One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

The only constant is change. It is inevitable that every person throughout their life will transform in some way—for good or for bad. Changing for the better usually starts with a selfish, egotistic person who is trying to be less interested in him/herself, and more interested in others. In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, this type of transformation is easily recognized. â€Å"When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness~Joseph Campbell. McMurphy parellels the previous quote by Joseph Campbell, and by examining his actions and relationships, the reader is able to see that he is transformed from an originally selfish man into a self-less hero. Randal Patrick McMurphy is introduced as an extremely selfish man who will do anything to benefit his own personal gain. This is evidently displayed through the description of his past actions, and also through the w ay he treats the other patients on the ward. Motivated by self-interest throughout his life, McMurphy’s past can not only be labeled as that of a criminal, but of an egotistical criminal who completely disregards the feelings of others repeatedly. â€Å"McMurry, Randle Patrick. Committed by the state from Pendleton Farm for Correction. For diagnosis and possible treatment. Thirty-five years old. Never married. Distinguished Service Cross in Korea, for leading an escape from a Communist prison camp. A dishonorable discharge, afterward, for insubordination. Followed by a history of street brawls and barroom fights and a series of arrests for Drunkenness, Assault and Battery, Disturbing the Peace, repeated gambling, and one arrest—for Rape. † (Kesey 44) The charges that Randall proudly displays while he is introducing himself manifests that his character is irresponsible on account of his behaviour for Drunkenness, violent—shown through Assault and Battery charges, and deranged which is evident in his arrest for Rape. Each of these characteristics that make up his criminal personality can be associated with that of an extremely selfish and negligent man. Furthermore, McMurphy displays his mercenariness when it comes to his repetitive gambling. Not only was McMurphy charged for this in the past, but his disregard for the rules and his lack of sensitivity for the well being of others allow him to continue to gamble with the patients in the Oregon asylum. McMurphy is constantly hassling the patients to gamble with him on subjects such as poker, the Chief lifting the control panel, and McMurphy driving Big Nurse insane—with the knowledge that he is going to win. Many of the patients in the ward are in debt because of McMurphy. â€Å"How much did you lose, Bruce? Mr. Sefelt? Mr. Scanlon? I think you all have some idea what your personal losses were, but do you know what his total winnings came to, according to deposits he has made at Funds? Almost three hundred dollars. † (222) Treating his fellow patients like this and disregarding the consequences that they will face due to his gambling, McMurphy show’s the reader that he is only there to benefit himself. The once selfish personality that McMurphy heavily displays in the beginning of the novel is starting to undergo change. The fishing trip that McMurphy plans for the patients is a distinct event where the reader is able to see a transformation because he shows characteristics of his selfish side, but also of his new self-less personality. Before going on the fishing trip, McMurphy cheated the other patient’s by charging them too much money. â€Å"Seventy dollars? So? I thought you told the patients you’d need to collect a hundred dollars plus ten of your own to finance the trip Mr. McMurphy. † (197) Big Nurse questions McMurphy until it is completely obvious that he was making money off of taking the patients on this trip. Contrasted to this act however, while on the boat McMurphy helps each of the men to act for, and stand up for themselves. He teaches them to laugh, fish, and act like a man even though they have been suppressed from their ability to do so with Big Nurse. â€Å"They could sense a change that most of us were only suspecting; these weren’t the same bunch of weak-knees from a nuthouse that they’d watched take their insults on the dock this morning. (215) McMurphy set aside his time to help these men because he could tell they needed to learn for themselves—it was only then that they would be able to stick up to Big Nurse. He is becoming more and more aware of the responsibility he has on teaching and leading the men. Another event where both sides of Macks’ (McMurphys’) personalities are displayed is thro ugh the simple action that he takes by standing up to the Nurse. Cheswick takes great pride in McMurphy’s actions and starts to follow them. However, when McMurphy finds out he is committed, he completely disregards the importance of his status, nd stops helping Cheswick— who commits suicide right after he says â€Å"I do wish something mighta been done though.. † (151) After this incident, McMurphy’s rebellious nature goes from self-interest to devotion of helping the other inmates, and he enshrines himself in being an example for them so that nobody ever gets hurt like Cheswick did. Once McMurphy realizes how important the power and responsibility that he has put on himself is, the transformation from a self-interested criminal into a respected hero was complete. He dedicates his time, and well-being to aid the others patients who could not do so for themselves. McMurphy was their hero. In the showers one day, George—a germophobe—was having a tough time with the black boys and could not defend himself. In seeing this, McMurphy stepped