Trust Issues

       In class today, we got all caught up in our trust issues with Chief Bromden and his narration of the novel. Though Ms. Serensky told us to "move on," I can not yet move on. I would like to bring to your attention a particular moment in the text in which we did not pinpoint in class today. After his delusional episode of sorts, Bromden acknowledges the oddness of his experience: "I think about jumping up and running around and waking up McMurphy and Harding...but there wouldn't be any sense in it. If I shook somebody awake he'd say, You crazy idiot, what the hell's eating you?"(88).  Kesey indirectly characterizes Bromden as aware, as he acknowledges the strange reactions he would get if he were to share his experience with others. If Kesey's intent was to create a completely unstable and untrustworthy narrator, he would not insert moments of Bromden's rational thinking into the work. I believe that if Bromden can accurately assess the reactions he will get from the bizarre episode and/or dream he experiences, he proves his ability to sufficiently describe the happenings around him as a narrator.
       As I am writing this entry, I am suddenly reminded of an unfortunate event that occurred in the Ross Garage a few weeks ago. I crashed my mother's car, taking off two car doors. Since this incident, my parents do not trust me behind the wheel (with reason of course, as I have hit the mailbox three times, attempted to back out when the garage door was closed, and hit the refrigerator in the garage, sending the refrigerator into the house and subsequently denting the garage wall). Along with the driving , my parents question my ability to carry out various other tasks, unrelated to driving, since the accident. For example, my ability to clear my plate from the dinner table. I am told to "Carry your dish with both hands," or "Don't drop it." Therefore, I recognize that an event such as Bromden's exotic dream/delusion may cause us to question him and his stability as the narrator. Bromden's episode seemed quite strange, as did the fact that I managed to take off two car doors after "tapping" the garage. On the other hand, this does not make me incapable of completing simple tasks, and Bromden of credible narration.


...I won't be crashing into the garage again anytime soon.