Harding's planned escape for McMurphy

Harding creates a plan for McMurphy to escape, but McMurphy decides to get some sleep before he has to go on a long ride with sandy and candy. McMurphy was more drunk than he thought and never woke up in time before the Black boys started their shift. Do you think this is the end for McMurphy and the Nurse decides to make him a chronic? Or Do you think McMurphy can pull off a miracle and break free from Nurse Ratched's death grip? The Nurse will do anything in her power to win the war over McMurphy but does she have the final answer that will promote her victory?

The Control Panel

The control panel is a recurring symbol throughout the book. I think it stands for strength and independence, just like McMurphy does, because Chief finally becomes strong enough (both mentally and physically) to lift it and use it to escape the ward. What do you think it symolizes?

Nurse Ratched & McMurphy's return

So I'm not sure if I missed something or not, but I'm a little confused.  At the end when Nurse Ratched comes back, why can't she talk and why does she all beat up and bruised?  Also why did McMurphy get a lobotomy and why is he also all beat up and bruised?  Like I said, I may have missed something...so if I did could someone explain.

Size

Everything in the Chiefs eyes before him getting healthier was realitive to him seeing everything in different sizes he thought everything andeveryone around was bigger than he was that is why he just acted deaf and dumb

Reading the last chapter of the book made me realize how much of an effect McMurphy has had on everyone in the ward.  McMuphy has such a great impact on them that even when he is not at the group meeting his presence is felt. Not only this but people are standing up to the nurse by going against her during the meetings and even yelling at her (Harding). Even though McMuphy is not physical alive I believe that his teachings live on through all men who have listened to him.  

Confidence

Everything Mcmurphy does is done with confidence this is to show the Big Nurse who the boss is in the ward. It is also used to show/teach the other paitents what confidence is and how to use it to thier advantage.

The Nurse's practices, treatment or torture?

Nurse Ratched definately does not have positive motives in mind when dealing with McMurphy. She has had enough with him , she is fed up and she is trying everything to stay in control and keep power at the ward. She uses shock treatment as more of a torture than an actual treatment. It is also very interesting that the little japanese nurse in the Disturbed Ward does not agree with the Big Nurse's practices. The doctor's seem like they want to fight back against her as well, for instance, the Doctor goes against the nurse and goes with the men on the fishing trip. The reason no one takes over is because they are afraid of her, she runs her entire Ward solely on fear. Mcmurphy is the first one to break down her barrier because he is not afraid of her.

The Combine

Throughout the novel the Chief has a hallucinatory fixation on "The Combine," the group he had imagined that tries to enforce order and control those that don't fit into society. The chief refers to them several times, always during a moment when he wasn't completely lucid. When the Chief starts becoming freed by McMurphy, he doesn't mention the Combine again until he and McMurphy are drunk on the ward. It is here that he begins to wonder whether or not the Combine is all-powerful, and finally when hitchhiking he "[gives] him such a good story about me being a prfessional Indian wrestler the syndicate had tried to lock up in a nuthouse." Sure he could just be referring to a wrestling syndicate, but he still said syndicate no combine, I think that this, not him escaping from the ward, truly symbolizes him fully regaining his sanity.

Insanity

As I was beginning the reading, I came to the part of the story in which Nurse Ratched gives McMurphy the shock treatment.  The first day he doesn't respond the way Ratched hopes.  So she tries the same thing the next day.  It once again fails.  The third day it fails.  And so on.  This repetition made me wonder, when Kesey wrote this scene did he think back to Albert Einstein's famous quote, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

Mr. Turkle

McMurphy asked Turkle to wake him and Sandy up right before the morning staff arrives. This however, never happened. Do you think it was just because Turkle was drunk and high, or was there more to it?

test

Response to Trey's "friends vs pawns"

I think McMurphy organized the fishing trip for everyone's benefit. I think he wanted to gain the support of the other patients by giving them something they never dreamed was possible. Also, I think he is using the trip as a chance to reaffirm his own existance by showing himself that there is a world outside of the world of the ward that he has become absorbed into. He is killing two birds with one stone by giving them confidence and gaining their support. I think he views the others as his friends, but at the same time is using them to enact change in the ward.

friends vs pawns

Do you think the fishing trip is for Mcmurphy's benefit or the patients confidence? Does he view the others as friends, or pawns to his manipulation ?

In Responce To Cody's "McMurphy on the Fishing Trip"

I believe that McMurphy is still being selfish, as he has been throughout the entire novel. While he faces a dilemma, weather to stay at the hospital or not, he weighs his options and his selfishness takes over him. McMurphy stays at the hospital because it is benefiting him financially, again showing his own selfishness of taking advantage of everyone there.