in: â€Å"I said that’s enough, buddy† (229) McMurphy repeatedly argued, and fought with the boys’ until he was taken away by aides of the Disturbed ward. The punishment: Electroshock Therapy. In this situation, McMurphy was not previously aware of the consequences, but still gave himself to helping another. Following this incident, McMurphy is well aware of the consequences he would face—but still made a conscious decision to do all that he is able to for his friends. A hero is considered to be a man noted for nobility and courage; especially one who has risked his life. McMurphy is a hero; a martyr; a figure of Christ. After Billy had slit his throat due to the tyrannous power of the Nurse, McMurphy attacked her. Knowing full well that this action would result in a lobotomy, he did it anyways for Billy and the others on the ward. Even though he sacrificed his own life, he stood against oppressive powers and displayed to the others his bravery and loyalty. â€Å"We couldn’t stop him because we were the ones making him do it. It wasn’t the nurse that was forcing him, it was our need that was making him push himself†¦ It was us that had been making him go on for weeks, keeping him standing long after his feet and legs had given out, weeks of making him wink and grin and laugh and go on with his act long after his humour had been parched dry between two electrodes. (267) Easily compared to Christ, McMurphy acted as a saviour and saint to his fellow men. His death was dignified, and it was for other people. A truly heroic transformation was completed throughout McMurphy’s commitance at the Oregon State Asylum. He started out as a self-involved criminal who was treating the fellow patients poorly, and slowly became more herioc as he showed signs of helping the men, mixed with his old self ish ways. Ending off, Randal P. By examining his actions and relationships, McMurphy is finally seend as a man who sacrificed himself for a greater cause; he evolved into a hero. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a Classic American novel that is filled with correlating events that portray women as monsters through misogynistic actions and language. Throughout time, society advocated that man was the dominate role that was in charge in almost every aspect, while women stayed at home and were inferior figures. However, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest shows how society acts misogynistic, or shows hatred towards women, when there is a reversal of these stereotypical gender roles; women are instantly depicted as monsters and uniformly terrifying. McMurphy’s actions in the ward, Kesey establishing women as over-oppressive, and women being portrayed as terrifying figures all illustrate how society acts misogynistic when there is a reversal in the roles of men and women. The man figure thrives off being dominant and in control, and when that power is threatened or not in place, male figures instantly bash the women society. McMurphy’s actions towards the nurse, such as disrespecting the nurse, indicate misogynistic qualities as it signifies women do not deserve respect. When McMurphy is enrolled in the hospital, Nurse Ratched has a set of rules set forth that everyone is to comply to so they can become healthy. However, McMurphy being the misogynistic character that he is, starts a war between the nurse and himself as he finds the rules overbearing. McMurphy then shows a hatred of women as he disrespects the nurse and fails to comply to the rules she set in place. He begins by being loud and obnoxious and disrupting the peace in the ward, and when the nurse asks him to quiet down he only becomes more difficult by showing his naked body. The nurse goes to confront him about being loud and â€Å"McMurphy steps out of the latrine door right in front of her holding that towel around his hips† (86). The nurse states that he cannot run around the ward revealing his body, but only laughs in her face and gets a kick out of her being uncomfortable. By lacking the wherewithal to comply to such simple rules that were established by the women work force reveals a sense of misogyny in the novel. He is not only disrespecting and establishing his hatred for the nurse and the women in the hospital, he is teaching the other patients that it is okay to have a hate for women. When McMurphy is forced to attend the meetings that are meant to help each patient get problems off their chest, he states that â€Å"she’s a bitch and a buzzard and a ball cutter† (54) for bringing up Harding’s issues with his wife. Nurse Ratched sees that the issues that Harding experiences with is wife are part of the reason why he is wrapped up in a mental ward, and McMurphy only uses misogynistic language to describe the nurse. McMurphy continues to show his misogynistic characteristics has he disobeys the rules of the ward at a higher level; he physically harms another patient. When McMurphy is trying to be restrained for fighting he only â€Å"drove a fist square in the center of the white, starched chest† (237) of the aide that worked for the nurse. The fight in the shower only further signifies the hatred of women that McMurphy had. He decided to disrupt the peace in the ward and not only make the life difficult for the nurse but difficult for her workers. Kesey strengths the idea of misogyny as he establishes the nurse and other female characters, such as the nurse, as over-oppressive figures who emasculate the male characters. The purpose of the ward is to enable patients to receive treatment that will help them get better so they can function in society. However, Kesey implies that women are merely characters who are detrimental to the male’s as they castrate