Provide your findings here:
*Why is the Chief a Native American? What is the attitude towards Black Americans in this book? Is the book racist?*
Chief Bromden is the towering Native-American narrator in *One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest*. Chief "Broom" (so-called because he does nothing but sweep
all day) is the son of a real chief and a white woman. Due to Native
Americans being stereotypically portrayed as in touch with nature, Chief's
descriptions of the ward set nature and technology against one another,
which respectively symbolise sanity and insanity, the individual and
society.
Chief's ultimate recovery and victory over the ward and Nurse Ratched
likewise symbolises the individual's triumph over a totalitarian society.
Like many of the novel's other "insane" characters, Chief's condition began
as a result of a traumatic experience with a female figure in his life. As a
child, government officials repeatedly tried and failed to buy the tribe's
land from Chief's father. Ultimately, however, Chief's mother forces her
husband to give in, and after he sells the land, he turns to a life of
alcoholism.
His white wife's conquest over him is symbolic both of the white man's abuse
of Native Americans and the victory of society over the individual. When the
young chief tries to tell the government officials to leave, they ignore
him. This, compounded with the defeat of his idolized father, causes Chief
to lose faith in himself and the individual. When McMurphy and his ideas of
individuality restore Chief's self-confidence, Chief regains his former
stature and is able to escape the ward.
The Aides in Kesey's novel, who are referred to as "black boys," are
portrayed as inferior to white people in society. All of the aides had a
poor, rough childhood growing up as seen by their lack of education as seen
in the quote "`Why, who you s'pose signed chief Bromden up for this
foolishness? Inniuns ain't able to write'" (191). The aides' hatred of the
patients seems to stem from their rough childhood.
The types of jobs that the hospital workers have also indicate Kesey's
racism in his novel. The hospital workers' jobs are determined by their
race. The white people, like Nurse Ratched and Doctor Spivey have
professional high-paying jobs, which took an education to achieve, and are
very respected. Below the white people are the aides in the novel, who are
black. Their work is dirty, low-waged, and not respected. One can assume
they didn't have much of an education. At the bottom of the career chain in
Kesey's novel lays Chief Bromden, who is forced to do the cleaning jobs that
the aides don't want to do on the ward. Bromden cleans the floors, washes
the bathrooms, and replaces the patients' Catheter bags.
There are aspects of the novel that seem racist, but Ken Kesey wrote *One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* in the 1960's. Vocabulary which is not used
today was common and freely used then, so that should be taken into account
when forming your own verdict of whether this novel is truly racist.
Reuben
4.References made to machines
Collect the references made to machines. How does Kesey use these to build up an attack on American society?
Ward policy is one of the means by which Nurse Ratched exercises her control. What aspects of society do you think Kesey is criticising in her handling of such incidents as the dispute over the baseball game and the toothpaste incident.
- Brittany, Amy, Jean, Hannah.
-
Provide your findings here:
REFERENCES TO MACHINES
-Machines in the walls (Combines way of control)
-Fog Machine (chief’s way of removing himself)
- Black oil (references to black boys)
-Hum of machines (Combine control)
-Wicker basket (Big Nurses tool box)
- Soldering iron (References to Big Nurses fingers)
- Big Nurses Breasts (A mistake in manufacturing)
- Nurse Ratched is compared successively with various machinery a tractor, doll, robot, knife, truck and molten metal
Big Chief talks of the ward as being a factory for the combine, as a ‘smooth, accurate, precision made machine’. We see throughout the book the technicians as ‘mechanical puppets’ and of the chronics as ‘mechanical birds’ wonders of tiny bones and wires that have run down and fallen
The only exception to the impression of Big Nurse Ratcheds ‘artificiality’ and machine like precision is the one sign of her humanness- her Big womanly breasts. These are seen at the start of the book as being mistakes in manufacturing.
How does Kesey use these to build up an attack on American Society?
He uses these references to machines to convey the expectations of American society for the individual to conform to what is considered ‘normal’. By comparing it to machines the reader is able to understand how society exercises its control over us. Kesey uses the ward as a microcosm for the real world that we can relate to. He shows us that although the people in the ward are ‘different’ they are not actually crazy, just step from what society is willing to accept. This is an attack on the American government for trying control society and force people to conform.
What aspects of society do you think Kesey is critisising in her handling of such incidents as the dispute over the baseball game and the toothpaste incident?
Nurse Ratched is using her position to exercise control over the patients over the small, irrelevant request to change the TV schedule. She claims this is ward policy and is not ‘therapeutic’ to disrupt the routine.
When a vote is taken she over-rules it with her power, although the patients had a majority vote in favour of watching the baseball game.
Kesey is critisising people in society who use their power for the wrong reasons, including the government.
5.References to McMurphy
Collect together the references to McMurphy in his roles of Persecutor, of Victim and of Rescuer. Which of these do you think is the most important? The references to the cross-shaped table and the crown of thorns in the Shock Shop suggest a parallel with Christ. There are others in the incident of the fishing trip. Can you find anymore? What do you think is their significance?
