Now, mind you, I am slightly tainted because I have seen the movie a couple of times, but I think I'm saved a little bit due to the fact that it's been years since I've actually sat down to watch it. So, I had the movie in my mind, but it was one of those blurry and indistinct images that it didn't really sully my reading experience.
That being said, I have to admit that I enjoy reading books more than movies. I never would have guessed that this story was told from Bromden's point of view otherwise. Movies can't really portray that.
Bromden is definitely crazy, what with his thinking that people are machines and that there is a fog that traps the patients on the ward in a state of mindlessness. So, as a narrator, he's not the most reliable, and his story-telling tends to jump around from this story about McMurray and the psych ward they're on to tales from his own personal past, but he (as the narrator), tells an engaging set of stories.
While it may have some racist and sexist moments, I am also able to see that the time period that this story was written in and about tended to normalize those behaviors, so it doesn't bother me as much as it would if it were about today.
The ending was both expected (because, again, I've seen the movie), and touching in a way. I can definitely see why this is on the list of classic novels.
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