Lily Zelov
F Block English
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Final Project
12/7/14
Chief Bromden
- “But when I saw my papa start getting scared of things, I got scared too.” (Kesey, pg. 169)
- “It wasn’t me that started acting deaf; it was people that first started acting like I was too dumb to hear or see or say anything at all.” (Kesey, pg. 210)
- Papa says if you don’t watch it people will force you one way or the other, into doing just what they think you should do, or into being mule-stubborn and doing the opposite out of spite.” (Kesey, pg. 210)
- “I was seeing lots of things different...For the first time in years I was seeing people with none of that black outline they used to have..I was even able to see out the windows.” (Kesey, pg. 162)
- “I was getting so’s I could see some good in the life around me. McMurphy was teaching me.” (Kesey, pg. 256)
The first three quotes provide background into why Chief acts the way he does, and they explain the reason he acts deaf and dumb: to hide from the Combine so it does not change him and force him to be someone he is not. The last two quotes illustrate how McMurphy has changed Chief for the better, and how he has taught Chief to be brave.
Chief Bromden is the half-Indian narrator of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, who begins the novel hiding from reality, but slowly becomes brave enough to face the world. Chief is the eyes and ears of this novel, providing fantastic observation and insightful narration of the world around him. He stands tall at 6’7”, but acts small by pretending to be deaf, dumb, and mute. Bromden explains this at the very beginning of the novel, “They [the black boys] don’t bother not talking about their hate secrets when I’m nearby because they think I’m deaf and dumb. Everybody thinks so.” (Kesey, pg.3).This quote gives us insight into the way Bromden acts and thinks, and just how intelligent he really is. Chief believes that he is small, because he is a coward. He uses the ‘big and small’ analogy throughout the whole book, claiming that McMurphy and Nurse Ratched are ‘big’ because they are bold, outspoken, and they hide from nothing. Bromden is of the belief that society is the ‘Combine’, a giant machine that attempts to mold people into perfect models and instruments. The men in the mental ward are there because they are a broken part of the machine, and they must be fixed. The Combine produces ‘fog’ in which people can hide from responsibility and reality. Chief hides in this fog, as it makes life simpler and easier for him, and it cover the chaos of the real world. Slowly, McMurphy pulls Chief out of the fog and gives him the bravery to stand up to the Bug Nurse’s oppressive rule, give up his deaf and mute charade, and truly be a ‘big’ man. First, Chief raises his hand, acknowledging that he understands what is going on. McMurphy figures out that Chief is not deaf, and begins to talk to Chief about giving him gum one night in the dorm. “‘Juicy Fruit is the best I can do for you at the moment, Chief.’...And before I realized what I was doing, I told him Thank you.” (Kesey, pg. 217). From this point, Chief grows in confidence and independence until the fog disappears. He steps out of line and joins McMurphy in a fight with the black boys, something he would have never done before. The book ends with Chief lifting a control panel that symbolizes Nurse Ratched’s complete control, out of the wall and throwing it through the ward’s window to escape. This proves that Chief is finally free and independent, and is finally ready to step out of the fog and take down the Combine. Chief Bromden provides proof that McMurphy is a savior, as he gave Chief the courage to speak again, and the courage to stand up against the Combine and the Big Nurse.
Nurse Ratched
- “It was strange to hear that voice, soft and soothing and warm as a pillow, coming out of a face hard as porcelain.” (Kesey, pg. 316)
- The expression on her face was calm and blank as enamel, but the strain was beginning to show in other ways.” (Kesey, pg. 207)
- “She darted her eyes out with every word, stabbing at the men’s faces, but the men were immune to her poison. Their eyes met hers; their grins mocked the old confident smile she had lost...she tried so hard to sound cold and stern.” (Kesey, pg. 313)
- “The enamel-and-plastic face was caving in. She shut her eyes and strained to calm her trembling, concentrating.” (Kesey, pg. 314)
- “her fantastic mechanical power flooded back into her, analyzing the situation.” (Kesey, pg. 316)
These quotes display how Nurse Ratched operates by using a face “as blank and enamel” and “as hard as porcelain” to intimidate the men on the ward. The fifth quote shows how the Big Nurse is an instrument of the Combine, with her “mechanical power.” Finally, quotes two, three, and four demonstrate how McMurphy turns the patients against her, and how Nurse Ratched cracks under the pressure of the rebellion on the ward.