- Josh, Benji, Cindy, Claire.
-
Provide your findings here:
McMurphy the Prosecutor
From the moment Mcmurphy arrives at the institue, he begins to question
and work against the system that he sees as the problem not the cure for
the so called crazy inmates. Apon arrival he makes a bet with the other
patients that he can "put a betsy bug up her butty withina week". Thus
begins his onslaught of "the combine". He, unlike the other patients,
questions the so called "theraputic" practises inside the ward; practises
like the repetitive structure of the days, the unbearably loud music, the
weekend passes and the completely suffocating nurse. He then becomes
unrelentless in his pursuit to show the inmates that they do not need to
be in the ward, and that "Nurse Ratched" is the reason for their
insecurities. This is shown when Billy comes out of the room after his
night with Candy; his stutter is gone and he has confidence that he did
not before seem to posess. Nurse Ratched then breaks him again, by
bringing up his mother, and billy is so far broken that he commits suicide
shortly after. McMurphy is a modern day Robin Hood, prosecuting only those
whom he sees as exploiting others. Not only does he challenge the
institution, but also he challenges the other inmates to do the same; to
ask the same questions of the nurse, the ward and the "combine".
Benji
Mac- Jesus?
The Jesus/saviour figure consists of a collection of ideas, symbols and images that originate from the worlds best selling fairytale; the bible.
Mac can be closely paralleled to this “Christ” figure in many ways.
- He speaks his mind and is a strong orator, able to convince people
- “Is crucified” for his/others’ sins
- On the fishing trip he takes twelve people with him – twelve disciples? (Jesus had something to do with fishing in one of the stories)
- Is betrayed by a Judas (i.e.-Billy)
- Has a close relationship with a prostitute (Candy – Mary Magdalene?)
- Is racially stereotyped. Mac is Irish, Jesus was a Jew
- Wears boots while most patients are barefoot (Jesus was barefoot in a sandaled world)
- Is a manipulator, able to turn/use people who are willing to follow blindly. Baaaaa
- Is a labourer, Jesus was a carpenter
- Is proclaimed to be “extraordinary” by a doctor, Jesus was called “king of men”?
- Performs “miracles”. e.g.- getting Bromden to talk
These symbols/images/ideas give us a strong picture of Mac as a saviour, without needing every biblical reference explained. The “Christ” idea is so ingrained in Anglo-Saxon literature/”history” that most people understand the martyr idea. This allows Kesey to deal with other aspects of the story more carefully.
However, there are some crucial differences between Mac and the biblical Jesus;
- He doesn’t pretend to be pure and sin-free, he tells others of his past dirty deeds quite readily
- Isn’t an “immaculate (imaginary) conception” from an adulterous quickie. (Haha, the bible tells us Jesus was literally a bastard!)
- Isn’t happy/accepting about his impending “crucifixion”. He goes down fighting
And just to prove Tool’s relevance to this book once again, here are the lyrics to Eulogy, a song about false martyrdom
He had a lot to say
He had a lot of nothing to say
We’ll miss him
So long
We wish you well
You told us how you weren’t afraid to die
Well then, so long
Don’t cry
Or feel too down
Not all martyrs see divinity
But at least you tried
Standing above the crowd,
He had a voice that was strong and loud
We’ll miss him
Ranting and pointing his finger
At everything but his heart
We’ll miss him
No way to recall
What it was that you had said to me,
Like I care at all
So loud
You sure could yell
You took a stand on every little thing
And so loud
You could be the one
To save me from
My own existence
I was so sure that I’d sin and you’d pay too
I’m just glad you knew me enough to allow me to always sit by you
So mad since you stopped giving all your commands
You weren’t too mad when he called you
Your mind is helpless
Standing above the crowd,
He had a voice so strong and loud and I
Swallowed his facade cuz I’m so
Eager to identify with
Someone above the ground,
Someone who seemed to feel the same,
Someone prepared to lead the way, with
Someone who would die for me
Will you?
Will you now?
Would you die for me?
Don’t you f****n lie
Don’t you step out of line
Don’t you f****n lie
You’ve claimed all this time that you would die for me
Why then are you so surprised to hear your own eulogy?
You had a lot to say
You had a lot of nothing to say
Come down
Get off your f****n cross
We need the f****n space to nail the next fool martyr
To ascend you must die
You must be crucified
For your sins and your lies
Goodbye
Josh
Chief Bromden
By pretending to be deaf, the Chief needs neither to speak nor interact
with anyone. McMurphy’s energy inspires him to reconnect with the world
again, pulling him out of the “fog”. McMurphy’s energy continues to work
on the Chief, who begins to reengage with life by responding to events on
the ward. In an act Nurse Ratched rightly views as insubordinate, the
Chief breaks the tie in favor of McMurphy in the World Series vote and
helps the inmates beat the orderlies in a game of basketball. An important
breakthrough toward life and health occurs with the Chief’s first words,
spoken to McMurphy to thank him not just for the comfort of a stick of gum
but also for the example of his courage. Although McMurphy tells the
Chief he is as big as a mountain, the Chief himself believes he is too
small, too damaged, to escape. However, the Chief regains his physical
strength under McMurphy’s care, and when McMurphy returns to the ward
lobotomized, the Chief decides he is now big enough to escape with
McMurphy—this means he has reached sanity. Chief Bromden as the narrator
of the novel, can therefore demonstrate McMurphy’s attack on the Combine
and his effect on the other patients. Each of the four parts of the book
marks an important stage in the Chief’s growing independence and growth as
a functioning person.