Laughter

"While McMurphy laughs. Rocking farther and farther backward against the cabin top, spreading his laugh out across the water..."
through out the fishing trip McMurphy laughter i feel expresses his sanity and his only escape from the pain he is truly feeling and the the insanity that the Big Nurse drives out of him. It his laughter that keeps everyone going since he is one of the first to express it towards the patients but as he goes back to the hospital i just wonder how much longer can he hold out until he is actually free from all this? Since the time is on Big Nurse side im beginning to wonder if he will ever grow insane from waiting?

McMurphy on the Fishing Trip

During the fishing trip, McMurphy had many opportunities to escape the group and be out of the hospital for good. The patients were only accompanied by the doctor as supervision, who McMurphy could easily have overpowered. Why do you believe McMurphy decided not to make an attempt at escape? And are his motives selfish or selfless?

Society and the hospital

It seems as if society has made the people in the hospital seem as if they are horrible people and that they should be feared by all of society, and the outside world. All of the people on the outside dont understand how most of the people in the hospital are in there by choice and that they are somewhat ok, but just have minor problems and that they are afraid of the world. McMurphy also sees that being in the hospital gives him some power over the people on the outside because they are afraid of them.

Fishing Trip

McMurphy has planned this deep sea fishing trip for ten patients. The Nurse is allowing them to get out and possibly have a good time for once. Do you think this trip will go as planned, to just have a nice day of fishing or will Mcmurphy and the patients decide on a different plan? If the fishing trip doesnt work out will Nurse Ratched deal out severe punishment or just suspend any further trips outside of the ward?

women good?

so far in the novel we have seen women torment men and cause their downfalls. now, with the arrival of the prostitute, there seems to be new life in the men. their spirits seem higher, and they are confident enough to approach her and try to impress her. is mcmurphy responsible for these men's actions? will ratched allow this to fly?

Response to McMurphy's Face

This quote took me by surprise as well. As i was reading it, I almost thought it was the chief's face that looked "dreadfully tired and strained and frantic," until i read it again. This is obvious forshadowing of what is to come. It also makes me think about McMurphy's motives, whether he is in fact a selfish man acting like he cares about the others, or he does want to help the patients. In the following chapter, the patients talk about this a lot because the Nurse has told them of how he has been making money, while they are all loosing theirs.

McMurphy's Face

"A set of taillights going past lit up McMurphy's face, and the windshield reflected an expression that was allowed only because he figured it'd be too dark for anybody in the car to see, dreadfully tired and strained and frantic, like there wasn't enough time left for something he had to do...." (257-258). This sentence made me stop for a second; McMurphy is showing weakness, something that I don't think anyone expected him to show. Is he growing tired and fading away like Nurse Ratched expected him to, or is there some deeper going on? Do you think this thing he doesn't have time left for involves the Chief?

Laughter

While at the gas station all the men seemed defeated by the seemingly over-powering attendants. Just as everyone, even the doctor, seemed to be depressed and feeling defeated McMurphy came to the rescue. He sticks up to the attendant and gives everyone a sense of confidence and even hope. After all the patients even start bossing the attendants around they drive away, laughing, but not yet a real laugh. "I think McMurphy knew better than we did that our tough looks were all show, because he still wasn't able to get a real laugh out of anybody." Why is it that even when the patients are able to be a "boss" to someone else they still can not laugh for real? Also while on the boat everyone breaks into laughter and there is no mention if it is real of fake laughs. Do you feel this out-break of laughter was filled with real laughs, and if so what made this situation different then the first where the men were able to laugh for real.

Response to Mike Frieber's...

You bring up a very interesting point and I agree with you and your argument. The same way in which The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Jimi Hendrix went against societies norms, McMurphy is doing the same. By not just conforming to the asylums rules and regulations he is bending them, nearly braking them, being a rebel. In doing so the other members of the asylum are beginning to take notice as I believe that they too will begin to change more and more as the novel reaches its end. This has already been seen by the Chief talking, Billy no longer writing in the log book about his 'daily observations', and even Martini breaking the glass with the basketball. In order for all of this to have happened, McMurphy had to go against his new societies (the asylum) norms. Good point Mike.

Chief turned away

I found it really interesting when the Chief suddenly began to talk to Mcmurphy but it was even more interesting that the following morning when he was supposed to sweep the hallway like usual he just walked away and said basically that he was "better than that."  To me this seemed like a completely new side of Chief because for him to be left unnoticed he would need to maintain his normal routine around the staff but this was a clear act of defiance.  What does everyone else think about this?

