Now and Then
Have you ever re-read a book from when you were younger? Did you respond differently to it? Most likely, you brought new experiences, world views, and even personal preferences to that second reading. Sometimes, you reaffirm your initial take on the book. Sometimes you have a very different point of view. For me it was Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
*** MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW ***
When I read it as a student in high school, I fell in love with the cynicism of the corrupt American Dream and Big Nurse’s cruelty. McMurphy took on a system that was bigger than him. He arguably lost, or did he? Did Chief Bromden learn enough from him to be victorious? Or was he eventually sucked back in by The Combine?
My 17 year-old self had a dark perspective. I found anything that smelled of existentialism fascinating — the idea that you were responsible for yourself, that there was no universal right or wrong, that society’s expectations were oppressive. I didn’t necessarily want McMurphy and the rest of the men on the ward to lose, but when they did it felt inevitable. It felt “right.” You cannot beat the system. It crushes those who rebel.
My experience changed when I began teaching the novel to my high school classes. I cannot say at first I approached the lessons much differently than how I experienced the book as a student. However, as my career progressed and life threw different challenges at me, I began to look at the book much more optimistically. McMurphy’s desire to make the men work together, to love one another, to give of themselves for the betterment of their brethren was foremost in my mind. That is what I taught the last several years of my career. Human decency can win out with love. It will be hard, it will not always overcome pain, but it makes life more bearable. And, damn it, when people work together they can achieve great things.
In an interview featured in a video made shortly after Kesey’s death, he wrapped up his view as a believer in love. Fill me with love, he said. Love is the greatest cure. Now, that may be the old Merry Prankster talking (love can cure anything), but in today’s world, I think we could use a little more of Kesey’s optimism.