Billy Bibbit
Billy is a timid and fearful Acute, scared of women in general,
particularly his domineering mother, who may be a cause of his perpetual
stutter. Although he longs to be like the heroic McMurphy, he is not
strong enough to stand up to Nurse Ratched on his own. McMurphy tries to
get Billy to realize that he should be out in the world, driving a
convertible and having fun with girls. Even though Billy is a voluntary
patient who can leave the misery of the ward at any time, he tells
McMurphy that he is not ready, because he believes he is not strong enough
to face the world. McMurphy encourages Billy’s natural longing for girls
as a healthy appetite for life. When Billy confesses to McMurphy his
attraction to Candy, he is confessing a desire to be the healthy, normal
young man McMurphy has encouraged him to be.
The next morning, after Nurse Ratched finds him in bed with Candy, Billy
speaks for the first time without stuttering. The men applaud not only for
his confidence and manhood but also for his effrontery of Nurse Ratched’s
control. Using the threat of his mother to shame Billy back to
subservience, Nurse Ratched forces him to cower at her feet, begging for
mercy. Rather than continue living under her repressive rule, Billy
chooses suicide, relinquishing life, while simultaneously making an
independent decision. Billy acts as the catalyst for the final battle
between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, the forces of good and evil.
Dale Harding
The most well-educated patient on the ward and president of the Patients’
Council. Harding, as the “bull-goose loony”, helps McMurphy understand the
realities of the hospital. Although he is married to an overtly sexual
wife, Harding may have homosexual tendencies. He has difficulty dealing
with the overwhelming social prejudice against homosexuals, so he hides in
the hospital voluntarily. Harding’s development and the reemergence of his
individual self signal the success of McMurphy’s battle against Ratched,
especially when Harding checks himself out of the ward and paves the way
for the other cured patients to leave.
Charles Cheswick
Although Cheswick is the first patient to support McMurphy’s rebellion
against Nurse Ratched, he is a man of much talk and little action.
After McMurphy does not support Cheswick when Cheswick takes a stand
against Nurse Ratched, he drowns in the pool. His death is inferred to
being a suicide. Cheswick’s death is significant in that it awakens
McMurphy to the extent of his influence and the mistake of his decision to
conform.
The Combine
After working the night shift at Menlo Park Veterans Hospital, Kesey
discovered the shocking state in which American mental hospitals operate.
After talking to the patients at the hospital, Kesey decided they weren’t
crazy just different. These experiences lead him to write One Flew Over
The Cuckoo’s Nest, in which he outlines many of the ‘problems’ with the
mental hospitals of the 1960’s. Kesey goes to great lengths to emphasis
his criticisms on the sanity of the patients in the hospital, and how they
are not crazy just rejected by society. Sam smells. Kesey is inspired by
the patients and subjected himself to Electroshock therapy to see what the
patients had to go through. It was during his time at the mental hospital,
that Kesey became attached to the patients and discovered the different
ways they had been rejected by society. In One Flew Over... he is widely
critical of patient insanity, trying to give the reader what the inmates
have to deal with, and how they’ve been steamrolled by the ‘Combine’.
Kesey also criticises the fact that the mental hospitals in the ‘60s
operated like they were still in the Stone Age. This is not helped along
by the fact that it is run by ex-military nurse, Nurse Ratched. Things
such as Electroshock therapy and lobotomies reinforce Kesey’s view of an
outdated facility, where patients are strapped to their beds to sleep, and
put against the wall to be showered. Sam smells. This brings in Kesey’s
next criticism of the prison like nature in which the hospital operates.
The unforgiving routine, the bars on the windows and the ‘prison guard’
orderlies all contribute to the unmistakable stench of prison.
Kesey also highlights the mechanic like nature in which the hospital tries
to fix people and spit them out. Sam smells. The hospital treats the
patients as inanimate machines, pulling the faulty pieces out and putting
the correct pieces in. Kesey has used this metaphor through Chief Bromden,
showing how the hospital is trying to pull out all the personality of the
patients and replace it with an inhuman robotic personality. A personality
which the ‘Combine; deems acceptable. Kesey goes on to criticise American
Society, for forcing people to conform to their ‘acceptable’ standard.
The Combine
American Society is almost comparable to a car crusher through the way
they crush and conform anybody who revolts against the majority. Kesey’s
metaphor of the ‘Combine’ shows his criticism of American Society and what
they stood for in the 1960’s. Sam smells. So basically to sum up Kesey, he
is an Anti-American communist.
By Andrew. With minimal help from Aaron, and NO help from Sam.
Chief.FH11
chapter summary (proper).doc
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