Write 200+ words about your favorite—most amusing, enlightening—parts in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Outside of your 200+ words, include at least a couple sentences word-for-word from the novel—along with their page numbers. Rank your favorite parts.
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So far, my favorite part of the novel is when Chief finds himself inside the photograph on the wall of the mountains (page 126-127). I really enjoyed this part because while it is part of his hallucinations, it is the most at peace he has been for the entire novel. I really enjoyed how calm and halcyon Bromden seemed. This place reminded him of home, and for a second he was able to forget that he was at the hospital. He continuously references home, when really, the hospital is his new home, as he will likely be there for the rest of his life. This is also one of the few times where his schizophrenia brings around a positive effect, as most of the time, his hallucinations cause him more panic and fear, but in this instant, it is causing him to feel like he is at home. Bromden then goes on to say, “Maybe [the visiting doctor] feels the cold snow wind off the peaks too,” which was really interesting to me, as in his mind, it makes perfect sense for a picture to come to life. I think this passage also poses the idea that everyone might be a little crazy, but some contain or hide it better. I also really enjoy the section where Bromden wakes up and does not see the fog. He gets up to the window, and describes what he feels and smells, then proceeds to say that he has his eyes closed because he was afraid to open them, as he had never seen outside the hospital before. I thought it was crazy that he had never seen outside before, and the section where he goes into the painting as mentioned earlier makes more sense. He then hears (but does not exactly see) a flock of geese, and recalls seeing them at home. Bromden then says, “I listened to them fade away till all I could hear was my memory of the sound,” which makes me wonder if the whole scene at the window was not a hallucination, as he might have been hearing the memory of the geese the whole time. Both these passages caused me to reflect on their reality.
Most of my favorite parts within this book relate back to the hallucinations of Chief Bromden. I think these sections are the most interesting as they always include the most detail, and leave the reader puzzling. It is interesting to try and decode his thoughts and detect what is real and what is not. One example of these hallucinations would be the time when he is laying in bed after skipping his medication. While this passage was eerie, it was so interesting to read as it had so much imagery and detail. For example, during his dream/ hallucination, Bromden says, "The furnace whoops like a ball of fire and I hear the popping of a million tubes like walking through a field of seed pods" Another part of this story that was extremely eye-opening to me was when Bromden looked out the window for the first time. I felt like this part was super shocking because it made me realize how little the patients had actually experienced. Seeing how shocking the outside world felt to Bromden helped me see that they are truly brainwashed and controlled in almost every possible way. While this was a devastating moment, it was also kind of beautiful because you could see how much awe Bromden had for the outside world. It gives the reader a sense of hope that he might be able to get a better taste of the world outside the hospital one day.
As of right now, my favorite part of the novel was the entrance of McMurphy into the ward. If there was ever a proper entrance for an enticing and groundbreaking character like R.P. McMurphy, Kesey wrote a stellar introduction. The description of McMurphy is mesmerizing and extremely helpful when determining what kind of character we will start to analyze. Not only the physical adjectives that describe him but the metaphysical adjectives; loud, brash, quick; give us a better understanding of the unordinary nature of McMurphy. We get to understand that he is a gambling man, and his constant need to bet on something with the other patients cracks me up. It's peculiar and insane that he actively tries to make bets with people that cannot think for themselves, and often cannot live without the aid of others. During his introduction to the ward, he immediately states his intentions to the other patients, saying, "My name is McMurphy, buddies, R.P. McMurphy, and I'm a gambling fool....and whenever I meet with a deck a cards I law...my money...down." He continues his gambling talk by approaching Cheswick, who is playing cards, and immediately starts to try to get in the hustle. "Hello, buddy; what's that you're playin'? Pinochle? Jesus, no wonder you don't care about nothin' about showing your hand. Don't you have a straight deck around here? Well, say, here we go, I brought along my own deck,..." I think that him having a pack of cards on him at all times is an interesting insight into the type of person McMurphy used to be when he was on the Outside. Both of the selected quotes above are ones that I remember gave me a great clue of what kind of interesting character McMurphy is. Upon hearing his first words I knew that McMurphy would be an interesting yet fun character to study as I continue to read the novel.
My favorite part of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest would probably be when Mcmurphy gets everyone to sit in front of a blank tv screen in protest of the nurse refusing to let them watch the game. I think I like this scene because I see myself a little in McMurphy. Though disobeying authority isn’t something to praise, I, like McMurphy, don't like to be disrespected. Whenever someone is unnecessarily rude or denies my request without giving a genuine, acceptable reason, my first instinct is to do exactly what they don’t want me to do. I don’t think the nurse had any genuine reason to deny the patients’ request to watch the baseball game. She just liked to maintain power over them. If I were there, I would probably be right beside McMurphy in protest. I think McMurphy and the other patients’ response to the nurse was hilarious and the perfect way to defeat the nurse at her own game. I like the line on page 144 that states, “And we were all sitting there lined up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day, and she’s ranting and screaming behind us.” This quote shows that, at least in the moment, the patients had won over Ratchet and, in my opinion, given her what she deserved for being tyrannical in her position of authority. My second favorite part of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is when Chief Bromden gets up in the middle of the night and looks out the window. He sees a dog outside sniffing at squirrel holes. He watches the dog prance around curiously and roll in the grass. Then, the dog begins to run on to the road, and Chief sees a car coming. Chief then notes on page 165, “I watched the dog and the car make for the same spot on the pavement.” I think Chief and the other patients can connect with the poor dog. They really aren’t doing a lot of harm, like the dog, they are just living their lives doing their own thing. However, they are deemed unfit for society, and dirty (like the dog) so they are put into a mental hospital where their personality and self-identity is crushed by Nurse Ratchet and her power.
Probably my favorite moment in the first part of the book is when the group sits down to watch the world series. This moment stuck out to me so much because it is relatable and it shows their humanity. The other patients originally didn't side with McMurphy when he wanted to watch the world series, but they later joined him. I found it funny that McMurphy didn't start his protest during standard meeting time, but he chose to do it during their work time when they were supposed to be cleaning. I also found it amusing that McMurphy didn't have to tell the others what to do they just saw him sit down in front of the blank television and they know what to do. My liking of this moment is highlighted on page 143 when the author describes McMurphy and writes "McMurphy walks past the window where she's glaring out at him and grins at her like he knows he's got her whipped now." This shows how McMurphy had the confidence to challenge nurse Ratchet and how it helped the other men be normal for once. My second favorite moment was when McMurphy is first introduced to the other patients at the ward. I love how he goes around and makes a point to talk to each one of them and shake their hand. This was so fascinating to me because it showed how McMurphy viewed each one of them as an individual, and I think that this would have a profound impact on the other patients. In a place where they were all treated the same, it would be nice to have someone who viewed you as an individual and took time to get acquainted with you. This idea is best captured on page 23 with the quote "he shakes the hands of Wheelers and Walkers and Vegetables, shakes hands that he has to pick up out of laps like picking up dead birds". I love this quote because it shows how he goes out of his way to shake the hands of every patient in the room.
My favorite part of the novel so far is on page 84. All of the patients are sleeping except McMurphy and Chief. McMurphy is laughing for some odd reason, and Cheif isn't quite sure why he is laughing. McMurphy then turns and says, "Why you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Chief. I thought somebody told me you was deef". I find it interesting and quite bizarre that McMurphy was able to decipher that Cheif Bromden isn't deaf at all. He has figured this out and makes sure Cheif knows it. Yet, he doesn't feel the need to tell the rest of the patients. He is ok with keeping the secret. My second favorite part of the book is on page 94. McMurphy is up earlier than the rest, and he is singing away. He is clearly attempting to get under the black boy's and Big nurse's skin. Sam denies McMurphy toothpaste because it is too early, and McMurphy decides soap powder will work just fine "Well, I generally use paste, but this will do fine for me. Thank you". I find this amusing because McMurphy doesn't want to use paste, but by doing this, he is continually getting under their skin to the point where one may flip, and he can win his bet.
In my opinion, the most interesting part of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is when Chief Bromden has his hallucinations. During these parts of the book it gives off the most vivid descriptions and allows you to really visualize what the author is trying to say. When he talks about the fog it is super interesting to see how he sees the world around him even though no one else is really seeing this happen. The most interesting part to read so far was when he did not take his medicine at night and had the dream about Blastic. This to me was super in detail and entertaining to read. Even though what he was seeing was super weird and not true, it was crazy that he was dreaming this and when he woke up he had died. In the text Bromden says, “But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen,”(8). This is not at the same point in the book as the dream, but it shows you how his mind thinks differently. Another part of the novel that interested me was when McMurphy implies to Bromden that he knows he can hear. I thought that this was a big part of the story because no one has ever noticed this before and McMurphy had just come into the ward. This implies that the people that are here do not know each other super well and do not notice much about the people around them. In the novel, McMurphy states, “I thought somebody told me you was deef” (84). This was a super interesting part to read.
My favorite part in the novel is page 84 when McMurphy tells Chief, “‘Why, you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Chief. I thought somebody told me you was deef.’” I thought this was funny because Chief has been pretending to be deaf and dumb since he came to the facility and now, within a short time, McMurphy has figured out that Chief is, in fact, not deaf. This is also shown later in part one of the novel when they take the second vote on changing the “T.V. time” so they can watch the World Series game and Chief raises his hand in favor of changing the T.V. time so now everyone knows that he is not actually deaf. I could not imagine pretending to be deaf and dumb for such a long period of time. Another part of the book I enjoyed was when Nurse Ratched turned off the T.V. so the patients could do their morning duties, but they still sat there looking at the blank T.V. and it just made me think that if anyone from the outside walked in and saw that, they would just think they are crazy, but to the patients, it was them standing up to Nurse Ratched.
My first favorite part about One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was when you first meet McMurphy. Up to that point, the book had just been backstory about the hospital and how it was run. Now we see a new character introduced. McMurphy is a very energetic and outgoing person. When we first meet McMurphy I think that there is no way this guy is actually insane. However, after the nurse reads his file out loud, it becomes more clear why he is there. "Hello, buddy, what do they call you? My name's McMurphy and I'll bet you two dollars here and now that you can't tell me how many spots are in that pinochle hand you're holding don't look. Two dollars; what d'ya say?" (Kesey 14).
