F Block Introduction to Literature
Mr. Dilworth
12/08/14
Final Project
Chief Bromden
- “Sometimes I got lost in it [the fog] anyway, got in too deep, trying to hide, and every time I did, it seemed like I always turned up at the same place. (Kesey, page 131)”
- “I slid from between the sheets and walked barefoot across the cold tile between the beds. I felt the tile with my feet and wondered how many times, how many thousand times, had I run a mop over this same tile floor and never felt it at all. That mopping seemed like a dream to me, like I couldn’t exactly believe all those years of it had really happened. Only that cold linoleum under my feet was real right then, only that moment. (Kesey, page 163)”
- “And I’m just about to go and tell them, how, if they’ll come on in, I’ll go get Papa from the scaffolds on the falls, when I see that they don’t look like they’d heard me talk at all. They aren’t even looking at me. The fat man is swinging back and forth, looking off down the ridge of lava to where the men are standing their places on the scaffolding in the falls, just plaid-shirted shapes in the mist from this distance. Every so often you can see somebody shoot out an arm and take a step forward like a sword-fighter, and then hold up his fifteen-foot forked spear for somebody on the scaffold above him to pull off the flopping salmon. The fat gut watched the men standing in their places in the fifty-foot veil of water, and bats his eyes and grunts every time one of the them makes a lunge for a salmon. The other two, John and the woman, are just standing. Not a one of the three acts like they heard a thing I said; in fact they’re all looking off from me like they’d as soon I wasn’t there. (Kesey, page 213)”
- “The Combine. It worked on him for years. He was big enough to fight it for a while. It wanted us to live in inspected houses. It wanted to take the falls. It was even in the tribe, and they worked on him. In the town they beat him up in the alleys and cut his hair short once. Oh, the Combine’s big- big. He fought it a long time till my mother made him too little to fight anymore and he gave up…..That’s what they said to him. He said, What can you pay for the way a man lives? He said, What can you pay for what a man is? They didn’t understand. Not even the tribe. They stood out in the front of our door all holding those checks and they wanted him to tell the what to do now. They kept asking him to invest for them, or tell them where to go, or to buy a farm. But he was too little anymore. And he was too drunk, too. The Combine had whipped him. It beats everybody. It’ll beat everybody. It’ll beat you too. They can’t have somebody as big as Papa running around unless he’s one of them. (Kesey, page 220-221)”
- “I took a deep breath and bent over and took the levers. I heaved my legs under me and felt the grind of weight at my feet. I heaved again and heard the wires and connections tearing out of the floor. I lurched it up to my knees and was able to get an arm around it and my other hand under it. The chrome was cold against my neck and the side of my hea. I put my back toward the screen, then spun and let the momentum carry the panel through the screen and window with a ripping crash. The glass splashed out in the mood, like a bright cold water baptizing the sleeping earth. Panting, I thought for a second about going back and getting Scanlon and some of the others, but then I heard the running squeak of the black boys’ shoes in the hall and I put my hand on the sill and vaulted after the panel, into the moonlight.
These quotes of Chief Bromden show both a steady progression of his character and an element of understanding of the Combine that he provides to the story as the narrator. They show the origination of his mental weakness, his loss of strength and submission to the Combine, and finally, his regaining of strength sparked by the arrival of McMurphy. He introduces us to the entity of the Combine, and is noted for his insightful depth on the subject that he provides the reader.
Chief Bromden, narrator of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, lends his insightful recount of the great revolution that took place in the ward upon R. P. McMurphy’s admission. He is an important character on each allegorical tier of the story, despite being a self-proclaimed unreliable narrator. In the plot that simply consists of men of the ward battling against the iron-fisted Nurse Ratched, he is the unreliable narrator that gives his personal account of the events of the plot. He also presents his personal observations and insights into the work of the Combine in the allegorical tier that symbolizes Individuality overcoming Conformity. Finally, on the tier of this story that mirrors the Gospels, Chief Bromden plays the role of Peter, the Apostle that was the “Rock” of Jesus’ Church.