Fairness on the Ward

The patients greatly rely on McMurphy for many things-confidence, fun, a leader, and even a scape goat.  But McMurphy is also using the patients for his advantage, as well.  He is slowly luring Chief out of his fog, and even getting him to speak so he can lift the control panel in the tub room.  He is also being permitted on a fishing trip because of his stronger power over some of the Acutes.  But is this a fair relationship or is one side taking more advantage of the other?

A New Sense of Confidence

When the men leave the ward to go on the fishing trip they are all a little depressed at first. However, I found it interesting how they all gained a new sense of confidence when McMurphy stands up to the gas attendant. Soon they are ordering everyone at the station around and mocking people when they reach stop lights.  I found it interesting that the Chief thought the more insane you act the more people fear you.  

Dr. Spivey Grows A Spine

McMurphy's rebellion seems to inspire the doctor as well as the patients. However, it was established earlier in the story that even if the doctor were to stand up to the Big Nurse in a meaningful way, the Nurse could have him fired on suspicion of being a drug addict. Doctor Spivey is almost certainly aware of this, yet he still helps McMurphy to take the patients on a fishing trip. Why? (Aside from hormones)

Society Defines The Outcasts or The Outcasts Define Society?

I was just thinking about the Insane Asylum and how the "combine" works, trying to make the patients more acceptable for society, even if they are just a little bit "off" or a little more radical than the average person.  And while I was thinking about this, I realized that a lot of the time, it is exactly those people that are a little bit "off" who don't conform to society's norms that are sometimes revered by society.  Elvis Presley albums were burned because his movements were too vulgar for a decent society.  Beatles albums were thrown into the streets because John Lennon made a comment regarding religion that was inappropriate for common society. Jimi Hendrix was made famous just because he DID something different from society. He led the free love movement of the late 1960s from the neck of his guitar.  I guss, In order to change society, you can't be part of it.

The Nurse and her Composure

When McMurphy proceeds to break the glass window again after it was just fixed, the nurse shows no emotions and keeps a calm face. There is no way in my opinion that someone can be ok with that happening twice. Nurse Ratched is keeping her anger bottled up inside. Do you think after some time this will take a toll on her the way she doesnt express her feelings? Or do you think she has complete control of her anger and can wait out McMurphy and make him break a rule that will commit him purmanently?

Chiefs Sanity

Even though Chief is considered mentally insane, he looks at him self in an honest way. He can actually see and assess what is really happening. This is all shown when he stares at himself in the mirror.

Voluntary Patients

When McMurphy finds out that most of the patients are on the ward voluntarily. McMurphy can't understand why they are still there, since they are always complaining. When he goes on a rant questioning the patients, Billy is the only one who responds and says they're not tough enough for the outside world. Why do you think the patients are in the ward? Is it that they really can't function in the outside world, or are they just hiding from their problems? 

McMurphy's Violent Rebellion

When McMurphy decides to rebel against Nurse Ratched, it is in a completely different manner. It is no longer humorous, like sitting in front of the blank TV screen. McMurphy's strength becomes less mental and more physical. Breaking the window is his first act of violence—far more serious than his humorous jabs. Moreover, the glass, which is kept so spotless that it is almost invisible, represents the control Nurse Ratched has over the patients and the ward (even including the doctors); it is so subtle that they sometimes forget it is there. By breaking the glass, McMurphy reminds the other patients that her power over them is always there, while at the same time suggesting that their awareness of her power makes that power breakable.

Harding's Wife

Harding's wife comes to visit him at the library. Harding calls McMurphy over to meet his wife and they all sit together and talk. after Vera leaves Harding asks McMurphy what he thought of her. McMurphy comments on her physical traits but then gets angry when he is asked more. then he yells at all the patients for what seems to be no reason. What could a possible reason be that he flips out at all of the patients? Do you think Harding's wife had anything to do with his anger?

McMurphys sanity

McMurphy throughout the novel has shown that he is different from the typical person in this hospital and there is evidence of this from when we first meet him. Moreover, this rasies the question of does he really deserve to be in this mental institution, or should he simply be in prison?

Chief's sanity

I believe that a lot of the Chief's sanity is revealed to the reader while he observes himself in the mirror. Although he is"mentally insane" his depiction of his reflection is honest, and it's also humanizing. When he describes himself, we see that he actually has the ability to see things in real life.

McMurphy's sides

I noticed on page 162 Chief reveals a softer side to McMurphy. Chief notices McMurphy do "things like painting a picture...with real paints...with no lines or numbers." What, do you think, is the point about McMurphy that the Chief is trying to make? What does this softer, almost feminine side say about McMurphy's character?

dog metaphor

I believe that the dog is the nurse and the geese are the other patience. while the nurse is busy watching over the geese while mcmurphy is trying to run her down while she isnt paying attention .