My second favorite part about One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was when the nurse finally loses her temper. I found it incredibly funny when Mcmurphy wanted to push the nurse over the edge. I figured he would eventually because at the first meeting that Mcmurphy attended he managed to get the nurse flustered. "If somebody'd of come in and took a look, men watching a blank TV, a fifty-year-old woman hollering and squealing at the back of their heads about discipline and order and recriminations, they'd of thought the whole bunch was crazy as loons" (Kesey 145).
One of my favorite parts of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is when they all sit in front of the blank TV. This part is a favorite of mine because it represents the rebelling against an oppressive force who is trying to limit their abilities to live. They realized that the things Nurse Ratched does should not be done and some of the policies on the ward need to change. The members in the ward do this by watching a “baseball game.” They down their mops and brooms and they are just, “Sitting there lined up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day….”(Kesey 144) This is just the beginning, in my mind, of a drawn-out fight between Nurse Ratched(The Oppressor) and McMurphy(The Hope), and I am excited to read forward and see what else happens between these two and the other ward members. Another one would be when McMurphy realizes that Chief is not actually deaf and calls him out on it. I think this is funny because everyone else on the ward thinks he is deaf, and within a week of being there McMurphy is able to get just enough of a reaction out of Chief to notice that he in fact is not deaf. And he does it in such a funny way because they are just trying to sleep and he says to the Chief, “‘Why, you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Chief. I thought somebody told me you was deef.’”(84) This just goes to show that even though McMurphy is labeled a psychopath and is in a mental hospital he is still a very smart person.
One of the most amusing parts of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest so far happens on pages 95 to 101. The scene that happens on these pages is McMurphy is getting ready for the day and singing, which has annoyed Nurse Ratched. When Nurst Ratched comes over to talk to McMurphy, he comes out in only a towel. This shocks Nurse Ratched and she demands McMurphy to return to his room and put his clothes on, which McMurphy responds he has none. McMurphy then explains that the clothes he came in were missing and he does not have a change of clothing. Nurse Ratched gets angry with the orderlies, specifically the orderly Mr. Washington, for not giving McMurphy his change of clothes yesterday. Nurst Ratched demands Mr. Washington gets McMurphy his new clothes immediately, threatening "you may need a month of bedpans and slab baths" (Kesey 98 to 99). Once McMurphy gets the clothes, he drops the towel he had been holding, revealing that "he had his shorts on under the towel all along" (99). This annoyed Nurst Ratched as she obviously thought McMurphy had nothing on underneath. Nurst Ratched quickly composed herself and went on like nothing had happened and McMurphy went to change and continued singing. I also find the whole conversation about carnivals and possibly having one themselves on pages 107 to 109 quite amusing too.
Madeleine Pearce
As of right now, some of my favorite parts of the novel are when Cheif Bromden has his hallucinations and when McMurphy finds out Cheif Bromden is not deaf. In my opinion, when Cheif Bromden has these hallucinations it makes the novel more interesting and has you on your toes. It makes you question why he is having hallucinations and try to decide which is real and which is not. These hallucinations are also very interesting because Cheif Bromden explains so in-depth what he sees. For example, the fog is a big part of his hallucinations throughout the novel. This is an interesting part because he envisions something no one else sees. On page 128, Chief Bromden says, “Nobody complains about all the fog. I know why, now: as bad as it is, you can slip back in it and feel safe.” A couple of sentences later he also says, “He keeps trying to drag us out of the fog, out in the open where we’d be easy to get at.” In a way, the fog is almost like his “safe place.” When Cheif Bromden is in the fog he feels like nothing bad will happen to him. Another one of my favorite parts about the novel so far is when McMurphy figures out Cheif Bromden isn’t deaf. At the bottom of page 84 McMurphy says “Why, you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Cheif. I thought somebody told me you was deef.” I find this interesting because I think McMurphy knew all along that Cheif Bromden was not deaf.
My favorite part of the story so far is the drama that happens when McMurphy wants to watch the world series. When they go and sit down to watch the game, Ratched cuts power and McMurphy decides to just keep staring at the TV. The others join in and also sit and stare at a blank screen. McMurphy is finally able to win his bet and force Ratched to lose her composure. McMurphy finally pushed her to her limit. The book says, “And we were all sitting there lined up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day, and she’s ranting and screaming behind us.”(144) Bromden also enjoys this too. “I think how it sounds like her voice hit a nail, and this strikes me so funny I almost laugh.” (144) This is my favorite part because it is the first major win that the patients can chalk up against the Nurse. My second favorite event is McMurphy’s and Bromden’s encounter in the middle of the night. McMurphy says something that makes Bromden react. This is enough to confirm McMurphy’s suspicions that the Chief is not really deaf at all and he never was. The part I like about this, though, is the fact that McMurphy keeps his discovery relatively quiet. No doubt he could have advertised this to everyone. I believe he keeps quiet because he knows he could put the Chief in danger if his secret gets out. This really goes to show how much McMurphy seems to care about a lot of his fellow patients.
What I thought was amusing was when Bromden raised his hand after McMurphy asked him to get a majority. McMurphy wanted to watch baseball so he brought it up to miss Ratched and she said he had to put it to a vote and they had an even vote 20 for and 20 that didn’t. Miss Ratched said “A majority, Mr. McMurphy; it’s in the ward constitution” stating that he had to have 21 votes for it (pg 141). The only problem was the rest of the 20 that didn’t vote were the chronics, he was trying to get one of them to hold their hand up but most of them were too far gone and didn't know what was going on. Lastly, he went to Bromden and asked him to raise his hand, but with him being “deaf” he wasn’t going to hold up his hand. He at first believes that McMurphy has something pulling up his arm but he realizes and says “No. That’s not the truth. I lifted it myself” and he lifts his hand making the majority vote (pg 142). This made the Nurse mad and later in the book when he is supposed to clean the staff meeting room while they are having a meeting-they would let him because they thought he was deaf-she just stares at him for a while.
So far, my favorite part of the book was when McMurphy entered the psych ward. I think it is really interesting and comical when he arrives because he owns the place. One of the first things he says is "My name's McMurphy and I'll bet you two dollars here and now that you can't tell me how many spots are in that pinochle hand you're holding don't look. Two dollars; what d'ya say?" (Kesey 14) He does not wait to formally introduce himself or for anyone else to introduce themselves. This is my favorite part because he shows a different side than all of the patients who succumb to the schedule and the nurse's rules. This then again is shown when McMurphy is trying to watch the game. He does not care that the nurse is telling him he is not allowed to be watching it at that time, he is supposed to be helping with the housework. McMurphy demonstrates a new angle on the psych ward because soon after, the other patients started pulling their chairs towards the game to watch as well. This made Nurse Ratched even more upset. "And we're all sitting there lined up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day, and she's ranting and screaming behind us." (144)
Another one of my favorite parts is when Bromden is supposed to be cleaning the meeting room when all the nurses are in there, but he doesn't know if they figured out he can hear. He listens to them discuss what to do with McMurphy and then is shocked when Nurse Ratched tells the others he shouldn't go to Disturbed. Everyone is shocked. Bromden even whips around his head but tries to play it off like he just saw another spot. "Everybody's head jerks toward her—mine too, but I check myself and pass the motion off like I'm trying to scrub a speck I just discovered on the wall above my head." (156)
One of my favorite parts of the novel, so far, is when Chief Bromden’s hallucinations begin to clear up and he is able to see things more clearly. The main reason behind this is the entrance of McMurphy and his immediate influence on Chief Bromden’s life. On page 162, Chief Bromden states, “I was seeing lots of things different. I figured the fog machine had broke down…For the first time in years I was seeing people with none of that black outline they used to have, and one night I was even able to see out the windows.” McMurphy’s impact is undeniable for all of the patients in the ward. McMurphy is able to influence the patients into seeing the world more clearly instead of being inside of this overly medicated state where every day is the same boring thing over and over. For instance, on page 163, Chief Bromden once again states, “I woke up and the dorm was clean and silent…the air in the dorm was clear and had a taste to it made me feel kind of giddy and drunk, gave me this sudden yen to get up out of bed and do something.” Shortly after Chief Bromden says this he describes memories and even how he could not comprehend how many times he had mopped the floor that he was standing on.
This entire novel has been fairly interesting to me in terms of understanding the mind of someone with schizophrenia, but I would say one of my favorite parts so far is when McMurphy is talking to the rest of the guys about all the ward patients being rabbits and Miss Ratched being the wolf putting them into their places. Since McMurphy is the only sane patient, he has a different perspective on the entire institute and can fully comprehend that their treatment is at times cruel and unusual. He almost acts as a symbol of enlightenment to the guys. On pages 62-68, all the guys discuss Miss Ratched's communist ruling over everyone and McMurphy says, "For a minute there I thought I was back in a Red Chinese prison camp..."(Kesey 66). In an attempt to defend their cotton-tailed behavior, Cheswick tries to explain their blind obedience, but he simply cannot. This was scene was a moment of realization for not only Cheswick but the rest of the patients as well. I think McMurphy came in and gave a little light to the place. Despite him being a literal criminal with charges of assault and raping of a minor, I see him as the protagonist of the plot making the lives of the men at the hospital more amusing.
My overall favorite part of the novel so far is Cheif Bromden's flashback to his mill visit during high school. In this novel, Cheif Bromden is characterized as a tall, crazy, seemingly mute, and death war vet who is a "chronic" meaning he is incapable of doing a lot of basic things but in this flashback, we see a different part of him. Based on the current state of Cheif Bromden one would never guess that he was a star football player but on page 38 he discusses how his high school team's boosters paid to fly them out to California to play a team down there. On this football trip, Bromden and his team go to visit a cotton mill to make the trip more "educational". While on this trip Cheif Bromden meets an African American girl who is working in this mill and she begs Bromden to take her away wherever he wants to go saying, "do take me, big boy. Outa this here mill, outa this town, outa this life." Bromden also relates the sound of the mill here to the sound of the combine in the insane asylum. Another part I find interesting is when McMurphy first gets under the nurse's skin. On page 99 McMurphy drops his towel to reveal girl underwear underneath with the nurse's reaction being, "She's glaring at those big white whales leaping round on his shorts in a pure wordless rage". I liked this part because it was the first "victory" for the patients.