Chief Bromden also presents a subplot, which is his own personal progression that was sparked by the Admission of McMurphy. Pretending to be deaf and mute because of his severe lack of confidence and fear of the Combine, he documents his own personal growth. Formerly concealed by “fog” (a method of hiding oneself from the challenges presented from the Combine), he tells how the presence of McMurphy has giving him confidence, allowing him emerge from the fog that hid him in order to face the challenges of life. When McMurphy is rallying men to stand up to Nurse Ratched by voting to watch the World Series during work hours, Chief speaks of how McMurphy compelled him to rise out of the fog: “Just by the way the nurse is staring at me with her mouth empty of words I can see I’m in for trouble, but I can’t stop it. McMurphy’s got hidden wires hooked to it, lifting it slow just to get me out of the fog and into the open where I’m fair game. He’s doing it, wires… No. That’ not the truth. I lifted it myself. (Kesey, page 142)” Physical size is also associated with one’s confidence in this book, and Bromden also documents how McMurphy allowed him to “physically” grow, giving him the strength and the ability to throw a control panel out the window, a feat formerly thought to be impossible. The book concludes with Bromden planning to return to his homeland.
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| An image that reflect's Chief Bromden's heritage, a reoccurring motif throughout the novel.
Randle Patrick McMurphy
R. P. McMurphy plays a crucial role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, as he is the protagonist in each allegorical tier that is presented within the book. In the fight against Nurse Ratched, he serves as the impetus for their revolution they hold against her. For example, he begins by making a bet with the men in the ward, saying that he could get the best of the nurse in one week's time: "...Any of you sharpies here willing to take my five bucks that says that I can get the best of that woman [Nurse Ratched] -before the week's up- without her getting the best of me? One week, and if I don't have her to where she don't know whether to shit or go blind, the bet is yours. (Kesey, page 73)" In the fight against the Combine, or the entity that strives to destroy all imperfect that is not compatible with the specific mold of society, McMurphy represents the power of individuality, and how it defies conformity. Even at the beginning of the book, he shows that he defies authority upon his very admission to the ward. Chief Bromden says on McMurphy's arrival: "But this morning I have to sit in the chair and only listen to them bring him in. Still, even though I can't see him, I know he's no ordinary Admission. I don't hear him slide scared along the wall, and when they tell him about the shower he don't just submit with a weak little yes he tells them right back in a loud, brassy voice that he's already plenty damn clean, thank you. (Kesey, page 11)" Finally, McMurphy mirrors the Gospels as Jesus Christ, Himself. There are a number of parables that are direct links to the story of Jesus' crucifixion. Bromden observes on their fishing trip: "As McMurphy led the twelve of us toward the ocean. (Kesey, page 239)" This is can loosely be associated with Luke 5:1-11, which tells of Jesus’ Miraculous Catch of Fish with the apostles.
McMurphy defies conformity by rallying his fellow patients together, giving them confidence. Throughout the book, the reader sees a progression of the patients from meek "rabbits" that submit to the will of Nurse Ratched, to men who have gained enough confidence to think and act for themselves. He does this with the greater good in mind, as (consistent with the Gospels) standing up to such a powerful entity is difficult and exhausting for McMurphy. An example of this is when he stands up to the nurse one final time at the end of his life. Narrates Bromden, " ...nurses prying those heavy red fingers out of the white flesh of her throat as it they were her neck bones, jerking him backward off of her with a loud heave of breath, only then did he show any sign that he might be anything other than a sane, willful, dogged man performing a hard duty that finally just had to be done, like it or not. (Kesey, page 319)" This signifies that what he does is not easy, but standing up for his individuality is worth risking himself.
Luke 5:1-11 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/baggis/2280579809/?rb=1)
Nurse Ratched
These quotes help establish the role of Nurse Ratched throughout One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, as well as depict her decline of power at the hand of McMurphy. By using masculinity and femininity as an indication of power, her degression of power is documented. Also depicted is her power against the men, in terms of her ability to bully them and even physiologically destroy their personalities. Finally, her higher role in the plot as an instrument of the Combine is also illustrated.
