Today in class we discussed Chief Bromden’s “problem” of emphasizing with the other patients. He explains, “I can see all that, and be hurt by it, the way I was hurt by seeing things in the Army” (136). Indirectly characterizing himself as empathetic, he juxtaposes and parallels the pain he feels for others to the pain in his own life. In response to this trait Bromden shuts himself off from the rest of the world in a “fog” where he attempts cut himself off from others. This characteristic reminded me of the character May Boatwright from Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees. This novel tells the story of Lily, a young girl who journeys to find out about herself and her mother, who passed away at a young age. She meets May along this journey and learns of her strong sense of empathy. Due to this constant pain May encounters, she created a “wailing wall” where she writes down people’s sad stories, places them on the wall and tries to work through the pain. May often times seems closed off and spends much time alone. In these novels both characters struggle with this characteristic and find it mentally, physically and emotionally draining. I found it ironic that these two very different novels contain such similar characters that parallel on numerous levels. It makes Bromden’s problem seem much less severe. Although these novels are fiction, it still makes me wonder how many other people, maybe not to the same extremes, feel this strong sense of empathy.
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