From my point of view, I have found the introduction of McMurphy to be one of my favorite parts so far from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The book previous to his introduction seemed to be just bits of background information about the ward and how it had been run by Nurse Ratched. But when McMurphy enters the story he is like a bit of energy that kept me reading. His personality is so energetic and we quickly find that he is outgoing. It does not seem like he would ever be the type of person to belong in the ward, but he was there. Of course, we find out that he does belong there during the “pecking party” and with his file being read out loud. His introduction proved to be interesting and how he is breeding unrest amongst the patients again the nurse is interesting and is getting better by the page. Which is also my other favorite parts of the book so far, when McMurphy finally pushes the Nurse over the edge and she loses her temper for the first time. We saw the beginnings of this with how McMurphy managed to fluster Nurse Ratched at the “pecking party” after his introduction.
“Hello, buddy, what do they call you? My name’s McMurphy and I’ll bet you two dollars here and now that you can’t tell me how many spots are in that pinochle hand you’re holding don’t look. Two dollars; what d’ya say?” (Kesey 14).
“If somebody’d come in and took a look, men watching a blank TV, a fifty-year-old woman hollering and squealing at the back of their heads about discipline and order and recriminations, they’d of thought the whole bunch was crazy as loons” (Kesey 145).
My favorite part of this book is when McMurphy is trying to get on the Big Nurses nerve by trying to watch the world series; by getting everyone to gather around the tv “And we’re all sitting there lined up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day, and she’s ranting and screaming behind us” (pg 144). It's a great scene of just how controlling the big Nurse can be and how people will do what they want. Along with how people shouldn't be praised for not following authority but in this case, it should be encouraged because they are humans and should have some freedom to chose what they want to watch. Another great part is when all the staff members are in a meeting to discuss McMurphy's behavior if he should be admitted to the Disturbed Ward. How all of the nurses are trying to say what they think the Big Nurse wants to hear but she turns around and says “I’ll admit that my first thought when I began to recognize Mr.Mcmyphy for the disturbing force that he is was that he should most definitely be sent up to Disturbed. But now I believe it is too late.” (157). I think this is funny simply because all of the staff is arguing about how they are going to admit McMurphy to the Disturbed Ward because that's what they think the Big Nurse wants and that's what she wanted a few hours earlier but all of a sudden after the tv stunt she now wants to keep the disruption in her perfectly in order ward.
The part in the book that intrigues me a lot is when Chief Bromden hallucinates and believes there are hidden fog machines in the vents and are left off by the staff. Obviously, there is not actually fog going off into the ward.
"Before noontime they're at the fog machine again but they haven't got it turned up full; it's not so thick but what I can see if I strain real hard" (Kesey 42). The fog being released into the ward is the cause of Bromden's Schizophrenia. The fog represents him slipping from reality and entering his own realm of peace. He considers it to be his safe place because he hides from everyone else in the room. Besides Bromden's meaning of the fog, it can also represent the state of teh mind Ratched imposes on the patients with her strict routines and humilating meetings. But when McMurphy arrives, the fog slowly starts to dissipate. "It's lost in the fog, lie everything else. (They haven't really fogged the place full force all day today, not since McMurphy came in) (Kesey 78).
A part of the novel that I find rather amuzing is when McMurphy goes out in the middle of the ward wearing only his showy boxers.
"He finally winks at the nurse and shrugs and unwraps the towel, drapes it over her shoulder like she was a wooden rack" (Kesey 99). McMurphy tries to introduce humor into the ward because he notices that the atmosphere is so stuck up and tense all the time. He also notices that Nurse Ratched is the one that is the cause of everyone being so tense. So he decides to mess with her and come out next to her with only a towel and take off the towel, put it on her shoulder, and expose his whale boxer shorts. Naturally, Nurse Ratched does not find it comical, but I found it very amuzing. I think McMurphy really tries to let the men in the ward have a little bit of humor so they can have a little bit more fun and can show a little bit of their identies. Before McMurphy shows up all of the men seem to be robots. I am glad McMurphy comes into the ward and adds some humor in the novel.
So far, my favorite part of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is when McMurphy enters the ward and totally has everyone in awe. The way he walks boisterously in without a care in the world amused me greatly. Right from the jump, McMurphy is the loudest, most outgoing patient in all of the mental hospital. On page 11, it says, "He tells them right back in a loud, brassy voice that he's already plenty damn clean, thank you. "No one else in the entire ward would ever say something like that to any nurse or staff member, and this man rolls up on the first day with an "I don't give a rip" attitude. This was probably my favorite part of the book. In second place, on page 84, when McMurphy tells Cheif Bromdon that he knows he is not deaf, or "deef" as it says in the book. "Why you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Cheif, I thought somebody told me you were deef." McMurphy finds out that the Cheif is not deaf, but in fact, hears everything around him. This does not matter to him, though, as he never brings it up again or tells anyone else in the hospital about it. He knows, Cheif knows, and that's it. I really enjoy McMurphy as a character in this book; I think he brings so much to the table. Though he might be depicted as the devil for stirring things up and his fiery red hair, he makes some of the patients come to their senses. He gets them to rally against the nurses and sometimes think for themselves. He is by far my favorite character.
My favorite part of the novel is chapter 10 when the patients are attempting a game of monopoly. The chapter is quite amusing because each patient is extremely competitive and wants to win the game, but finds this difficult to do because they are one of two things: confused or broke. Although the patients were struggling to play monopoly, I believe that the author was signifying that the patients are not that different from those outside of the mental hospital. I have played many games of monopoly and I understand all of the confusion that the patients were experiencing. In addition, this section was very entertaining, probably because it is so relatable. My neighbors and I like to play monopoly tournaments, and the tournaments often become quite intense, similar to the game in the book that was going on for 3 days, with “houses and hotels everywhere” (114). Although I enjoyed the entire chapter, my favorite part was when Martini moved Scanlon’s house instead of his play piece on the board because they were “the same color” (pg 115), which set off an entire array of problems and confusion. Even though the chapter is entertaining and serves as a bit of comedic relief, I enjoyed it because of how relatable it is. In addition, even though the patients are deemed different, this chapter shows us that we are not all that unalike.
My favorite part would be the arrival of McMurphy. McMurphy doesn't waste any time trying to take over the ward. On page 21, he states, "...this hospital ain't big enough for the two of us. I'm accustomed to being a top man". He is referring to Harding, who is considered the head guy. McMurphy doesn't see Harding as a real threat and claims he is much crazier than him. They both bicker back and forth about who is the craziest of them all. This stuck out to me because the presence that McMurphy brings is unmatched to anyone else in the book. My second favorite part would be right after this, on page 22, "And when he finishes shaking hands with the last Acute he comes right on over to the Chronics, like we arent no different". McMurphy makes it his duty to shake each individual. He wants the whole ward to know that he can be everyone's friend. All though no one knows why he does this, it is the most entertainment that they have received in a long time. This stuck out to me because he breaks the wall between the two groups. I think he brings chaos to the book, which is something that creates great suspense.
So far, my favorite part of the novel was when McMurphy decides to just ignore the commands of the staff and sits in his chair in front of the blank TV instead of cleaning like he’s supposed to. I felt satisfied that all of the Acutes in the ward—not just McMurphy alone—decided to take action for something that they wanted to do that had been taken away from them by the “democratic processes” in their meetings that were actually designed to fail. I have found myself frustrated with the patients’ inability to do anything about their circumstances and how they are just tossed around like materials by the staff, so this little glimmer of hope for their independence and rebellion was a satisfying moment for me. The very last sentence of part 1 opens up a bunch of possibilities: “If somebody’d of come in and took a look, men watching a blank TV, a fifty-year-old woman hollering and squealing at the back of their heads about discipline and order and recriminations, they’d of thought the whole bunch was crazy as loons” (145). This quote implies that not only are the patients acting like crazy people, but Nurse Ratched is also acting crazy now that she has lost her sense of power and authority over the patients. Personally, I think that it shows how the patients aren’t really any different than the “normal people” outside the hospital. My second-favorite part would probably be when McMurphy confronts Ratched in the hallway in his towel with no uniform. Again, it was just a satisfying moment to see her—the torturer—being frustrated and flabbergasted with the patients that she tries so hard to control. “Now she’s madder and more frustrated than ever, madder’n I ever saw her get” (98). From the outside, we can see how horrible the things that she does to the patients are and I find myself constantly frustrated by the patients’ submission to their awful authority, so anytime that McMurphy is able to rebel is a good moment for me.
I found many things from the novel interesting and amusing. My most favorite parts in the novel so far are about McMurphy. I find his actions towards the other patients and the way he carries himself kinda funny. One part that I found amusing is when McMurphy enters the institution. Instead of coming into the institution quietly, he draws attention to himself. He tries to address the “bull goose loony” so he can overthrow him and become top “loony.” I found this part interesting because instead of trying to hide the fact that he was institutionalized he tries to own it and greets everyone there. Another part that I found interesting was the Group Meeting scene. Here everyone examines a particular case of a person within the group. When McMurphy acts up a little with some jokes the Nurse spins the attention towards his case. I found this more of a degrading system than a helpful one for the patients. If I had someone talk about my file in a group setting without asking me first I think I would get flustered and not want to talk about it. Instead in this setting relationships or experiences, the patients had in the outside world are forced out and shared amongst the
Although many things that have happened in the book so far have been intriguing, so far my favorite part in the book so far is when McMurphy is trying to gather support among the other patients to try to change the time that they change watching the TV so they can watch the World Series. I enjoy this part of the novel the most because I see it as a turning point in the control of the ward. At first, all of the patients are too scared to vote alongside McMurphy and change the time because of Nurse Ratchet but after he convinces them otherwise all of the acutes vote alongside him. But due to a rule made up by Nurse Ratchet at the last minute, it is not able to pass because none of the chronics voted even though they were not part of the meeting. Then McMurphy runs up to all of the Chronics begging them to find it in themselves to vote until eventually, Chief Bromdon decides to raise his hand. I enjoy this scene so much because it shows how Bromdon is overcoming his fears and standing up for himself. And it shows how Nurse Ratchet is losing control over her finely tuned machine of a ward.