As the characters and plot of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest are used to portray a vast variety of ideas, Nurse Ratched plays a primary role in these allegories. This book achieves a unique level of complexity by layering several different allegories that vary in their depth. The most basic of these is simply the story of men in a mental ward who defy their controlling and dominating nurse through a bold and defiant admission. Here, she is simply seen as the antagonist against the protagonist of R. P. McMurphy, the admission who rallies the patients to defy her. For example, she is defied by McMurphy and the patients when they vote to watch television during their regular working hours. This is one of the first episodes of rallied defiance by the majority of the men. She says, "'I said, Mr. McMurphy, that you are supposed to be working during these hours.' Her voice has a tight whine like an electric saw ripping through pine. 'Mr. McMurphy, I'm warning you!' Everybody's stopped what he was doing. She looks around her, then takes a step out of the Nurses' Station toward McMurphy. 'You're committed, you realize. You are... under the jurisdiction of me...the staff.' She's holding up a fist, all those red-orange fingernails burning into her palm. 'Under jurisdiction and control-' (Kesey, page 144)" The next of these allegories is individuality overcoming the looming Combine, or conformity that condemns imperfection. Nurse Ratched is seen here as a facilitation of the Combine within the ward, meaning that she is devoted to warping the patients who are "mentally-ill" into well-adjusted men that can function regularly within society. As Bromden, the narrator of this book says, "McMurphy doesn't know it, but he's onto what I realized a long time back, that it's not just the Big Nurse by herself, but it's the whole Combine, the nationwide Combine that's the really big force, and the nurse is just a high-ranking official for them. (Kesey, page 192)" In an even more complex allegory that mimics the gospels and Jesus' fight for salvation, Nurse Ratched portrays the Pharisees and Romans, or those who facilitate the ultimate work of sin.
In addition to her allegorical purposes, Nurse Ratched is also used to expose gender stereotypes. By concealing her breasts and embracing masculinity, she strives to gain authority. This exposes gender stereotypes, as this shows the attitude towards authority within American society at the time, as men were considered the primary holders of power, while women were linked with submission and vulnerability. Nurse Ratched means to change her gender identity in order to achieve the images linked with the stereotypes of each gender. Ultimately in the story, the exposure of the breasts, proving that she is undoubtedly a woman, symbolizes her lost power among the men. At her loss of power at the end of the story, Bromden makes this observation: "...And a new white uniform. Some of the guys grinned at the front of it; in spite of its being smaller and tighter and more starched than her old uniforms it could no longer conceal the fact that she was a women. (Kesey, page 320)"
Nurse Ratched firmly exercises her control over her patients. (http://www.littlereview.com/goddesslouise/movies/cuckoo.htm)
Motifs
Machinery
Fog
Glass
These quotes depict the various recurring motifs that represent the primary ideas that define One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. They are important to the story, as tangible objects allow the reader to better grasp the abstract concepts they are meant to portray.
Machinery
There are constant references to machinery throughout One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, as it represents the Combine, the institution of society that systematically weeds out imperfections and warps them into something that fits the uniform mold of societal norms. The machinery is said to be pulsing in the walls of the ward and within the members of the staff. This is because the ward and the staff are instruments of the Combine that work to change the men so they can function in society. Machinery is used because is it tangible and systematic.
Fog
Fog, an idiosyncrasy in Bromden’s perception, represents hiding oneself from the Combine and the challenges of life that threaten an individual. Bromden explains that he struggled to maintain a balance between remaining hidden and not getting lost. However, the arrival of McMurphy helped him gain confidence to emerge from the fog (hiding) and face the challenges of life from the Combine.
Glass
Glass is a representation of the separation between authority and those without power in society, as the breaking of glass throughout the story is often associated with the patients impeding upon the power of authority. Glass separates the men from outside society, and Nurse Ratched often observe the men of the ward from her station behind the glass. McMurphy shatters the glass when he means to defy Nurse Ratched, and Chief Bromden shatters the glass of a window with a control panel when he finally escapes the ward at the conclusion of the book. Each scenario represents a defiance of authority and the Combine.
(http://blog.e2benterprise.com/erp-for-industrial-machinery-manufacturers/, http://drmarinarose.com/energy-and-mood/perimenopause-symptoms-is-brain-fog-one-of-them/, http://wallalay.com/broken-glass-4-379632-desktop-background.html)
  
The Staff
The staff of the ward is notably diverse in their ideologies, purposes, and motives. A greater percentage of the staff are simply instruments of the Combine, such as the nurse and the black boys. The Japanese nurse, on the other hand, is a more understanding and empathetic character based on her own past experiences. Essentially, the staff of the ward, though generally a collective instrument of the Combine, still have their own blaring imperfections.