The other week i veiwed the film "changeling" and as i was watching i couldnt help but notice the similarites to that of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." When the main character of the film was commited to the ward the amount of care was very poor. Also, most people in the ward were perfictly sane in the movie which is very similar to the book since most of the paitients problems caused by the nurses negative comments. Viewing this film opened up my eyes to the horrific conditions they are living in.

Mcmurphy has changed his attitude in the ward, now he follows the rules and acts decent to nurse ratched. He has realized he is "committed" and the nurse has the power to keep him as long as he is causing trouble. Does Mcmurphy act different to for the sake of getting out earlier or is there a greater meaning behind leaving nurse ratched alone? Do you think Mcmurphy has a plan that involves more than just the staff at their ward?

Response to Andy

I do agree with what andy has said about the dog, goose, and car but recently McMurphy has figured out that unlike jail, he is stuck in the ward until they feel he is fit to leave. So they have the control to keep him there as long as they wish. He has two choices. Drive the Nurse mad until she wants to get rid of him, or just be peaceful and wait it out until they let him go free.

Metaphor Responses

I also have to agree with Billy and Andy. McMurphy is a force acted upon the Nurse and has the ability to push her out of the way and "save the geese." The headlights of the car allowed a path of light. This could possibly represent a path for the geese to follow. In other words, McMurphy wants the patients to follow his path by uniting and defeating the the Nurse. I think the patients are slowly learning to follow is lead, especially the Chief.

Response to Laura Gomez

In response to what Laura said, I think that Cheswick is an example of how hard it is to break out from the restrictions of the ward. It is much easier to conform to society than to be the only person standing up for what you believe in. In some ways I can see Cheswick as being a martyr because he was making a bold statement for something he believed in.

McMurphy's Influence

There is no doubt that everyone in the ward has an opinion of McMurphy. The other patients admire him for his strength in the face of the Nurse's authority, but after his conversation with the lifeguard, McMurphy changes the way he acts, careful not the anger the Nurse. What do you think will result from his change in behavior, in the way the authority views McMurphy and the way the other patients view him?

Dog Metaphor - Continued

Andy, I like your explination of the metaphor with the dog and the geese. In this senario, do you think the car (McMurphy) or the Geese (Nurse Ratched) will win. Personally I am hoping for McMurphy to win and corrupt the big nurse.

Dog Metaphor

I believe that the dog represents the Big Nurse, the geese represent the patients, and the car represents McMurphy. I think that it shows that the Big Nurse is chasing around the patients making them do what she wants to do, but then McMurphy unexpectedly comes out of no where and blindsides the Big Nurse.

Actions Speak Louder

Cheswick is trying to show us something very important in this section. He stood up to Big Nurse and McMurphy didnt support him. After that he was sent to the disturbed ward, he came back and told McMurphy that understood why he is compliant and drowned himself. Is he foreshadowing the fall of McMurphy? That the only way to live is to conform? Or is he just a martyr? who by definition is "a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause (a martyr to the cause of social justice)."

dog

i believe the dog it symbolizing their freedom since the fog is now now everything seem to be clearer to chief especially. In that it could also represent his fear of what might happen. that even though they have this freedom, its what or who allows the freedom to stay.

Being "committed"

In the meeting that The Big Nurse calls it is mentioned that McMurphy is a committed patient. Then later when they go to the pool the lifeguard breaks the news to McMurphy that it is up the the staff, so really up to the Big Nurse when he gets to leave the ward. The Big Nurse does not classify McMurphy as an extraordinary case, but that she can turn him into a coward. Once he is a coward then she thinks that everything will be back to normal and the patients will stop questioning her authority. After the Big Nurse turns McMurphy into a coward will he then be classified as extraordinary and get to leave her ward? Will he even be able to be let go?

Dog

i think that the dog represents the nurse and the geese that she is watching over are the patients, the dog getting hit by a car forshadowing the eventual downfall of the nurse.

dog

i feel the dog could also be a symbol of moving foward for example a dog chases after a car. this could show that the chief is moving over. And the car represents time and pace in life.

Dog Metaphor

I think that the dog is symbolic of the Chief who is chasing freedom which is represented as the geese. Also, I believe the car to be representative of the oppressive society in the ward which oppresses him as well as the other patients.

Dog Metaphor

I did not understand the purpose of the metaphor at all. At first i thought it meant to show hopelessness or do'nt even bother trying cause it useless. If anyone actually understands this let me know.

McMurphy Changed--Will He Change Back?