My favorite part of the novel is definitely McMurphy challenging the thoughts of everyone in the ward. I think without McMurphy many would still believe that what Nurse Ratched is doing is normal and safe. Although McMurphy still has problems within himself he is "sane" enough to try and get in Nurse Ratched's head. McMurphy also from the beginning knows that Chief Bromden is not deaf, even the doctors and nurses do not know that. Also, it is quite entertaining to keep reading what McMurphy will do in order to "win the bet". From standing naked in the hallway and causing chaos between the nurses to staring at a blank TV. He is willing to do what he has to do to make Nurse Ratched annoyed. His whole goal is to beat Nurse Ratched at her own game. Sometimes he loses and sometimes he does get under her skin and challenge her to get mad (many patients see her as a sweet woman). One of my other favorite parts is how Chief Bromden listens and knows what is going to happen. Although he is an unreliable narrator just because he is "insane" does not mean that he can not tell the story and tell the story well.
As of right now, my favorite part of the novel is when nurse Ratched calls a meeting to discuss McMurphys' behavior. I find this interesting because, throughout the novel, McMurphy is trying to almost take over the ward and get everybody on his side. I find this part of the novel amusing as well. I say this because it shows that Nurse Ratched still has all the power at her fingertips. During the meeting, the staff says "I've never heard of a clearer case. This man is a Napolean, a Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun"(Pg.154). They want to send him to the disturbed ward. You would think that she would agree to get things back to normal and the way she likes things being run. Nurse Ratched disagrees with the group and keeps him in her ward. She wants to break him herself which is why she won't move him to another place just proving that she has to have things her way. In the novel Nurse Ratched says, "We have weeks, or months, or even years if need be. Keep in mind that Mr. McMuphy is committed. The length of time he spends in this hospital is entirely up to us" (pg 158). She makes him clean the toilets and when he does it incorrectly she makes him clean them again just to prove a point. The point is that she still has more power than he does. I think that Nurse Ratched is one of the most interesting characters to follow. She wants perfection and everybody to fall to the combine, but when somebody decides to rebel against her she tries to break them even more instead of making them someone else's problem.
I would have to say my favorite part of the novel would have to be McMurphy and the whole world series fiasco. To me, when he sits down in that chair and watches a blank screen in defiance of all the nurses and other ward members. That reminds me of valiant protesters, ones that get enough courage to use their actions to try and change something. Just take this quote from the book, “If somebody’d of come in and took a look, men watching a blank TV, a fifty-year-old woman hollering and squealing at the back of their heads about discipline and order and recriminations, they’d of thought the whole bunch was crazy as loons” (145). This just makes me want to jump up and down with excitement that finally they are going to stand up for what they believe in. It doesn't have to be even for a cause I agree in, but to go out there and be the voice of reason and change in a place that hasn't had any for years and years is super brave—something that you don't see often. I can relate this last part to many different things but the one that sticks out the most is the act of rebellion. Think of basically any sort of action movie. There is always the "final fight" which includes a ragtag group of outcasts and misfits rising up to take down the "evil empire". McMurphy and his actions of sitting down in that chair fit this example so well. It brings out the feeling of hope for the members of the ward. That they have something to fight for, even if it might take coordination and courage to stand up and speak for what they believe in.
My favorite part of the novel so far is when McMurphy is introduced into the story. Throughout the beginning of the book, it was a lot of common introduction into the plot and background of the ward they are in and who it is run by (Nurse Ratched). When McMurphy is admitted into the ward the vibe just changed completely. He is very outgoing and does not really have any care for what he says and will go to great lengths to get his way. Trying to watch the World Series, McMurphy tells all of the patients to gather around the blank television to act as if they are watching the game, trying to convince the head nurse to put the game on for some entertainment. McMurphy had many patients crowded around the blank television, “And we’re all sitting there lined up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day, and she’s ranting and screaming behind us." McMurphy brings energy to the ward, he tries getting on the nerves of the nurses attempting at some leeway but instead, they become more stuck up, it almost seems as if McMurphy should not even be in the ward... until his file is read out loud. McMurphy is also a bit smarter than you would expect; he tells Chief Bromden that he is aware of him not being deaf. McMurphy says, "Why you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Cheif, I thought somebody told me you were deaf."
This book has a lot of amusing and interesting parts to it. However, the most amusing part of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was when McMurphy enters the hospital for the first time. We see this happen at the beginning of the book on page 11 when he walks into the day room for the first time saying, "Good mornin' buddies." Then he flicks the bat hanging from the ceiling and says, "Mighty nice fall day." When no one responds to him, he starts to laugh a loud, and free laugh unlike any that the patients had heard in a long time. I find this part very amusing because when the book describes him they say he is a big, tall, strong-looking, ginger who wears a biker jacket with a big cut on his nose from being in too many fights. This amuses me to imagine because all the people in the psych ward are usually really skinny and weak-looking. McMurphy represents contrast and is different from the very beginning of all the patients of the ward. I like the part when he laughs because it makes all the patients stop and stare at him because they had never heard a laugh like that the entire time of being in the ward because Nurse Rachet punishes them for laughing.
I currently am loving the fight between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy. I think that it will continue to heat up and cause more problems and further split apart the staff and the patients. I also am loving the development of Chief Bromden who went from always hiding in the fog and never trusting himself to do anything to finally getting rid of the fog and raising his hand all on his own instead of being forced to do something. I would like to see how he will continue to develop and see if he will become more independent or will he revert back to the fog and always trying to hide from the real world. Another thing that has caught my attention is why does he use a combine as a way of explaining how they are being forced to conform to the ways of society. I believe something like a sift would make more sense because they aren't being forced to conform per se but they are being sifted out and set aside because they don't fit to society's view of how you should act.
My favorite part of the book so far is the introduction of McMurphy. He comes into the ward and acts like he already owns the place. He doesn't let the black boys give him a shower because he's tired of being cleaned. On page 11, McMurphy says, "They showered me this morning at the courthouse and last night at the jail...I'm gettin' so the sound of water makes me start gathering up my belongings." After this, he starts to meet the different guys in the institution. Eventually, on page 19, he asks everyone, "Which one of you claims to be the craziest? Which one is the biggest loony?" He says this because he wants to step up to the authority and make them respect him. He feels as if he is the smartest guy in there and he wants people to listen to him. I imagine McMurphy as a 250-pound, red-headed lineman with scruffy facial hair, lots of freckles and walks around in cowboy boots and holds a deck of cards with him. Like a midwestern poker-playing cowboy. It sounds like he's a tough guy with some beat-up knuckles which and isn't afraid of fights, making it sound like he's usually the biggest in the room.
So far, my favorite part of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" would be the part in which the entire ward is starting to see the world as it is. McMurphy has so-called rescued all of the patients from the fog but in all actuality, he has let them see that they can no longer hide away from their own lives. He has shown them that they need to fight for themselves because nobody else will. McMurphy in these moments has also proven to the patients that Nurse Ratched is mortal. It shows that she is not some robot that doesn't have emotions. It makes her human and thus shows that she is going to be angry and sad and happy and disgusted. In this particular part of the novel, McMurphy is 'watching' TV even though he's technically not supposed to. Because of his insubordination, Miss Ratched's schedule is thrown away, and thus tries to fix it by yelling. "Her voice has a tight whine like an electric saw ripping through pine"(Pg. 144). Because the patients have never heard Ratched lose her temper or show even a semblance of human emotion, this is the first time in which they start to see her as a person and not some extraordinary being. She even goes on by "...ranting and screaming behind us"(pg. 144). I'm not quite sure yet, but I think this is kind of the turning point of the novel. I believe we will start to see some major changes happening and also start to see characters further developing. We will start to see characters becoming themselves and finding that it's okay and necessary to do so. And that is why this is my favorite part of the book. It shows that even if you are considered disabled, you still have a lot to give to society. McMurphy is starting to show the patients that their opinions matter and that they personally matter. Another good part of the book is Chief's hallucinations. Even though they are hallucinations, they give you, the reader, more insight into how Chief operates and behaves. It shows us why he doesn't go against the nurse and has stayed quiet all of those years.
My favorite part of the novel at the moment is actually towards the beginning when McMurphy arrives. I love how he asserts his dominance and does not let anything slow him down. He continues to wreak havoc on the hospital and will not stop for anyone or anything. It is my favorite part because of the cockiness that he shows, even when he does not have too. That is until, however, he has a little chat with the lifeguard (pg 171). McMurphy knows that he does not want to spend too much longer in the hospital and he for sure does not want to spend 5+ more years there. McMurphy shows us that even when there is order in a place that requires it, there will always be people that want to break up the peace and order. He thinks what he is doing is funny and right and that may be true in some cases. You can see how his mood changes because not too long after, on page 172, the book says "I could see it coming. The next day he surprised everybody on the ward by getting up early and polishing that latrine till it sparkled, and then went to work on the hall floors when the black boys asked him to. Surprised everybody but the Big Nurse...". McMurphy realized that if he did not shape up, he would be stuck there for many more years.
My favorite part of the story is when some of the men are playing monopoly. I find it amusing because the game is completely chaotic.
“Martini, those ain’t the dice you’re shaking--”
“Let him be, what’s the difference?”
“Those are a couple of houses!”
“Faw. And Martini rolls a big, let me see, a big nineteen. Good goin’ Mart; that puts you--Where’s your piece, buddy?”
Most people are playing the game right but Martini is imagining things and making his own rules. It reminds me of a lot of playing a board game with my cousins. They are six and four and want to be included but they don’t really know the rules. This means they can do whatever they want. This is just like how Martini acts and all of the other players have to try to handle him while also playing the game. That allows McMurphy to win and get all of their money. Ultimately showing that he is there to beat them. Taking a deeper look into this scene you can also see how the game is a symbol for their life. McMurphy is like the nurse in charge and in the end, will always win. The players are like the acutes trying to find a way to get out of the clutches of Martini who is the chronics. The acutes have to deal with the Chronics if they ever want to get out but in the end, the Nurse will always get what she wants.