The Japanese Nurse and the Catholic Nurse
Though the staff generally represents the instruments of the Combine that seek to warp those who are different to fit the mold of society, the individual members of the staff vary in character. A prime example of this difference can be observed between the Japanese nurse who works on Disturbed and the Catholic nurse. The Japanese nurse is depicted as a more caring, sympathetic character who speaks candidly with Bromden and McMurphy, and empathizes with the pain they feel. Chief Bromden observes: “The nurse- about as big as the small end of nothing whittled to a fine point, as McMurphy put it later- undid our cuffs and gave McMurphy a cigarette and gave me a stick of gum. She said she remembered that I chewed gum. I didn’t remember her at all. McMurphy smoked while she dipped her little hand full of pink birthday candles into a jar of salve and worked over his cuts, flinching every time he flinched and telling him she was sorry. She picked up one of his hands in both of hers and turned it over and salved his knuckles. (Kesey, page 278)” Her empathy was most likely gained from the persecution of the Japanese in American society during World War II, as in this setting, society attempted to ostracize and put down certain groups that are different. The Catholic nurse, on the other hand, has all her life stood on the other side of the Combine with a sense of supremacy. Because Catholicism is often a dominant denomination in the sense that it is not often persecuted or ostracized, she has an arrogantly superior attitude to the imperfect men in the ward. She also blames her own imperfections on the defects of the men in the ward. Bromden says, “But she’s too full of the stuff. While she’s asleep it rises in her throat and into her mouth, drains out of that corner of her mouth like purple spit and down her throat over her body. In the morning she sees how she’s stained again and somehow she figures it’s not really from inside her- how could it be? a good Catholic girl like her?- and she figures it’s on account of working evening among a whole wardful of people like me. It’s all out fault, and she’s going to get us for it if it’s the last thing she does; I wish McMurphy’d wake up and help me. (Kesey, page 166)” Though they are both members of the staff, the Japanese nurse understands the pain of trying to be forced into a mold while the Catholic nurse endorses it, and blames the men for tarnishing society and those who can function in it.
(http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/PAGES/JPSession2.aspx, https://www.catholiccompany.com/crucifix-necklaces-c2541/)
Symbols of both nurses
 
The Patients
Each of these quotes illustrate not only the backstory of each individual character, but present a recurring account of how the men, labelled “different” from the rest of society, came to lose their strength, masculinity, and confidence at the hand of the Combine. They also depict the hopelessness of patients, as they are constantly weakened by the seemingly impregnable force of the Combine. However, they are, in essence, men who simply want to live life according to their own will, even if they do not fit the conventional mold of society.
Cheswick and Billy Bibbit
Cheswick and Billy Bibbit are characters that undoubtedly parallel each other in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Though they are both noted for their suicides, the motive of their suicides are clearly different. Cheswick committed his suicide following McMurphy reluctantly promising to back off from his fight against Nurse Ratched in fear of the Nurse inhibiting his freedom. His suicide was committed as a result of hopelessness, as he found great satisfaction in venerating McMurphy and shadowing him in his efforts to dismantle the Nurse’s “machinery.” Just before his death, he comments on how “...he did wish something mighta been done, though... (Kesey, page 175)” To him, the submission of McMurphy was a signal that even the strongest of people could be broken by the Nurse’s system, and therefore found death the only escape from the Combine. On the other hand, Billy Bibbit’s death was from the guilt of failing McMurphy and the other patients at the ward. Playing the role of Judas in Cuckoo’s Nest’s parallel to the Gospels, Billy Bibbit slits his throat after blaming McMurphy and the other men of the ward on his interaction with Candy, the prostitute. His death was due to the guilt he felt for submitting to the Combine, the very entity he pledged himself against by siding with McMurphy. In essence, the death of Cheswick was due to his feeling of hopelessness against the power of the Combine, while Billy Bibbit’s death was due to his guilt after betraying McMurphy by submitting to the Combine. However, both deaths are ultimately caused by the Combine, making them both victims of society.
(http://www.corynikkel.com/2013/01/28/dealing-with-guilt/, http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/276693/why-should-i-replace-my-old-pool-drain-cover-)
Images that symbolize the deaths of each of the men
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