During the ward's trip to the pool, McMurphy learns that since he is committed, it is up to the staff as to when he can leave the ward. This causes McMurphy's attitude to change drastically.  Now that he has changed, what do you think will happen? Will he change back? Or will another patient step up and speak out? What leads you to believe this?

Dog Metaphor

Yeah. i also didn't get the significance of the dog metaphor. i was not sure if it was supposed to relate to his past or if it was foreshadowing? if anyone understood it can you please explain.

Hey Mrs. Speigel I was wondering if you can explain the methaphor of the dog watching the Geese, because it has got me really confused I dont understand what the Kesey means with this! The only thing I'm getting as a significance is that its briniging something from the Cheif's past but I'm not really sure why its important or what it has to do with the rest of the text

The senses

I just thought of something interesting. The Chief's perception/hallucinations are completely visually based (not auditory) - he sees things that aren't there or that aren't happening and the phrase he continually uses is "I seen it" or other phrases that really emphasize "see." And along with seeing these things, he'll feel sensations of cold when there's no literal cause. Interestingly enough though - he chooses to create deficits in two other senses (if we consider the voice to the use of a sense) - hearing and speaking. It seems ironic that he admittedly feigns (fakes) being deaf and mute and yet truly believes he sees and feels things that are in fact fake. Could it be that as he faces reality more and more, he has less hallucinations and that will slowly push him to break out of his "pretend" deafness and muteness? With his focus on McMurphy being "his own self" - being real is he somehow growing inspired to be his own real self and does that start with the senses?

Female Roles

The author depicts women in a very negative light. You can easily tell just because of how McMurphy talks about Big Nurse. He calls her a "ball cutter" and he says she "pecking" at them. Also, all the women in the book are blamed for the men's conditions. For example, Harding's wife is the reason for why he is there and Billy Bibbit's mom is the reason for why he is there. Is this saying something about the author?

Kesey and McMurphy

I can see a lot of similarities between Kesey and McMurphy. McMurphy seems to be giving the patients a sense of pride and acts a voice for them. Perhaps Kesey made this character to represent himself in a way? Kesey says that while working at the hospital he did not feel that the patients were insane, they simply didn't conform to normal standards of society. Can McMurphy's voice be interpreted to be the voice of Kesey? If so, why did he choose to describe McMurphy as such a strong and masculine character? 

The Chief's Vote

Near the end of Part One the Chief raises his hand in response to McMurphy's plea to vote, suggesting to the other patients and the staff that he was only pretending to be deaf. Will he stop acting completely and help McMurphy defeat the Nurse or will he pretend his vote was a coincidence and hope it is forgotten? What do you think the Big Nurse will do to him when and if she finds out that he can hear?

McMurphy

Does he have another side to him that we do not see cleary? is his overall tough guy attitude really all there? does his tattoo represent him

Women of the Cuckoo's Nest

Kesey makes it very obvious with the charcter Nurse Radchet that the patients were caught in a matriarchy (society ruled by women). Nurse Radchet is a ball buster, in that she emasculates all the patients by bringing up their histories, and letting the patients rip on and tear down eachother. Thus reducing the men to almost nothing. It would appear that Harding was institutionalized because of his cheating wife, Bibbit because of his mother and even McMurphy with a count of rape. Could it be that women drive men insane?

McMurphy

McMurphy's laugh (and all that it represents) seems to be the only glimpse of sanity we see in the hospital. Can McMurphy's actions bring back the sanity of other patients, the sanity they most likely had before they were brought into the hospital? We will see, but McMurphy was clearly only admitted by pleading insanity as his defense. Will the clarity that McMurphy represents (in such an unclear place) cause other patients to step back from the situation and realize how mistreated they are and give them the power to do something about it, or is the nurses system already so ingrained into them that none of them can see it even with the spark of normalcy that McMurphy is proving to be?

Acutes and Chronics

As I read this novel it is becoming more and more apparent to me that this insane asylum has got things all wrong. The patients are split up into two groups: Acutes and Chronics. To me the acutes don't really belong in a mental institution. They are just people who do not conform to societies standards. They either do not meet up to their gender roles (Harding couldn't please his wife, Billy Bibbit was constantly being put down by his mother), or they are unfit for any other 'facilities' (McMurphy). The chronics on the other hand do belong there. They can hardly function, some pee themselves, some are vegatables. Does anyone else agree? Disagree?

Sanity in the Cuckoo's Nest

It seems that McMurphy isn't what we'd consider a typical crazy person to be. In fact, a lot of the Actues don't seem far out crazy, yet some of what they're subjected to at the hospital does seem crazy. What do you think Kesey is trying to say/show about sanity? Who/what on the ward is truly insane?