Within the first two parts of the novel what stood out the most to me was when the patients sat down to watch the World Series on a blank screen. I view this as the most substantial sign, thus far, that indicates the reformation of the hospital. McMurphy's constant acts to get under the Big Nurse's skin all add up to this major defying moment. The nurse begins to lose her temper as seen on page 143 "We can see the nurse's face get red and her mouth work as she stares at him." and page 144 "...and we're all sitting there lines up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day, and she's ranting and screaming behind us." This shows the success that McMurphy has found and his winning of the bet. I find this all enlightening because it is just the beginning of what I assume McMurphy has planned. Also, this scene shows how McMurphy has won over the majority of the patients as they all pull up a chair to join him in the protest. The significance of the TV screen being blank also amuses me and shows that the patients no longer had an excuse to defy authority.
Overall, my favorite thing about One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the fact that there's so much to unravel and dig into. You could probably read the book 10 times and find new things that you hadn't noticed before. One thing that sticks out to me is the fact that Chief Bromden acts like he's deaf. I think it's really interesting that Chief has been pretending to be deaf as he's in the Ward. I think that he assumes the position of a deaf person because it gives him more of an excuse to sit back and listen. Chief doesn't particularly want to be invested in the drama, so he just sits back. It's interesting, though, that Chief decides to raise his hand in order to support McMurphy. Chief made the decision to raise his hand even though he technically shouldn't have heard what he was raising his hand for. He feels like everyone knows. How could Chief come out as "able to hear" when he's been claiming that he is deaf for the longest time? This puts Chief in a position of fear and uneasiness. So much so, that thinks that "Won't they figure I been hearing all these years, listening to secrets meant only for their ears? What'll they do to me in that staff room if they know that?"(Kesey, 150). Chief is paranoid, scared, nervous. My theory is that everybody does know and that they knew from the beginning. I'd be curious to see if everyone else did know and just chose to ignore his "I'm deaf" act.
So far in the book "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", my favorite part would be when McMurphy enters the psych ward. Today in class we talked about the word "Monotony". Monotony would be exactly what is going on in the psych ward before McMurphy has entered. Everyone goes through the motions and there isn't any hope or excitement when Nurse Ratched runs the place. McMurphy, A jack of all trades, is a guy who adds hope and breaks up the monotony the instant he walks in. He runs the place by the seat of his pants and never looks back. Another reason I love his character is he gives people a chance when some never would. He walks and talks with the chronics and acutes all the same. Giving mentally disabled characters a chance in this story is truly inspiring. He doesn't turn them away but yet he embraces them and gives hope. I think a reason that this book broke down so many barriers at the time it was written is because of how McMurphy treated the chronics and acutes. Back then, mentally "crazy" people were just stuck in a ward and pumped with drugs, and sometimes killed. Having a character such as him was truly groundbreaking.
"Yessir, that's what I came to this establishment for, to bring you birds an' entertainment around the gamin' table..." (Pg. 12)
"Hello, buddy... Cheswick is pop-eyed already, and what he sees on those cards don't help his condition" (Pg 13)
Ken Kesey’s "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" combines a new perspective with enticing tragedy to tell a story most would never understand. I have encountered numerous passages, or even single phrases and sentences, that send goosebumps all across my arms. One of the first passages that comes to mind is when Chief Bromden leaves his bed to look out the window. He looks out the window for the first time and realizes that the season is changing. He recalls hunts with his father before noticing a stray dog. His fascination is interrupted by “Canada honkers going south for the winter” (164). I was moved by Bromden’s moment of relaxation and normality through nature and reminiscing. There are numerous other locations throughout the book where Chief Bromden’s memories of outdoor work ground him and keep him sane, such as his desire to go on the fishing trip with McMurphy regardless of his poverty just to remember the scent of Chinook salmon. I also was interested in Bromden’s response to the library. He describes his desire to “look at one of the books” but admits he fears the consequences (182). Only sentences before, Chief recalls the books he had in college and their pages filled with “schematic drawings and equations and theories—hard, sure, safe things” (182). While I do enjoy learning about Chief’s personal backstory, I am also fascinated with the lessons other patients teach one another throughout the story. Moments (such as Harding explaining to McMurphy that most patients are not committed) build plotline, character development, and character motivation; lessons being taught to McMurphy also educate the reader. My favorite parts of the novel so far have been when Chief feels almost normal within a moment of recollection, McMurphy’s education in the working of the ward, and the internal battle Chief faces to remain under the impression of being deaf and mute in order to save himself. I look forward to finishing the novel while being left speechless with Kesey's writing impact.
My favorite part of the book is in part 3 on page 268. Everything is becoming more and more clear and quick to read. Kesey no longer describes the hospital as a machine and the time doesn't slow down to create solid plastic around the characters. Because of this, it confused me at first when Chief was initially trying to lift the control panel. Chief is so convinced he can't do it that he doesn't even realize that he lifts it. The only giveaway is McMurphy's dialogue. Not only is this written well, it is also an important moment in the book and a parallel to when McMurphy tried to lift it. Bromden is the last to be convinced that McMurphy is using the patients for financial gain, and it is because of this moment that he starts to question him. Later that day, Chief is confused at first when McMurphy doesn't tell the other patients about Bromden's success, but instead makes a wager on it. If McMurphy had told them about Chief, then they would have believed he was actually helping them, but McMurphy didn't realize they were mistrustful until later when he tried to give Chief five dollars and he refused. This is a turning point in the book and I think it is when McMurphy finally decides to let loose and not care, which culminates in his actions on page 318 and 319, which I will not spoil.
McMurphy Lifting the Panel:
"And suddenly nobody's hooting at him anymore. His arms commence to swell, and the veins squeeze up to the surface. He clinches his eyes, and his lips draw away from his teeth. His head leans back, and tendons stand out like coiled ropes running from his heaving neck down both arms to his hands. His whole body shakes with the strain as he tries to lift something he knows he can't lift, something everybody knows he can't lift."
Chief Lifting the Panel:
"'I think you oughta give this here panel a leetle heft, just to test how you're comin'...' I went to the panel just to show him I couldn't do it. I bent down and took it by the levers. 'That's the baby, Chief. Now just straighten up. Get those legs under your butt, there... yeah, yeah. Easy now... just straighten up. Hooeee! Now ease 'er back to the deck.' I thought he'd be real disappointed, but when I stepped back he was all grins and pointing to where the panel off its mooring by half a foot." (268)
My favorite part in the book so far is when Chief Bromden speaks for the first time to McMurphy. It is interesting because he talks about how throughout his whole life he feels as though people can not see him or choose to not see him. I like this part in the book because we finally get some insight as to how Broden lived before the war and before coming to the mental hospital. Chief Brodem looked up to his father and characterized how big he was before his mother came along. Chief states, "'No. It wasn't just her that made him little, Everybody worked on him because he was big, and wouldn't give in, and did like he pleased. Everybody worked on him just the way they're working on you'" (220). This part got to me the most because Chief Bromden looked up to his father and admired him, so watching his father give in to the government made Bromden do the same thing which is showcased by Miss. Ratched. I believe that this part of the book shows that if we don't think for ourselves and stand up for your decisions. This is also a critical part of the book because it is also where McMurphy decides to help Bromden become big again.
So far my favorite part is when Bromden wakes up in the middle of the night and goes and looks out the window. I really like this part because it shows that he is seeing less of the fog and starting to actually observe his surroundings. At first, he does not want to open his eyes because he is scared, but he eventually does and for the first time gets to see what it looks like outside the hospital. I found it really interesting that he has never seen the outside of the hospital. It really shows just how secluded and invisible he really was. I loved the part where he describes what he smells and how the breeze feels,” I thought, I can smell that sour-molasses smell of silage, clanging the air like a bell” (pg. 163) which I thought was really cool because it is starting to show his character developing. Another part that I enjoyed, not as much though, is when McMurphy is standing in front of Big Nurse in just a towel. I think McMurphy is a hoot and I love his sense of humor. He is a very clever character and I enjoy how he uses his knowledge against nurse Ratched. “She’s glaring at those big white whales leaping round on his shorts in pure wordless outrage.” (pg. 99) The way he provokes and gets under nurse Ratched’s skin just enough to not get in trouble is probably my favorite feature of McMurphy’s.
Personally, my favorite parts of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and most stories are the funny parts that authors include for comic relief. The author, Ken Kesey, includes many scenarios for the purpose of entertaining the reader through comic relief. The character that is mainly involved in these comedic scenarios is Randle McMurphy; however, this isn’t the sole role he has in the novel as he is actually there to help the mental hospital patients realize the injustice they are being faced with. McMurphy creates comic relief by making small comments like on page 66 when he compares the mental hospital to prison by saying “For a minute there I thought I was back in a Red Chinese prison camp.” Additionally, he creates comic relief by doing things to annoy Nurse Ratched. An example of this is when Nurse Ratched has McMurphy clean the bathroom. McMurphy doesn’t like this job and Nurse Ratched uses a mirror to check if he did his job well enough. Thus, McMurphy writes something rude on a piece of paper and sticks it to the bottom of the toilet bowl. “When she came to the toilet with her mirror she gave a short gasp at what he read reflected and dropped her mirror in the toilet.” (Page 160).
One of the most memorable moments of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was McMurphy’s idea of an attempted escape. All the other guys are teasing him for having all this big talk but then they ask him “just how would you go about busting out of here?” (122) He goes around the room looking for something that would break the screen covering the window. He spots a control handle that everyone knows he cannot lift. In the novel, it even says that McMurphy himself knows that he can’t lift it. Yet, he tries anyway, saying, “Nobody’s gonna convince me I can’t do something till I try it.” (124) I really liked this statement because I think it is a good way to live your life. He wanted to prove to the rest of the men that he was invested to get all the benefits they deserved, even if that meant trying to do something that was thought impossible. This part also showed his vulnerability after the fact. When he lost the bet, he stormed out of the room saying how at least he tried. This is the first time that we have seen him get emotional and it makes him appear more human to the readers. We realize that he is not as strong as he appears among all these other “ill” patients.