them. For instance, Chief Bromden’s mother is portrayed as this overbearing character who turned his father into a weak alcoholic from a big strong chief. The chief’s father was a big man and married a women from Dallas, and he signifies that the emasculating began as his mother made them take on her last name, Bromden. The Chief proceeds to portray his mother as an emasculator as he states, â€Å"my mother made him to little to fight any more and he gave up† when the government was trying to take away his tribe and land (188). Thus, a sense of hatred is brought forth as the Chief is stating that women will turn you form a big, strong man into a weak alcoholic, just as his mother did to his father. Similarly, Billy Bibbit’s mother will not let him develop sexually and treats him as an infant to be watched over by the nurse. When Billy goes and has sex with Candy, the prostitute, he gains this sense of manhood and dominance. However, the nurse is portrayed as an emasculator as she threatens to tell Billy’s mother that he has had sex; ultimately taking away the manhood he briefly gained. The nurse states, â€Å"Mrs. Bibbit’s always been so proud of your decision. I know she has. This is going to disturb her terribly. You know how she is when she gets disturbed, Billy; you know how ill the poor women can become† (271). Scared of loosing his mother’s love Billy’s voice â€Å"scraped the white, bare walls of the seclusion room† and he â€Å"lifted his chin so he was shouting at the moon of light in the ceiling† (271). After Billy commits suicide over the situation, and everyone suggests that the nurse is the reason Billy killed himself. Thus, the idea of misogyny is further noticeable in the text as Kesey is applying that women are these over bearing individuals that strip men of their manhood. Within in the novel, Kesey illustrates the demeanor of the women character as terrifying and almost monster like. This creates a misogynistic undertone within the text as women are not being portrayed as a nurturing figure, they are these terrifying people that the men are afraid of. Right away the image of the nurse is depicted as this huge monster like an image that punishes for any wrong doing. In the beginning of the novel the aides of the nurse are slacking from their job, and as the nurse sees them mumbling together in a group Chief Bromden indicates that she is going to â€Å"tear the black bastards limb from limb† and that she â€Å"blows up bigger and bigger, as big as a tractor† (5). The nurse is being portrayed as this beast like figure that takes on this hideous form whenever she is unhappy with people and their actions. Fundamentally, there is a misogynistic setting being set forth as the Chief is indicating that a women in power, such as the nurse, takes on these hideous qualities. Rather then being depicted as upset or annoyed with the aides, any nurturing and loving qualities are instantly stripped as she is described as a creature. In a sense women being terrifying figures is further evident as Harding, a patient in the ward, proclaims, â€Å"We are victims or matriarchy here, my friend, and that doctor is just as helpless as we are. He knows all Ratched has to do is pick up that phone you see sitting at her elbow and call the supervisor and mention, oh, say, that the doctor seems to be making a great number of requisitions for Demerol† (56). Ultimately the Nurse is being portrayed as this terrifying figure that must be obeyed, and when disobeyed she can have it so you are addicted to the strongest drugs possible. A misogynistic undertone is being established as it is evident that Kesey is attempting to insinuate that women in the text are centralized on having complete and utter control rather then on helping patients get better. Another character that underlings the misogynic undertone in the novel is Billy Bibbit’s mother; she is a terrifying figure in the eyes of Billy. Billy has dreams of going to college and looking for a wife, however, when he brings these topics up with his mother â€Å"she only tickled him with the fluff and laughed at such foolishness† (254). Thus, women are being presented as these terrifying figures that will not let you escape from their grasp. They want to have complete control so they can always establish the rules. Society is based of the status quo of men and women; men love being in control over the women and dictating the rules of a society. However, when a women seizes power in a particular culture there can be a sense of misogyny that is established. Such examples of McMurphy’s barbaric actions in the ward, Kesey establishing women as controlling figure, and women being noted as feared all underline misogynistic qualities that a society takes on when males are upset with a women in power. These qualities all are detrimental to the women society; they are not being illustrated as caring and loving, they are presented as people who create a struggle for everyone else. Just as the society of the mental ward has a hatred for Nurse Ratched, they take on these qualities in attempt to force her to leave, so they can be set free from her grasp. They want a new leader for the ward and by being misogynistic they believe that it will cause the nurse to leave as no one wants to live hated in a society. Furthermore, the ward acts with misogyny as they strive to tire the nurse out from all the stress being created so that she will eventually break down and give up her position. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest One flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a tale of rebellion against the obvious authority cloaked within the walls of an insane asylum and redemption through it. The setting is one played out many times before in various hero stories. A man enters a foreign place, meets oppressed indigenous people, decides to help them see the light, and gives his life for the greater good. In this case the protagonist is not the narrator, but rather McMurphy, a con-man and gambler who fixes his way out of hard labor and into a seemingly cushy hospital setting. Little does he realize he just signed his freedom away to Gestapo dressed as nurses. From the moment he steps into the hospital his freedom is questioned. The nurses acting as dictators, especially Nurse Ratched, try to take complete control of every patient, of every aspect, and the more one struggles the harder their life becomes. For McMurphy what is a challenge to established sanction in the beginning, becomes a fight for the freedom of all patients in the end. The power of the nurses dictatorship runs in three themes throughout the book; false diagnoses of illness, women emasculating men, and social destruction of natural impulses and drives. The emasculation of men is a theme found through out the entire novel. Not only are the men weakened through embarrassment, but also destroyed through castration. Seeing the men gathered for their talks with the nurses was just one of the many ways the men were destroyed emotionally. Bromden himself commented on this torture of patience which in a sense took their balls. The struggle there is not against just one woman but an entire system. A matriarchy set up with easily controllable subordinates to Ratched and watchdogs who are the men full of anger working underneath her. This power struggle is not an unknown phenomenon to the men there as most of the patients have had controlling women in their lives before. One great example of this is the mother of the narrator who is a woman that took control just as the women of the hospital. Bromdens mother turned his father into an alcoholic weakling and even made him take her last name further weakening the chief. Another example came later in the novel when McMurphy commissioned a prostitute to sleep with Billy. This form of therapy did seem to help him recover, however Nurse Ratched threatened to tell his mother because of which he committed suicide. This idea of suicide was not the only one as another of the patients castrated himself and others commented that all a man had to do was wait a bit. Moving further into the oppression of men we step into the realms of the destruction of impulse. The novel makes a strong distinction between the natural and the mechanical. Bromden, being a man of the land and the son of a Native American chief, is the embodiment of nature trapped within social confines. He is born free as he hunts with his father as a child until the government buys out the land and so starts his battle to regain his place in nature. The hospital and the staff are all seen as agents of the unnatural. The staff is described as consisting of mechanical parts and the hospital it self has is a machine at the control of Ratched. Bromden goes on to describe a fog machine that is used to fill the hospital and cloud the vision of the patients. This of course is symbolic for the clouding of judgment and in effect the manipulation of sanity as a mind unable to see clearly will not be one to make sound decisions. McMurphy’s entrance into the hospital is a representation of natural impulse and raw sexuality clashing directly with the mechanical. As he walks in he laughs and Bromden comments how that is the first real laugh he has heard in long time. Later in the novel McMurphy brags about his conquests of a young girl which led to his incarceration adding to social constraints presented in the story. As the novel nears end McMurphy does free many of the patients which symbolizes the return to the natural and a weakening of authoritative grip when they walk out of the hospital. This however, is directly tied in to him loosing his mind via lobotomy. This brings the final theme for the subjugation of freedom found within the story; false diagnosis. Sometime before McMurphy ever stepped foot in the asylum there was a rebel before him. Though this man did not seem to challenge the system as harshly as McMurphy he was not a roll over either. He did, however question the process which is evident from his inquiry to the medication he was taking. He was treated via intense electro shock therapy and lobotomy from which he lost his ability to reason, his fighting spirit, and indeed his personality. The man became a human cow for which he was later released and praised as cured by Nurse Ratched. This was an erroneous diagnosis as the man was perhaps as healthy as most. The issue was brought up in the novel stating that a man of sound mind questions, however it is insane to do so at the challenge of authority as majority rules. The case was very much the same for McMurphy. When he rebelled he was not seen as a man rebelling but a patient loosing a grip on reality. Though, it is unclear whether Nurse Ratchet really saw it that way, it would seem that she was too concerned with having absolute control to care for the peoples well being. This in turned caused to the patients treated inhumanly within the hospital and leant to the fear of leaving. What happened in the hospital was tragic and in many ways analogous to a dictatorship of a nation. When a dictator has absolute control of a country the people must have a fear instilled in them in order to remain in control. This is how the hospital operated with Ratched unchallenged based on the fear of what she may do to the men there. This was the case until McMurphy showed them to live out side the confines of a mental prison of fear.