Nurse Ratched, also known as the Big Nurse, is the terrifying, oppressive, and tyrannical dictator of the mental ward who specializes in manipulation, demasculinization, and forcing conformity. She is eloquently described in the opening pages by Bromden: “Her face is smooth, calculated, and precision made, like an expensive baby doll...everything working together except...the size of her bosom. A mistake was somehow made in manufacturing, putting those big, womanly breasts on what would have otherwise been a perfect work, and you can see how bitter she is about it.” (Kesey, pg. 6). The way she is described proposes the idea that she is an instrument of the Combine, perfectly manufactured to be a part of society. Her one flaw, as Chief points out, are her breasts, which she attempts to hide under her uniform. The Big Nurse’s breasts speak to the theme of women with authority and the importance of sexuality. Since this story takes place in the 1960s, women with power were basically unheard of. Nurse Ratched is aware of this, and goes to great lengths to hide her ‘womanly’ features in order to intimidate and demand the utmost respect from her patients. The Big Nurse represents unjust authority, as she uses manipulation and deceit to ‘treat’ the patients. She also represents castration, or demasculinization, as she makes the men feel weak, powerless, and not at all like the men they truly are. Harding speaks to this when discussing the Big Nurse’s tactics, “I guess if she can’t cut below the belt, she’ll do it above the eyes.” (Kesey, pg.191). In this quote Harding is explaining that if the nurse cannot make you feel like less of a man, cannot be ‘ball-cutter’, then she will use her ultimate weapon, a lobotomy. Nurse Ratched does, in fact, use this weapon at the end of the novel when McMurphy rips open her shirt, revealing that she is truly a woman, and then proceeds to attempt to strangle her. This is the final straw, and Ratched orders a lobotomy for McMurphy, proving that she has the power; but she never regains the respect or fear the men on the ward had for her.
Randle Patrick McMurphy
- “Patient McMurphy...does not strike me as a coward.” (Kesey, pg. 157)
- “Hell’s bells, Harding!...All I know is this: nobody’s very big in the first place, and it looks to me like everybody spends their whole life tearing everybody else down.” (Kesey, pg. 185)
- “He’d shown us what a little bravado and courage could accomplish” Kesey, pg. (239)
- “He’s making the most of his time in here...he’s a very sharp operator, level headed as they come. You watch: everything he’s done was done with reason.” (Kesey, pg. 266)
- “..a sane, willful, dogged man performing a hard duty that just had to be done” (Kesey, pg. 319)
Quote 4 demonstrates what McMurphy has taught the men, and how he changed their perspectives. The other quotes illustrate who McMurphy truly is, and give us insight into his true character. They show us that McMurphy does everything for a reason, is a dedicated worker, and a brave man with an interesting philosophy.
Randle Patrick McMurphy is the hero of this novel, who represents much more than a common rebel; he is a freedom fighter who stands up against unjust rule, a selfless warrior who sacrifices himself for the prosperity of others, and a savior who gives the patients courage to stand up and be real men. McMurphy is a problem on the ward from his very entrance, when he refuses to be showered down by the black boys, all the way until his last fight, when he rips open Nurse Ratched’s shirt and attempts to strangle her. When he first arrived on the ward, all the other men were terrified of him, the Big Nurse, society, and everyone around them. McMurphy picks up on this timidness, fear, and rabbit-like hiding from society, and gradually turns these mice into real men. He does everything in his power to fight the oppressive rule of Nurse Ratched by playing her game: he acts calm, respectful, and polite, while subtly disrupting everything on the ward. Randle McMurphy throws a wrench into the works of the Combine, and breaks the machinery, while Nurse Ratched struggles to fix it in his wake. In Chief’s eyes, McMurphy is one of the few people that the Combine has not captured and beaten down into being a part of it. During the first part of the novel, Chief states, “I’d think he was strong enough being his own self that he would never back down...The Combine hasn’t gotten to him all these years...He’s not gonna let them twist him and manufacture him.” (Kesey, pg. 161). This displays that McMurphy is a fighter and a nonconformist, a man who does not care what happens to him, as long as the right thing is being done. Early in the novel, as McMurphy, an avid gambler, plays blackjack with the other patients on the ward, wins every time, and takes all their money, it seems as though he is fighting Ratched for his own personal gain. But, as revealed later, McMurphy cares about what is just and what is right, not about himself. When he takes the patients on a fishing trip and steals a boat, when he shatters the glass window of the Nurse’s station to get his cigarettes, when he sneaks in prostitutes, alcohol, and illegal drugs, when he initiates a fist fight with black boys, and when he tries to kill the Big Nurse, he faces dire consequences, including electroshock therapy and even a lobotomy. As Nurse Ratched points out during a group meeting, “Mr. McMurphy isn’t one to run a risk without a reason...and yet... he seems to do things without thinking of himself at all, as if he were a martyr or a saint.” (Kesey, pg. 264). This quotes speaks to who McMurphy truly is, a selfless, “willful, dogged man” (Kesey, pg. 319), who fights against oppression and tyranny, who sacrifices himself for the good of his friends and those who need to be saved.