“All right, by God, let’s just figure out what I’d have to toss, through that screen to bust out. And if you birds don’t think I’d do it if I ever got the urge, then you got another think coming.” (123)
“My friend, I don’t recall anything about psychopaths being able to move mountains in addition to their other noteworthy assets.” (123)
In Kesey's novel, I loved chapter 15. After the fog scene, it appears the boys are in group therapy. On page 136, Billy Bibbit tells the others about how he proposed to a girl, but she just laughed the whole time! In a way, my heart hurt for him, but at the same time, I couldn't help but laugh! McMurphy, after pulling people out of the fog, discusses with the others during their group therapy treatment that he wants to bring up the T.V. vote. I thought this was one of the more humorous parts because it really accentuates McMurphy's character. The fact that he keeps going back and forth with the nurse and the other gentlemen and how he actually rallies them together to vote on watching the T.V. is comical, but at the same time, surprising. Considering the institution is so strict and cruel, McMurphy's humor and his antics never fail to make the book more interesting. When the Nurse delivers the news that they can't watch the T.V. because they don't have enough votes (pg 140) I was so angry! How could they have rallied so many people to vote with them and the nurse STILL turns it down. When Ratched tries to read the policy to McMurphy (141) he still tells her that she's a coward. Finally, when McMurphy asks Bromden for a vote, he raises his hand (142), And right there, was the turning point in the book. I bet that all the nurses and administrators were just, SHOCKED to see that he could hear! Overall, this chapter was the perfect way to end that section of the book and gives leeway for an excellent ending.
My favorite parts of one flew over the cuckoo’s nest in the times when Chief Bromden has his hallucinations. It really opens you up to how he sees the world and his viewpoints on the people around him. We see the fog and get his point of view even though no other patient around him sees it. Also, I like how vivid his dreams are and that it is the clearest, descriptive explanation of what he’s seeing and almost makes you feel as if your in the dream with him. I also liked the part when MacMurphy enters the medical ward. The style and confidence he has and the ways he instantly tries to take control interests me. I liked how he ignored the helpers and waited to get his temp and physical checks but instead went and greeted all the other patients. He made a big deal to shake everyone’s hand and just tried to get under the skin of the doctors and helpers in charge. I found it interesting that he instantly asked for the leader/craziest and told them he would be challenging him for the spot. His swagger and confidence are a big change to the all-around sullen feel of the mental institution. He is not one to get bullied or put down by Nurse Ratchet and tries his best to gain power and authority while there. We see this on admission day when the workers are trying to tell him about the showers it states “ and he doesn’t just submit with a weak little yes, he tells them right back in a loud, brassy voice that he’s already plenty damn clean thank you”(11) This sets him apart from the other patients who just conformed to the life and settled with being told what to do.
My favorite part of the novel so far is how Cheif Bromden is fooling everyone by tricking them into thinking that he can't hear when really he can. That is how he can easily listen to people and learn about everything that goes on in the hospital. But this particular moment, on page 165 when Bromden was looking out the window watching a dog ran around he says this, "I held my breath and I could hear the flap of his big paws on the grass as he loped; then I could hear a car speed up out of a turn." "It's chilly at the window there, Mr. Bromden," the nurse tells me. "Don't you think we'd better climb back into our nice toasty bed?" "He can't hear," the black boy tells her. This just shows that Bromden is well aware of his surroundings and can hear perfectly. The other people in the hospital just don't know. I also feel like later on in the novel, this will be an advantage for him, it gives him a better look on people when they think that he can't hear when really he can.
I have two favorite parts of the novel so far. The first of these is the monopoly game. The game itself does not have much of an effect on the plot, but the scene does a great job of presenting a little humor and showing us more interaction between the patients and McMurphy. McMurphy treats the patients like they are normal people, especially during this game. McMurphy casually pokes fun at the others, saying things like "'Faw. Five, six, seven. Tough luck, buddy. That's another o' my vast holdin's. You owe me——oh, two hundred dollars should about cover it.'" (Kesey 116) McMurphy doesn't treat the patients in the suppressive way that the hospital staff does. This little chapter makes us fall in love with McMurphy and the patients even more.
The second, and my favorite part so far, is when Chief Bromden gets up in the middle of the night to look out the window in the dorm. Kesey's imagery here really digs into you. "It's fall coming, I thought, I can smell that sour-molasses smell of silage, clanging the air like a bell——smell somebody's burning oak leaves, left them to smolder overnight because they're too green." (163) This passage really stuck out to me; Kesey describes the feeling and aroma of fall in such a perfect way. Besides the beautiful imagery, we can really start to relate and attach to Chief Bromden after this scene. Before, Bromden wasn't much more than a crazy narrator. Now, we see that he is capable of thinking normal thoughts and seeing the world how it really is.
My favorite part in the book so far is when Chief Bromden raises his hand during the vote which allows McMurphy to win. Throughout Part 1, Chief Bromden has been the narrator in which he does not associate himself with anyone on the ward. The day McMurphy showed up, Chief Bromden has changed but not yet a noticeable change. During the vote, all the acutes had voted for McMurphy but that only got him to a tie, 20 to 20. McMurphy heads over to the chronics and tries to convince them somehow to raise their hand and vote; just as Nurse Ratched was about to end the vote, Chief Bromden raises his hand. Just by simply raising his hand he reasserts himself as a functioning person and not just a chronic. He also has given everyone the first definitive, responsive action for the first time in years. After the vote, while the patients were waiting around, McMurphy turned the TV on and started to watch the beginning of the World Series. Frustrated, Nurse Ratched took the remote and turn it off immediately causes all the patients to rebel. Each acute pulled up a chair and began to stare at the blank TV and Chief Bromden stopped what he was doing and pulled up a chair as well. These are the first definitive actions that he has taken in which he is proving that he is a properly functioning human being, almost like a baby taking its first steps.
"No. That's not the truth. I lifted it myself." Kesey Page 142.
"It’d been a long time since I’d let anyone hear me do any more than grunt or bellow." Kesey Page 122.
One of my favorite parts of the book so far was when McMurphy was going to try and get the Nurse mad by singing with only a towel and standing in the middle of the hall. This was one of McMurphy's first attempts at trying to get the Nurse to completely lose it. Not only did he continue singing he actually took the towel off to everyone's surprise but the whole time he actually had some boxer shorts with white whales on them underneath the towel. I also liked this part in the book because it was one of the first times that the patients were shown that the rules do not have to be followed exactly. McMurphy shows them that they have chances to have fun and make good of what they have instead of walking around like zombies every day. My other favorite part of the book was when McMurphy said they could somehow escape by lifting up the electrical box which weighed around 300lbs they said. Earlier that day McMurphy took all their money because he was angry with them so he made a bet saying 5 dollars if I can lift that; in which everyone went in on the bet. Bromden knew that he wouldn't be able to lift the thing but was surprised at how close he was. This was all to make a point to the people that at least he tried to achieve something instead of laying around without any hope.
"'But I tried, though,' he says. 'Goddammit, I sure as hell did that much, now, didn't I?' And walks out and leaves those stained pieces of paper on the floor for whoever wants to sort through them." (125)_
There are many intriguing aspects of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. As of right now and the point in which I am in the book, my favorite part is the meeting of the staff to determine what to do with McMurphy. At this point, there is a bit of suspicion about if Cheif is actually deaf or not. The way Ken Kesey writes about this certain meeting is truly incredible. It allows the reader to feel the tension and helps us get a better understanding of "Big Nurse's" power. When the doctor asks the residents what they should do about McMurphy the reader gets a real good sense of the fear they have of saying the wrong thing. Being put in that situation is potentially life or death for them depending on how they answer the question. The first one to answer is incredibly smart for doing so. Answering first allowed him to give a very generic answer that would be deemed acceptable. The second took advantage of the generic answer and piggybacked off of it playing it safe. Now the resident to answer is my favorite answer. He chose one of the boldest statements he could've made in which upsetting the staff.
"And the third boy mutters, 'Of course, the very nature of this plan could indicate that he is simply a shrewd con man, and not mentally ill at all." (Kesey 154)
So far in the book, my favorite part to read was the section where Chief Bromden is hallucinating what is happening at night when he is sleeping (pg 88). This part illustrates more of what is going on in his head and how he views reality. This communicates without really saying that Chief Bromden is not an entirely reliable character and that not everything he tells us is to be taken literally. He believes everything to be made of machinery, even the patients. “The worker takes the scalpel and slices up the front of old Blastic with a clean swing and the old man stops thrashing around. I expect to be sick, but there’s no blood or innards falling out like I was looking to see—just a shower of rust and ashes, and now and again a piece of wire or glass.” My second favorite part is when he sneaks out of bed and goes to the window (pg 163). It was such a simple and harmless thing for him to do, sneaking out like that. He’s starting to go outside of his comfort zone a bit and enjoy the little things in life. However, there may be a bit of symbolism for him here on page 165. He sees a dog wandering outside, heading towards the street into the path of an oncoming car: “I watched the dog and the car making for the same spot of pavement.” But he never tells us what happened, if the two collided. Instead, that is when a nurse and an aide get him back into bed. I can’t help but feel like maybe he or someone he knows and is getting close to is the dog and they’re about to run into this huge force that is going to just absolutely mow them over before they know they’ve been hit.
To me the most enlightening part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest so far has been in chapter 15 when McMurphy is standing up to Nurse Ratched because he wants to be allowed to watch the World Series. I found this part to be the most enlightening not necessarily because of what happened but how it’s portrayed through Bromden's perspective. As soon as the argument between the Nurse and McMurphy starts the fog starts to fill the room hiding or protecting the patients for the rath Nurse Ratched is most likely going to unleash on McMurphy. To Bromden's surprise though he watches as the patients no longer sit quiet hiding in the fog. He sees McMurphy pulling them one by one out of the fog. This can be found on pg. 140 in the lines that say, “... the big hand of McMurphy is reaching into the fog and dropping down and dragging the men up by their hands, dragging them blinking into the open...raising not just for watching TV, but against the Big Nurse, against her trying to send McMurphy to Disturbed, against the way she’s talked and acted and beat them down for years.” These lines are so powerful to me because I saw it as a turning point for the patients. McMurphy is trying to prove that they don’t need to sit in the fog (rules, regulations, and drugs given by the Big Nurse). Although the patients might not yet be comprehending what's happening this part in the novel sheds light on McMurphys intent to restore the treatment and living conditions of these outcasts of society.
