One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest, with its meaningful message of individualism, was an extremely
influential novel during the 1960's. In
addition, its author, Ken Kesey, played a significant role in the development of
the counterculture of the 60's; this included all people who did not conform to
society's standards, experimented in drugs, and just lived their lives in an
unconventional manner. Ken Kesey had
many significant experiences that enabled him to create One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest. As a result of his
entrance into the creative writing program at Stanford University in 1959 (Ken
1), Kesey moved to Perry Lane in Menlo Park.
It was there that he and other writers first experimented with
psychedelic drugs. After living at Perry
Lane for a while, Kesey's friend, Vik Lovell, informed him about experiments at
a local V.A. hospital in which volunteers were paid to take mind-altering
drugs
(Wolfe 321). Kesey's experiences at the
hospital were his first step towards writing Cuckoo's Nest. Upon testing the effects of the then
little-known drug, LSD, "...he was in a realm of consciousness he had
never dreamed of before and it was not a dream or delirium but part of his
awareness (322)." This awareness
caused him to believe that these psychedelic drugs could enable him to see
things the way they were truly meant to be seen.
After working as a test subject for the
hospital, Kesey was able to get a job working as a psychiatric aide. This was the next significant factor in
writing the book. "Sometimes he
would go to work high on acid (LSD) (323)." By doing so, he was able to understand the
pain felt by the patients on the ward.
In addition, the job allowed him to examine everything that went on
within the confines of the hospital.
From these things, Kesey obtained exceptional insight for writing One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. To make the
novel seem as realistic as possible, he loosely based the characters on the
personalities of people in the ward; also, his use of drugs while writing allowed
him to make scenes such as Chief Bromden's (The Chief is the narrator of the
story. He is a Native American who
happens to be a paranoid schizophrenic.) dreams much more vivid (Ken 2). As mentioned in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid
Test, "...certain passages 3/4 like Chief Broom [Chief Bromden] in his
schizophrenic fogs 3/4 [it] was true vision, a little of what you could see if
you opened the doors of perception, friends (Wolfe 328).
Ken Kesey's altered mental state while he wrote
Cuckoo's Nest is what truly makes it unique.
The novel's message of rebelling against authority was very influential
to the counterculture generation of the 1960's.
Kesey and his writing became a key factor in a decade filled with drugs
and anti-establishment feelings.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest takes place in
a mental hospital in which the patients' individuality is suppressed by the
head nurse, Nurse Ratched. When a sane
con-man (Randle P. McMurphy) has himself committed to avoid a prison sentence,
the machine-like order that had previously existed on the ward is immediately
challenged. Initially, McMurphy is a
very selfish man whose only desire is to cause problems for authority figures,
Nurse Ratched in particular, and to make life for himself as easy as possible. Eventually, this all changes as the battle
between himself and Nurse Ratched becomes their battle for the souls of the
inmates. McMurphy's struggle to
"free" the other inmates is a difficult one, ultimately resulting in
his own destruction; however, through his death, the other patients are able to
realize their own sense of self and they escape the ward. Although McMurphy works to save all the
inmates, the schizophrenic, Chief Bromden, is the main target of his attentions. The Chief is the largest, most powerful man
on the ward, but is made to feel weak and inferior by staying there. Upon
realizing his own value at the end of the novel, Chief Bromden participates in
the mercy killing of McMurphy which allows for his own complete liberation, as
well as that of the other patients.
Entering the mental hospital a sane man, R.P.
McMurphy only looks out for himself; however, this all changes when he realizes
the permanence of his residency on the ward if he does not conform. This motivates him to begin working to save
the other inmates on the ward and transfer some of his high spirit into
them. His struggle to help them realize
their individuality results in his own mental decay and he is ultimately
destroyed.
In order to make himself as comfortable as possible,
McMurphy initially tries to defy authority and gain the inmates' trust for his
own personal gain. He is immediately a
threat to the order that Nurse Ratched has created and maintains. While there is not supposed to be gambling on
the ward, one of McMurphy's first goals is to get the other patients to play
cards with him for money. This is
expressed when McMurphy says "...I came to this establishment...to bring
you birds fun an' entertainment around the gamin' table (Ken 12)." Another way that he is able to disrupt the
hospital's order is through his bold laughter.
This is very disturbing because no one ever laughs in the mental
hospital. The inmates are controlled and
mechanized; the laughter suggests personality, which would break down this order. According to Chief Bromden, he had not hear a
laugh in years (11). McMurphy makes it
obvious right away that he has no intention of letting the hospital's
machine-like order consume his identity.
As a result off his rambunctious behavior, the
inevitable battle between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched begins. During group therapy meetings, McMurphy does
not let Nurse Ratched have complete control as she has had in the past and as
she would like to continue. He disrupts
the meetings by provoking the other patients to excitement when they make
comments about their respective problems.
