5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Our narrator is 'Chief' Bromden, a large, unassuming, deaf mute half Native Indian. Through his eyes and perspectives, we witness the downfall of Randle P McMurphy, a loveable rogue who decided a spell in a mental hospital would be wee buns compared to a spell in prison. Randle makes heroic efforts to challenge the tyranny of Nurse Ratched and shake the inmates out of their complacency. Unfortunately Randle doesn't know when his number is up and he pushes the regime further and further until he is eventually lobotomised. So what role does Chief Bromden play in this story? He hasn't spoken a word in years and then he suddenly opens up to Randle. Chief seems to thrive on Randle's rebellion and becomes his closet confidant. Diagnosed as a schizophrenic, Chief is nonetheless a very lucid narrator who sees all of the agents of power in the world as one big repressive machine called The Combine. Nurse Ratched and her three orderlies represent The Combine on the ward and Chief takes to Randle because he has the balls to go against the Combine. Ultimately Randle pays for his assault on Nurse Ratched but Chief is set free and it is definitely Chief's liberation that is the most cathartic part of the book. A magical narration by a character who you think is a hopeless case but transforms into a strong person who can take charge of their own destiny.