So far in the novel, my favorite part was when McMurphy tried to lift the big control panel. He and some of the others were discussing breaking out of the hospital and what it would take to break the window when McMurphy spotted the control panel. Nobody, not even Murphy himself, thought he would be able to lift it. Regardless, he bet everyone that he would be able to lift it, so everyone agreed since they knew it was impossible. As everyone was doubting him, he said, “Nobody's gonna convince me I can't do something till I try it” (124). McMurphy was talking himself up and giving the rest of the patients some hope that it would work. At one point, the others started to even think that maybe he could actually pull it off because he was so confident. This confidence and overall sense of leadership in the hospital is what I love about McMurphy. I believe his mindset is in the right place even though he sometimes doesn’t do “the right thing”. Even after failing to lift the control panel, McMurphy told the others that at least he tried. Nobody would have even thought about lifting the control panel before McMurphy showed up, let alone literally try to lift it. He was told with much sarcasm, “My friend, I don't recall anything about psychopaths being able to move mountains in addition to their other noteworthy assets” (123). It’s honestly upsetting to hear that because it shows the feeling of submissiveness and conformity looming around the hospital. None of the patients believe that there is a way out or at least a better way to live than what they are experiencing. This entire situation falls in line with McMurphy’s personality as a whole and mission at this hospital.
As I am reading the book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I am finding it quite fascinating. There are many sections in the book where the plot thickens, the personality of characters deepen, and overall just inane events that take place; for example, the Monopoly game. On pages 114-116, there is an outrageous and honestly quite humorous Monopoly game that takes place. Everyone involved does not really know what rules to follow, especially Martini, but McMurphy takes a huge advantage of this. McMurphy may be insane, but he is not stupid. He really knows how to gamble and outwit everyone to get what is most valuable to him—money—because, by the end of the game, he somehow winds up winning himself two-hundred dollars. "'Tough luck, buddy. That's another o' my vast holdin's. You owe me—oh, two hundred dollars should about cover it.'"(Kesey 116) By using this quote from the book it only proves how much McMurphy ended up winning. Another one of my favorite parts in the book takes place on pages 163-166. I really just admire Ken Kesey's use of words. In this particular section of the book, Bromden is in what seems to be a lucid state and is looking at his life without the fog. Throughout these pages, it is amazing how Kesey set up a beautiful and descriptive picture of a dog watching birds fly by. Specifically, my favorite line is when he compares the water coming off the dog to silver scales. "He twisted and thrashed around like a fish, back bowed and belly up, and when he got to his feet and shook himself a spray same off him in the moon like silver scales." (Kesey 164).
Overall, I would say that I’ve enjoyed this book, there are a lot of moments within that are very creative and I like to analyze them. For the most part, I enjoy the parts of the book about Chief Bromden's schizophrenic episodes. The way in which Kesey wrote from Bromden's perspective almost made his normal days seem like dreams. The way he thinks is very creative on the author's part. At the start of the book on page 5 when he sees Nurse Ratched coil her arms around the orderlies, it almost seemed like a nightmare or something straight from the movie IT. “She’s swelling up, swells till her back’s splitting out of the white uniform and she’s let her arms section out long enough to wrap around the three of them five, six times.” I think this image is a great way to start out the book. Bromden lives every day as if he was in a horror movie and he has become so accustomed to it that he finds living this way normally. The hospital does not help to heal him, if anything it makes him worse, I would argue. My next favorite moment is when Chief Bromden hallucinates the workers killing Old Blastic “...the old guy‘s hanging there upside down, his moldy face blown up big, scared, the eyes scummed with mute fear,” on page 88. I like that the narrator is unreliable as it leaves this portion ambiguous. For example, how did Bromden know that Blastic had died in the night? Obviously, the workers didn’t literally kill him (at least not intentionally). I like that this passage was left open because it provides for an interesting symbol with no real explanation.
Before McMurphy was introduced in the novel, It was very difficult for me to read. Reading about how poorly people were treated and how little vigor any of the patients had left to stand up for their identity saddened me. Harding completely believes that he is safer in the institution rather than out in the world. He has been primed to believe that “Miss Ratched is a veritable angel of mercy… She’s unselfish as the wind”(Kesey 61). McMurphy comes in with his vibrant red beard accompanied by his spirited personality and injects some life and vigor back into some of the patients. One of my favorites of his eccentricities occurred when the Big Nurse caught him waltzing around without his hospital greens on, only a towel concealing his nudity. He poked fun at her and really got on her nerves only to reveal that he was, in fact, not naked! He had on a pair of boxers underneath his towel. In addition to some of the other patients, I'm not sure McMurphy belongs in the hospital. It actually seems like the Big Nurse has a bigger issue than some of her patients. Her need for control suggests she had some type of OCD tendencies. She always does things the exact same way and is even careful not to do things like scraping her spoon on the side of her cup all the time.
My favorite part of the book is McMurphy being introduced. He brings such a normal sense to the mental hospital. It is almost as if he brings in a piece of the outside into the barred up hospital. I also like McMurphy as a character because he is able to see through the 'fog' allowing him to stand up to Nurse Ratched. I also love how he tries to bring laughter back into the emotionless ward. Chief Bromden talked about how the laughter sounded so out of place because they hadn't heard anyone laugh for such a long time. Another part I liked in the book was on page 84 when McMurphy and Bromden are still awake and McMurphy is laughing and says, "Why you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Chief. I thought somebody told me you was deef". I find this interesting because it creates almost a special bond between the two because McMurphy knows that Bromden is deaf but is not telling anyone. Also, it shows that McMurphy knows a lot about what is going on around the place even if it seems he is just trying to get into some trouble.
My favorite part of the novel so far is how Chief Bromden sees Nurse Ratched and the whole facility. I think that it is cool how Kesey describes what Brombden sees in his hallucinations. I love when he describes how Nurse Ratched rounds up the black boys. “But just as she starts crooking those sectioned arms around the black boys…”(Kesey 5). I also think it is an interesting way for Cheif Bromden to view the ward. It is basically saying that all people are being stripped and cut out of everything that makes them unique and they come out different and all uniform. “The ward is a factory for the Combine.”(40). Just like a combine cutting and stripping the corn stalks and then shoots out uniform kernels of corn. My second favorite part of the novel is when McMurphy realizes that Cheif Bromden is not deaf. I thought it was interesting when Bromden describes all of the sounds and what he can hear, which seems normal until we find out he is supposedly deaf. He is able to fool everyone but McMurphy almost instantly realizes the Chief Bromden is not actually deaf but faking it but doesn’t tell anyone. “Why, you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Cheif. I thought somebody told me you was deef.”(84). I think that these are my favorite parts of the novel so far because it makes all of the stigmas with people with mental illness and dumb and unworthy but they are quite smart, Bromden being able to fake being deaf and the only person finding out being McMurphy and him not telling anyone, and understand things in complex ways, like how Chief Bromden views the ward.
My favorite part of the novel so far has to be when McMurphy and the rest were sitting in front of the empty tv screen when the nurse would not let them watch the game. This is my favorite scene because of his rebellion against nurse Ratched. I feel when told not to do something most of us would still do it and vice versa. We do not like being told what to do. I do not exactly understand the nurse's reason to not let them watch the game but what I do know is that she loves being in control. Another one of my favorite parts is when Bromden is announcing the story he is about to tell. “I been silent so long now it's gonna roar out of me like floodwaters and you think the guy telling this is ranting and raving my God; you think this is too horrible to have really happened, this is too awful to be the truth! But, please. It's still hard for me to have a clear mind thinking on it. But it's the truth even if it didn't happen” (pg. 8). I love how he says “...it’s gonna roar out of me like floodwaters…” There is so much more meaning to what he says than we initially think when we are reading it. When you think of the word roar you think powerful and big, adding to that, floodwaters are fast and unstoppable. He uses very robust speaking and it stood out to me. When Chief recalls his youth he says, “I was a whole lot bigger in those days” (p. 39). I interpreted this as he was stronger physically and probably even mentally, now he is maybe seen as weaker. It helps the reader interpret how much he has changed as a person.
My favorite part is the arrival of McMurphy. I enjoy how everyone responds to him showing up and not knowing what to do about him and not knowing what he is trying to do to them. He brings a sense of enjoyment to the hospital that wasn't there because he asks, "Who claims to be the craziest?" (18). He tries to claim that he is the craziest of the group. He also tries to prove that he is the most insane of them all by saying, “I’ll vote for him again in November.” (21) in regards to voting for Eisenhower for the third time. He is also one of the only patients that does not do precisely what the aide says to do and avoids them as much as he possibly can. He claims that he does not need a shower and complains that they make him shower again everywhere he goes. He also knows that Bromden is not deaf, or so Chief thinks so because he would talk to him and laugh at the jokes about him while winking at him as he was making the joke. McMurphy brings life to the hospital that was not there, and he tries to get to know everyone as soon as he shows up.
My favorite moment in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is found in chapter 10 pg. 114-116. Patients from the ward are playing a game of monopoly and none of the men quite know how to properly play the game. The scene of the patients playing monopoly is my favorite because of how light-hearted, humorous conversation goes on between the men. The scene gives the reader a better look at the heart of each man in a joyful and "normal" state. The men chose to play a game of monopoly which had been going on for three days. The narrator (Cheif Bromden) narrates the process of each man taking their turn. McMurphy talked the boys into playing with real money (a penny for every dollar) to make the game more interesting. Martini drops the Monopoly bills off of the side of the table, forgets it's his turn and has his game piece in his mouth. Though the game is very humorous it is balanced by the friendly, amiable encouragement that comes from the different players. An example of gentle encouragement comes from McMurphy who tells Martini how good of a job he is doing as he plays. An example of this encouragement from the novel is shown when McMurphy says, "Good goin', Mart; that puts you—Where's your piece buddy?" Overall, I think that this small scene humanizes each one of the characters; allowing the reader to look past the mental illness and into the true character of each character.
"'Scanlon? I believe it's your turn buddy.'
'Gimme those dice. I'll blow this board to pieces. Here we go. Lebenty Leben, count me over eleven, Martini.'