It also infuriates Nurse Ratched when McMurphy diverts the attention
directed at other patients towards himself.
Also, one particular scene displaying the beginning of the battle
between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy occurs when McMurphy wants to watch the
World Series. He convinces the inmates
to resist Nurse Ratched by watching a blank TV screen, even when she turns off
the World Series (140). The things that
McMurphy does early in the novel to battle Nurse Ratched are selfish and have
the intention of being chaotic.
Eventually, this all begins to change as
McMurphy begins his struggle to help save the other inmates. He begins to conform slightly when he
recognizes the power that Nurse Ratched wields; he learns that he cannot be
dismissed from the hospital without Nurse Ratched saying he has been
cured. However, the other inmates are
not satisfied; they want him to lead a rebellion. McMurphy's rebellious nature goes from that
of self-interest to that of devotion to helping the other inmates find their
freedom and individuality. By doing so,
he also sees a means of escape for himself.
The first display of his new strategy for defying authority occurs on
the fishing trip that the inmates take.
This trip, which is organized by McMurphy, helps the inmates realize
that they can act for themselves and returns to them some sense of
self-respect. Another example of
McMurphy's change from a nuisance to a savior is how he and the Chief resist
Nurse Ratched in the disturbed ward (a section of the hospital for those
patients who are considered the most insane or dangerous). Trying to evoke an apology from McMurphy and
Chief Bromden for keeping another patient from having an enema, Nurse Ratched
fails and angrily sends the two men to have electro-shock therapy. Although McMurphy is weakened by this, the
Chief takes his first step towards being cured by telling the other patients of
McMurphy's heroics (277). This is the
first time that he has ever talked to anyone other than McMurphy. In an obvious response to McMurphy's devotion
to him, the Chief starts to realize his true self.
In the end, McMurphy's struggle leads to his
destruction; however, he still becomes the inmates' savior. By finding McMurphy's weakness, which is his
uncontrollable urge to always trick the other inmates out of their money, Nurse
Ratched is able to defeat him. This is
evident when McMurphy tricks the other men into not believing that the Chief
could lift the control panel. As a
result of this unfair bet, McMurphy wins money from the other men, but loses
much of their faith in him (256-257).
However, McMurphy eventually regains their trust and the inmates join
him in the big party on the ward.
Because the party involves breaking hospital rules, the inmates are
forced into a situation in which they will have to defend themselves. This is McMurphy's final attempt at leading
the inmates to their freedom. As a
result of all his efforts to help them, he has become worn-out, both physically
and emotionally. Taking on the
responsibility for the other patients has drained McMurphy of all his vibrancy
and individuality; however, it is almost as if his liveliness has been
transferred into the souls of the inmates.
Just as in the law of the conservation of energy (energy can neither be
created nor destroyed), McMurphy's vitality must be sapped in order to give the
other patients life. In effect, McMurphy
has sacrificed his own sanity to make the others sane.
The final conflict between Nurse Ratched and
McMurphy occurs when McMurphy attacks her and reveals her sexuality by
uncovering her large breasts(305).
McMurphy is taken away to be given a lobotomy 3/4 a surgical operation
in which a lobe of the brain, usually the frontal lobe, is cut out for the
treatment of psychoses 3/4 but Nurse Ratched no longer has control over the
other patients. By concealing her
womanly nature, she has been able to have power over the inmates. To them, Nurse Ratched previously symbolized
the cold, unfeeling, and mechanized nature of the hospital; by revealing her
womanhood, this facade is destroyed and the men realize her weakness. Now, although she defeats McMurphy
physically, he has actually won the battle because the other patients are able
to escape. In order to ensure the
Nurse's overall defeat, Chief Bromden proceeds in the mercy killing of
McMurphy. His death finalizes the
transference of his spirit into the other patients; consequently, this allows
for the complete liberation of all the inmates.
Using the Chief as the narrator of the novel,
as opposed to McMurphy, allows the reader to examine McMurphy's actions as
being heroic, not mere braggadocio.
Chief Bromden, through his behind-the-scenes analysis of everything that
occurs in the ward, is able to portray McMurphy's saga much more subtly than if
McMurphy had been the narrator. By using
the Chief's point of view, Kesey enables the reader to see a patient (severely
weakened by the hospital's control over his individuality) eventually cured
through the persistence of another patience to make him realize his true
self. Because Kesey does such an
effective job in creating the Chief's schizophrenic state early in the story,
the reader is able to see him slowly regain his sense of identity and thus one
can truly understand the significance of McMurphy's help in changing him.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest should
definitely be included in a list of works of high literary merit. It's message of fighting for individuality
and self-expression is portrayed with immense skill. Kesey's willingness to experiment with the
revolutionary style of writing in an altered state of consciousness should be
highly regarded. This novel is a symbol
of the 1960's counterculture and should be considered a classic of its
time. Not only were its issues important
during its own decade, but many are still relevant today.
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