesh and blood. http://www.flickr.com/photos/katieray/14057507/
I even more love the convo the flick user put at the bottom too funny oh laurie.
I soo loved this book hope you guys did too=)
I'm not sure if we are supposed to continue our blogs here for our next book, but i sure hope so (:
So, a new book: One Flew over the CUckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. Right from the start of the book, we can tell that the main chracter in this is not very liked. He is manipulated and mis-treated by the other mates in this psych ward. It is interesting how on the first page, the narrator, who is also the main character, gives us an explanation of him.."my beind half indian..", but he does not give us his name until about the 6th page. The other patients in the ward call him "chief broom" because they always make him mop the rooms. Also, i thought it was completely hilarious when the narrator said he pretends to be deaf so that he can overhear conversations. Of course, this opens the door for more patients to make fun of him and manipulate him--but at least he can overhear what they say.
When not sweeping, he is left alone by the ward--for the most part-- since he does pretend to be deaf and pretty dumb. He is extremely tall--like 6 feet 7 inches-- but yet, people still tend to leave him be.
The next part i want to mention is the part where Miz Ratched wants to give Bromden a shave. I wonder why he runs away quickly and hides after overhearing this? In the next chapter, a new patient joins the ward. Randle, the new patient, has a sense of joy and pride in himself. I can't tell right now if everyone dislikes him because he is so happy (well not happy but confident and pride-ful) while everyone else is gloomy and mean.
So far, the book is not as humorous as the last, but i find this book more realistic than the last book we read. I really like the style of writing that the author has. Also, the first person narration is very appropriate because we get to hear Bromden's thoughts. I think I will enjoy continuing this book. I might watch the movie after reading the book as well.
(:
First things first, I hear the movie is horrible compared to the book but I think we should watch it as a group afterwards but besides the point.
Anywho I really enjoy One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, its funny in a cynical and dark type of way. But some parts are as funny as it is painful with emotion, like when Bancini says he was born dead, these people are aware that they aren't like everyone esle and in this moment the audience really understands the full measure of this.
Its not difficult to realize that these people aren't mainstream but the part of society everyone else tries to avoid. They are even ashamed to be seen with one another as they seperate themselves into Acutes and Chronics. This sick realization that these people are sick and they know it, they are abused and they know it is the most disturbing part of the book. But this sudden appearance of McMurphy will probably change the silent submission.
The choice of narrator is odd because he doesn’t seem like the story is about him but rather the institution or McMurphy. He is very passive but the story is told from a very piognant and objective view. The beginning when he explainss Nurse Ratched with her bag filled with everything except female products and his paraniod beliefs that there are little electroinc devices in the pills that aren’t vitamens that desinergrate when touched by oxygen.
All in all I’m really excited about the rest of the book and I think its gona be a really good read.
Also I'm super excited to finally find out where NurseRatched comes from, I never got the reference until now.
Ok so clearly Murphy is like the new cool kid in town. He defiantly breaks kind of the stereotype for people in the facilities: cant communicate, can't be around other, unable think for themselves. In a way I think Kensey is using Murphy as argument that people in these facilities are human too. Murphy is defiantly employed as a source of humor in the story but also make people question what a guy like him would be doing in a mental institution.
One thing that struck me greatly is in the book a man is giving a tour of the institution and says "think back on the old days, on the filth,, the bad food, even, yes the brutality" (15). When in actuality the narrator observes and experiences the brutality of the nurses. I think the writer may be arguing there is still smoke and mirrors around mental institution Even after all this "progress" and hype.
I was really confused at the part about the clocks. Ratched was able to turn the clocks to move as fast or as slow as they wanted -- or so Bromden thought. Is this supposed to be metaphoric or symbolic of something in Bromden's life? The symbolism i could think of was that it showed the side of Bromden's life that he just wants to stop time and be with himself. He feels pain when time is going by but when time feels stopped, he feels better.
I really like McMurphy's character because he is so different from everyone in the ward and he brings a new attitude and shines a new light in the ward. McMurphy and Bromden begin to connect in a weird way. They don't talk to much and no one really seems to like McMurphy because of his strong and quirky personality, but i predict that him and Bromden are going to connect. I tihnk McMurphy is going to help Bromden change as a person.
Ok, so to answer your question Monkia the clocks are totally symbolic, its to show that htat the Chief isn’t all there and the fact that Miss Ratched has complete control over the whole ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ even doown to the time. It’s almost troublesome when McMurphy is trying to talk to Ratched about the radio and all of a sudden he is talking like when one of the other patients who has already been beaten down by her “I never thought of that” as if she is turning him into one of her zombies.
This section was so interesting because it gave us more insight to why the Chief is there and how he came to be considered ‘insane’. He believes the ‘fog machine’ is somehtign he had seen when he was in the army, showing this might be PTSD, also his viewing in his other Indian friends’ deaths also could cause the same kind of stress. The Chief obviously comes from a very traumatic background and it explains his need to be “cagey” and why he thinks cutting himself off from the rest of the them might save him. Also the moment with Colonel Matterson when he thinks “you’re making sense…a sense of your own…you’re not crazy” shows this comradary that wasn’t originally present. This recent connection with his other house mate, McMurphy, when he raises his hand to vote shows him coming out of this shell and breaking free from the idea that he is crazy. Also McMurphy is beginning to feel the crazy setting in, like when he tried to lift that metal thing, and might really need another sanee friend.
