So today in class we discussed how “Chief Bromden” seems to be fairly lucid (24). I find myself in a state of confusion over the exact reasoning for his placement in the mental institution. I mean he can clearly remember past events in great detail, and he is actively observant. Not to mention the fact that he is smart enough to play “deaf and dumb” (24). So why put him in this institution? As of yet, the only thing that seems to stand out is his broken speech, but that should not prove someone to be mentally incapacitated. He also seems to refer to humans, especially those in the institution, as robots. I think that the main reasoning for this is because of the torture he has had to endure in the institution. The “treatments” have obviously instilled a constant fear into him. I feel that, because he has been in the institution the longest, he has learned not to trust people. So, to cope with the fear he has twisted his way of thinking so that people become emotionless robots in his eyes, thus removing the complications of trust and emotions. Ironically, it seems that the staff at the institution seems to be more “insane” than he is. I look forward to learning more about his character along with the rest of the characters further into the novel.
Hayden, I completely agree with your assesment of Chief Bromdem. How ironic it is that a supposodly insane patient seems to contain a level of sanity. Ultimately, I believe that it may be the mental institution that has made him more insane than he would have been in the outside world. I am interested to learn about how he came to be in the mental institution, in order to formerly gage the level of his sanity.
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