The Staff
- “each time he [McMurphy] brushed close by a student nurse she gave a yip and rolled her eyes and pitter-patted off down the hall, rubbing her flank.” (Kesey, pg. 292)
- “..sulky and hating everything...When they hate like this, better if they don’t see me.” (Kesey, pg. 3)
- “He [the black boy] was full of tubes: he didn’t weigh more’n ten or fifteen pounds.” (Kesey, pg. 275)
- “I was glad when a little Jap nurse came..and worked over his [McMurphy’s] cuts, flinching every time he flinched and telling him she was sorry.” (Kesey, pg. 277-278)
- “the little birthmarked nurse...She’s not even watching where she pours the water...She’s watching McMurphy...she rears back when he reaches the door...McMurphy sees how she’s looking..at him, so he sticks his head in the station door where she’s issuing pills, and gives her a big friendly grin...This fluster her so she drops the water pitcher on her foot... “Stay back!”...”Oh stay back, I’m a Catholic!” ...She screams and pops the cross in her mouth and clinches her eyes shut.” (Kesey, pg. 82-83)
The staff, as these quotes display, has an array of personalities. The black boys are angry at the world, and they take this anger out on the patients. The nursing students on the ward are extremely nervous and intimidated by Nurse Ratched, while the Japanese nurse is the one exception, being kind, caring, and a genuinely good person.
The staff on Nurse Ratched’s ward is terrified and intimidated into being cruel and unwelcoming, while the staff on Disturbed is kind and caring. The Big Nurse scares her employees and shrinks them with her condescending and passive-aggressive remarks. The black boys are Nurse Ratched’s force: they do all the dirty work that deals with physically handling the patients. These men are described as “sulky and hating everything”. Nurse Ratched searches for black boys that are so full of hate, they could not have sympathy for anyone or any desire to actually do the right thing and help the patients. Their complete obedience to the Big Nurse and their emotionless and careless state makes them an important part of the Combine. Their being part of the the Combine is described when Bromden and McMurphy fight them. “He [the black boy] was full of tubes: he didn’t weigh more’n ten or fifteen pounds.” (Kesey, pg. 275). This also illustrates the idea that there is not much to these men, they are empty and hopeless. Their hopelessness and carelessness is why they can brutally handle the patients. In contrast to them, the Japanese nurse on Disturbed cares deeply about the patients. She treats McMurphy and Chief with care, and is kind to them, unlike the nurses on Ratched’s ward. She treats their wounds carefully, and “worked over his [McMurphy’s] cuts, flinching every time he flinched and telling him she was sorry.” (Kesey, pg. 277-278). This quote demonstrates how caring and compassionate this nurse is. She is quite significant, as she symbolizes the few good people in society, and she gives Chief hope that not everybody is all bad, while the the black boys gave Chief the impression that everyone is a heartless part of the Combine. The Japanese nurse is also very comfortable with McMurphy and Chief, two mental patients. This is very different from the nurses on Ratched’s ward, as they are scared of the patients, especially McMurphy. “...each time he [McMurphy] brushed close by a student nurse she gave a yip and rolled her eyes and pitter-patted off down the hall, rubbing her flank.” (Kesey, pg. 292). This quote exhibits the lack of understanding the nurses have for mental patients. Their timidity also speaks to the theme of sexuality, as it is typical for women to be cowardly and unable to stand their ground. The black boys are part of the Combine, and the nursing students are slowly being transformed into instruments of the Combine, while the Japanese nurse is not a part of the Combine, and is not afraid to be herself.
Other Characters
- He’s pleased to be sitting next to McMurphy, feeling brave like this. It’s the first time Cheswick ever had somebody along with him on his lost causes.” (Kesey, pg. 119)
- “I want something done! Hear me? I want something done! Something! Something! Some-” (Kesey, pg. 173)
- “He said he did wish something mighta been done..and dove into the water. And his fingers got stuck some way in the grate...and by the time they...brought Cheswick up..he was drowned.” (Kesey, pg. 175)
- “You think I wuh-wuh-wuh-want to stay in here?...But did you ever have people l-l-laughing at you [McMurphy]? No, because you’re so b-big and so tough! Well, I’m not big and tough.” (Kesey, pg. 195)
- “Never before did I realized that mental illness could have the aspect of power, power. Think of it: perhaps the more insane a man is, the more powerful he could become.” (Kesey, pg. 238)
These quotes display the way McMurphy affects each patient, and how he makes them express their true feelings. McMurphy brings out the courage in all of these men, whether it be the courage to finally let out all their feelings, question their beliefs, or stand up to the authority or Nurse Ratched.
