One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Essay

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

In the novel “One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest” by Ken Kesey, the story was set in a mental health institution where most of the patients voluntarily committed themselves to avoid the pressures of society. Kesey throughout the novel showed that society placed a label on people and the difference between sanity and insanity was based on individual perception. The main characters so-called “madness” played an important role in the novel. We are introduced to the main character, R.P. McMurphy by the narrator, Chief Bromden. Chief Bromden was a half Indian who had been a patient at the institution for many years. He pretended to be a deaf mute as a defense mechanism to protect himself against a society which had labeled him insane. He feared a thing he called “The Combine”. He believed the Combine, was an oppressive force set by society's norms which had placed him and the other patients inside the institution. He and the others did not fit society's norm.

The action of the novel started when the main character, McMurphy arrived at the institution. McMurphy was viewed by society as one who was violent and went against authority. Society and the judge who sentenced him to the mental insitutation considered his violent personality was due to a mental illness and labeled him a psychopath. It was clear from the beginning that McMurphy was not suffering from a mental illness. He pretended to be insane to avoid going to jail. He believed the mental institution was a far better place than prison. He later found out the institution was not what it really seemed. The first impression I got of McMurphy was that of a dishonest, street-wise and free-spirited man who bursted into the institution with laughter. His laughter grasped the attention of the patients because it was the first laughter in the institution in years. His eccentric behavior seemed to offer a therapeutic environment for the patients. The environment in the institution was silent and almost dead. The patients were forced to follow the rules of the head nurse, Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched managed the ward with an iron fist. She controlled the patients with pills, electric shock therapy and atrocious fear. She destroyed the patient's self-esteem, reducing them to puppets who had to obey her rules. All this changed when McMurphy arrived at the institution. He offered the only hope of defeating Nurse Ratched. He encouraged their self-esteem and gave them a sense of joy in living. He took them on a fishing trip and arranged a party on the ward. He became a kind of hero to the men but not to Nurse Ratched who was infuriated. McMurphy was constantly challenging Nurse Ratched's authority until the very end when he realized he cannot win this game with her.

Mental illness is now defined and treated in different ways than it was in the 1960's, when the novel took place. Ken Kesey wrote McMurphy's eccentric behavior was a cultural symbol representing a threat to order and the social norm of the 1960's. If one does not fit in this norm, he or she is labeled mentally ill. It is by other people's perceptions that McMurphy is labeled. McMurphy is not a saint. He drinks, uses foul language, gambles and has a short temper, but does all this make him insane? His behavior today would be judged reasonable but in the 60's his behavior was considered deviant. McMurphy admitted to being a gambling womanizer with a short temper but that was what made him interesting to the patients and the reader. McMurphy intrigued the other patients with his craziness. Over time, they developed an emotional attachment to him. They relied on him to discuss issues with Nurse Ratched that had been bothering them for a long time. The patients had begun to voice their opinions. McMurphy fought for them. He saw their so-called “madness” and treated them normal which is evident with this quote: “I mean-hell, I been surprised how sane you guys all are. As near as I can tell you're not any crazier than the average asshole on the street.” (pg. 58)

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