It’s kind of ironic to see that all the other people in the ward thing McMurphy is such a violent or harmful person, but that is because he is different than the rest in the Ward. He is the most outgoing—clearly, and has a lot of confidence unlike everyone else, so they feel threatened and offended. Ratched, during the meeting, disagrees and tries to stand up for McMurphy, claiming that he is just like everyone else.
When Bromden sees the dog running in the highway with an oncoming car near it, is this supposed to be a foreshadow of Cheswick’s suicide? Or what they think is suicide, seeing as his fingers got caught in the drain, which seems hard to do if its not on purpose. Or is it just symbolic of the type of life Bromden has seen or been living?
Towards the ending of this section, McMurphy seems to have a different attitude. Ever since he witnessed the seizures of Sefelt, his attitude changes completely. He seems more paranoid, or nervous even. He becomes more angry and the violent side of him that everyone was worried over begins to come out.
Whoa. That was amazing. Kesey attacks a lot of different things through this books, he attacks the shotty knowledge/treatment of psychiatric patients and questions its efficiency and also attacks government and how its works to oppress fellow man. This whole book questions insanity to sanity, it creates this idea that those in the asylum are just people who can’t deal with harsh reality and would rather be in a faux place deemed safe. They have been told repeatedly that they do not belong and that they are less, creating a self-esteem issue that results in inferiority and this though of insanity. This is seen through Miss Ratched’s treatment of them and the government’s treatment of the Chief’s dad. Kesey attacks this idea of a group in control, of government because its only seen as an oppress source that keeps its followers low as a way to control them. The institution itself acts as a cage to restrain the inhabitants, to force themselves to think that they are different. Finally the cage gets McMurphy, against his will, and finally takes him. The Chief and McMurphy switch roles, as the Chief acts as a way to free McMurphy from the enslavement. Through euthanasia, the Chief defies this force, freeing McMurphy the only way possible after his lobotomy.
Kesey tells this sad tale to warn of corruption leading to maltreatment and oppression.
Hey guys sorry for my fail to blog:/ So this is going to be about all 3 sections.
Section 1:
Ok so I like how "Chief Broom" is the one whos narrorating it all, it really makes it seem more personal in a sense. I find it interesting how they make him sweep the floors hence his name of Chief Broom. He's way bigger than all of them.
I also am a fan of how he pretends to be deaf and dumb when in reality he hears everything going on, it's very sneaky of him.
I think it's kind of like a school or high school at the ward because they have specific group people get put in. There are the acutes, who are people who can be cured and then the chronics which are "machines with flaws inside that can't be repaired"
Section 2:
I agree with Mon in how I got a little confused wht Ratched and the clocks. But then now reading Jeri's comment it cleared it up. As I got further into the book it made me really want to see the movie. I wanna be able to see how they portray each character and put to rest what I've heard of it being good or not being good.I'm honestly not a fan of Ratched after he freak out and as jeri says she basically takes over the ward i dont know what it is but she really annoys me. She's way too overbearing and I just don't like the way she treats everyone in the ward. I understand you need control but I feel like she just has WAY too much.
Section 3:
When Bromden and McMurphy go for their "treatment" McMurphy goes into it like nothing but Bromden goes into it basically scared to death. When he recalls all his childhood memorie I thought it was kind of like a if I die moment. I just don't get how McMurphy can continuously take all these shock treatment I would think it would effect him more than it does/did.
I think the ending was crazy, the fact that Bromden kills McMurphy and escapes was in mind a perfect ending. Like not what I full expected but was a WHOA. moment. must see this movie. another good pick for humor 2:)
Sorry I have been a slacker too.. ♥
So it seems McMurphy is putting his foot down and actually standing up to the head nurse! Yay! This kind of allows the abused patients to realize that they way they are being treated is not right. McMurphy, though some may think he is sane I think he might be a little damaged as well. Kesey makes a clear difference between the ways McMurphy perceives the world. Many of the patients want to be safe and remain in the “fog”. These broken patience admit that they would be “easy to get at” if they where pulled out of the fog. What is the fog however? Is it structure and protection from any sort of change and even mystery? No likes the life they lead in this mental situation but they are too afraid to leave. Kensey I believe is making a connection overall the people fear change, mystery, the unknown. We take pleasure in what is familiar even if it is cruel to us.
Out of the whole book I would have to say my favorite character in the book is Chief Bromden. He is, or so many people think a deaf mute. He kind acts a whirlpool of secrets since nobody thinks he can understand or will say anything. He kind of reminds me of the billboard with the eyes on them from the book The Great Gatsby. Chief Bromden I think is very well characterized and I think it says a lot about him they way he thinks he is a mountain. Another thing I find fascinating about this book is the nick names give to each character. Chief Bromden probably got his because he is Native American but also because of his seriousness and almost solemn attitude.
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