Cheswick and Billy Bibbit are two characters on the ward who McMurphy effects drastically by giving them the courage to fight the Combine, but who both ultimately fail to defeat society. Cheswick very quickly begins to follow McMurphy, and is always seconding the motions he tries to pass for changes on the ward. McMurphy gives him the courage to stand up for what he believes in, and the confidence to voice his opinion. “He’s pleased to be sitting next to McMurphy, feeling brave like this. It’s the first time Cheswick ever had somebody along with him on his lost causes.” (Kesey, pg. 119). Cheswick tries to have everyone rebel, but at one point, no one, not even McMurphy will follow his lead. This is the breaking point for Cheswick, as he is mortified and distraught that once again, no one will stand with him on “one of his lost causes.” The embarrassment of standing alone angers Cheswick that he kills himself by drowning in the pool. And his fingers got stuck some way in the grate...and by the time they...brought Cheswick up..he was drowned.” (Kesey, pg. 175).
Billy Bibbit also falls victim to the Combine, because he betrays McMurphy at the end of the book. When McMurphy sets Billy up with a prostitute, Candy, and the Big Nurse finds them the next morning, Billy blames everything on McMurphy. Billy finally had the courage to break the rules and try something he had been afraid to do his whole life, but he cannot face the consequences of his actions, much unlike McMurphy. McMurphy is not afraid of what may happen to him after constantly breaking the rules, but as soon as the Big Nurse threatens to tell Billy’s mother about him sleeping with a prostitute, Billy begins sobbing and tells the Nurse that it was all McMurphy’s fault. Billy feels so guilty about doing this that he slits his throat, killing himself. Like Cheswick, Billy could not handle the pressure of nonconformity and fighting society. Cheswick killed himself because he could not deal with the embarrassment of failure, as he failed to receive any support from the other patients when he demanded more cigarettes. Billy, on the other hand, committed suicide because he could not deal with the consequences of his actions.
Motifs
The Fog
- “..time doesn’t mean anything. It’s lost in the fog, like everything else.” (Kesey, pg. 78)
- “Nobody complains about the fog...as bad as it is, you can slip back in it and feel safe.” (Kesey, pg. 128)
The fog serves as an escape from reality, and a place to hide from society and all its responsibilities. Chief believes the fog is an evil method used by Nurse Ratched to make sure the patients cannot see how diabolical she really is. Chief Bromden begins the novel constantly engulfed in the fog, because he is scared of dealing with society and interacting with people, especially people who are parts of the Combine. The fog makes Chief feel safe, but he knows it hides him from insight and information about the world. Chief is able to lose himself in the fog and forget about his obligations. When McMurphy arrives, he pulls everyone out of the fog, and even though that scares them, they feel more bold and independent, because they are able to ‘see’ their surroundings.
The Combine
- “She’ll [Nurse Ratched] go on winning, just like the Combine, because she had all the power of the Combine behind her.” (Kesey, pg. 113)
- “The Combine had whipped him. It beats everybody. It’ll beat you too.” (Kesey, pg. 221)
The Combine, which represents society, is a machine that molds people and things into perfect, conforming, instruments of this machine. Bromden claims that the people in the mental hospital are broken pieces of the Combine and are sent to mental institutions to be fixed. The Combine uses its machinery to destroy individuality, and it has suceeded in doing that with Nurse Ratched and the black boys. In this way, the Big Nurse, the main antagonist, embodies the Combine. The main struggle of this book, in Chief’s eyes, is not being captured by the Combine. McMurphy, however, defiantly fights the mechanic Combine, and defies the rules society has made for him. McMurphy’s main struggle in the book is not simply defeating Ratched, it is defeating the entire Combine. This machine has nearly unlimited power, but when Chief picks up the control panel at the end of the novel and throws it out the window, that symbolizes him defeating the Combine, as the control panel is an important piece of machinery.
Laughter
- “He [McMurphy] knows you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plum crazy (250)
- “every laugh was being forced right down her [Nurse Ratched] throat till it looked as if any minute she’d blow up like a bladder.” (311)
Laughter is an important motif in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, because it symbolizes freedom and sanity. Before McMurphy arrives on the ward, the men are scared to laugh, and if they do laugh, it is usually fake or forced. When McMurphy enters the ward on his first day, he laughs after nearly every sentence. This is very odd to the men, because they have not had the freedom to laugh for a very long time. “I realize all of a sudden that this is the first laugh I’ve heard in years.” (Kesey, pg. 12). McMurphy’s laughter shows how bold and defiant he is, because he is not scared to freely express himself. As the men join McMurphy in his conquest to defeat Nurse Ratched and the Combine, they begin to laugh with him, displaying that they feel much more free, comfortable, and confident in the ward, and even around Nurse Ratched. As the men laugh more, it becomes evident that they are not nearly as scared of the Big Nurse as they were at the novel’s exposition. In this way, laughter symbolizes confidence, freedom, and the fight against the Combine.