'Why, all right.'
'Not that one, you crazy man; that's not my piece, that's my house.'
'It's the same color.'
'What's this little house doing on the Electric Company?'
'That's a power station.'
'Martini, those ain't the dice you're shaking—'
'Let him be; what's the difference?'
'Those are a couple of houses!'
'Faw. And Martini rolls a big, let me see, a big nineteen. Good goin', Mart; that puts you—Where's your piece buddy?'
'Eh? Why here it is.'
'He had it in his mouth, McMurphy. Excellent. That's two moves over the second and third bicuspid, four moves to the board, which take you on to—to Baltic Avenue, Martini. Your own and only property. How fortunate can a man get, friends? Martini has been playing three days and lit on his own property practically every time.'"
One of my most favorite parts of this novel has to be the fact that McMurphy knows that Chief Bromden is not actually deaf. Page 84 is where this revalation takes place. Everyone is sleeping besides McMurphy and Cheif Bromden. McMurphy tells Bromden "Why you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Chief. I thought somebody told me you was deef". I find it really interesting how McMurphy out of everybody found out his secret. Cheif said he has been there the longest out of everyone and nobody has figured it out that he wasn't actually deaf but McMurphy figured it out in a matter of days and also chose to not tell anyone. I also like the part about Santa at the beginning of chapter 6. They talk about how he ends up in the institution and is caught by the black boys and he comes out "clean shaven and skinny as a pole". It is interesting to me because that completely changed his whole identity.
One of my favorite events in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is when McMurphy discovers that Chief Bromden is faking his deafness and calls him out on it. I particularly like this part because I find it amusing that Chief Bromden has fooled everyone else in the psych ward into thinking that he is deaf and mute, but McMurphy discovered his secret within a week. As they were falling asleep, McMurphy says, "Why, you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Chief. I thought somebody told me you was deef." (Kesey 84) I found this funny because McMurphy just started laughing as Chief Bromden was falling asleep and made that statement out of the blue. Another part I enjoyed was when McMurphy got all of the patients to sit in front of a blank television screen. I enjoyed this part because it shows us that years of the patients following orders and going through the motions each day has changed since McMurphy came. McMurphy is helping everyone realize that they are not being treated right and they should have more of a say as to what they do every day. The part I find most amusing about this event is the fact that Nurse Ratchet gets so upset about it. She is so used to the patients following orders and not thinking for themselves that this retaliation is too much for her to handle. While this situation is occurring, Chief Bromden narrates, "Ans we're all sitting there lined up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day, and she's ranting and screaming behind us." (144)
My favorite part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest so far is when McMurphy finds out that most of them are there by choice. In the forum, I talked about the possibility that they don't actually want to leave. It seemed that they were not helping each other with their real problems, and I predicted that it was because most of them do not want to get better. When I read the part about Harding revealing this, I was excited that I had predicted something correctly. "'You have more to lose than I do,' Harding says again. 'I'm voluntary. I'm not committed.' McMurphy doesn't say a word. He's got that same puzzled look on his face like there's something he can't put his finger on" (Kesey 194). This part of the book grabbed my attention. I wondered how, with all of his people skills, had he not noticed that earlier. How did he not know that people were there by choice? When he figures it out, he cannot believe it. He goes around asking people to make sure that it is true. This was completely unexpected for him.
One of my favorite parts in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is when Chief Bromden gets out of his bed one of the nights and wanders the ward. I specifically like the part where he is standing at a window staring into the night. I like this part because there is a little flashback from Chief that I can personally relate to. “I remember all the hunting and belly-crawling I’d ever done trying to kill a honker, and that I never got one” (165). I had gone goose hunting many times for many years before I finally was able to shoot a goose so this is a point in the book where I can relate to the sort of situation Chief was in at that time. I also like this part of the story because it gives a great example of how observant Chief is. He noticed something moving and picked it out to be a dog and then was able to notice that the dog could hear something that he could not see or hear yet before he had any idea what they are. In this scene, Chief sees that the dog is basically in the path of an oncoming car and though he never states what happens, this scene could be a way of foreshadowing in the book.
My favorite part of the novel is when Bromden participates in the vote to watch baseball on the TV outside of their cleaning schedule. This particular part is enlightening as Bromden admits that he lifted his hand himself. At first, he convinced himself that he wasn't voluntarily lifting his hand: "He's doing it, wires..." (Kesey, 194). Then, we see a change in Bromden's character and mind as he confesses to himself (and the readers) that he is now thinking for himself. He thought, "No. That's not the truth. I lifted it myself." (142). Bromden's confession reveals that McMurphy's defiant actions have influenced Bromden in a positive way. He is now standing up for what he believes in and actually understands this himself. My next favorite part serves as comic relief in the storyline. After the tension-filled meeting with Nurse Ratched and her staff in regards to McMurphy, it was important for Kesey to include some comical elements to relieve his readers. He does this by describing McMurphy's reactions to his latrine duties. For example, when the black boys complain about his poor cleaning job, McMurphy responds with "'maybe not clean enough for some people, but myself I plan to piss in 'em, not eat lunch out of 'em'" (160). Additionally, when Nurse Ratched claims McMurphy's cleaning job is an "outrage", he retaliates with "'no; that's a toilet bowl...a toilet bowl'" (160). The amusement that McMurphy receives from frustrating the staff is very entertaining for readers, especially when McMurphy says, "'I try and try ma'am but I'm afraid I'll never make my mark as head man of the crappers'" (160). My third, and final, favorite part of the novel took place when Bromden looked out the window one night. I enjoyed watching Bromden finally connect with the outside world. He encountered life (a dog and flock of geese), which is a sharp contrast of his to-day-to experience with "machines". Bromden observes the dog moving to the same place the car is traveling to. This circumstance has a symbolic meaning that is very interesting to me. The living thing (dog) is inferred to have been run over by the machine (car), which parallels Bromden's experience in the hospital and the real world. When someone tries to challenge the social norm (represented by machines), they will end up being criticized (run over). Overall, experiencing Bromden's growth and realizations has been very interesting and enlightening.
My favorite part of the book so far is when McMurphy starts to catch on that Chief Bromden is not actually deaf. When the Acutes were voting upon whether or not they should watch the game and change the schedule around. In chapter 6, Chief Bromden and McMurphy were getting ready for bed when McMurphy had warned bromden of a black boy coming to shut the lights off. Bromden gave a reaction to that statement and looked to see if there was one coming. He hopped into bed as fast as he could. After the guy had left McMurphy had confronted him saying he sure gave a jump when he told him the black boy was coming. My other favorite part is when everyone decides to take a seat in front of the blank TV screen. I thought this event was very interesting as it shows that the patients of the ward are beginning to go against the “machine”. I felt that by them sitting in front of the blank TV screen spoke volumes upon how they are changing their view points and starting to take a stance in the situation. McMurphy is having an effect on the patients and they are starting to agree with him.
“And we’re all sitting there lined up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day, and she’s ranting and screaming behind us.” Page 144
“Why, you sure did give a jump when I told you that coon was coming, Chief. I thought somebody told me you was deef.” Page 84
My favorite part of the novel right now is when Chief Bromden explains to the reader about the day before as he wakes up one morning. Chief described many horrible things that appeared to occur quite often. However, to Chief Bromden this was a normal day would not have thought twice about. Chief Bromden says, "They didn't take me to the Shock Shop this time." He continues on by also saying, "They got enough of those things they call pills down me so I don't know a thing till I hear the ward door open" (pg 9). This part is not a pleasant part to read, but it is one of my favorite parts because it really turned on the light in my head realizing he is in a horrible place and he does not even realize it. Also, my favorite part is when McMurphy enters the the hospital trying to convince the doctors that he is crazy. McMurphy is obviously not crazy and is only trying to get out of hard labor back in prison. His purposal was so bad he even had the guts to say, "But I am crazy, Doc. I swear I am." (pg 47) I think it is very comical that he was allowed to go into the hospital after a horrible acting job done on his part.
So far my favorite part has been when McMurphy was introduced at the beginning of the book. I think that Kesey did a wonderful job of introducing him and carefully and meticulously mentioning him. When he first is mentioned he seems gentle and easygoing, but not after long you find out that he can be demanding. He gets into an argument with Harding and you start to see his aggressive side. I love that right off the bat the reader is able to distinguish ultimately all sides to his personality. In many books, the author usually introduces a character but does not fully introduce them. As you read on you begin the unravel what that character truly is like and what their motives are. Instead, you find out that McMurphy really can be crazy and he knows it too. I love when McMurphy and Harding get into that argument, it is the reader's first dip into what the environment is like and sets the tone for the setting. Great character development and just overall a great way to lead into the story. I love that McMurphy does not know that he is talking to Harding, but the reader knows. It adds so much and makes you want to read on.
"Then you tell Bull Goose Loony Harding that R. P. McMurphy is waiting to see him and that this hospital ain't big enough for the two of us. I'm accustomed to being top man. I been a bull goose catskinner for every gyppo logging operation in the Northwest and bull goose gambler all the way from Korea, was even bull goose pea weeder on that pea farm at Pendleton—so I figure if I'm bound to be a loony, then I'm bound to be a stompdown dadgum good one. Tell this Harding that he either meets me man to man or he's a yaller skink and better be outta town by sunset(pg 21)".
I found McMurphy’s attempts to befriend and manipulate one of the “black boys” his first morning in the mess hall terrifically comical and clever. In part 1 on page 103, Bromden narrates: “...[McMurphy] gets a handful [of bananas], tells the black boy that he’ll filch him one ‘cause he looks so starved, and the black boy shifts his eyes to look down the hall to where the Nurse is sitting in her glass case, and says it ain’t allowed for the help to eat with the patients.” The interaction is not only amusing for the reader but enlightening as well. The exchange shows McMurphy can be quite cunning. Attempting to “befriend” the black boys would be of great interest to McMurphy since he is up against Nurse Ratched. Another moment I found particularly interesting occurred only a few pages over in the book. After McMurphy’s failed attempt to get Nurse Ratched to lower the volume of the music that continuously plays in the day room, he goes off to his interview with the doctor. Upon his return, the daily “therapeutic” meeting begins. This scene yet again shows McMurphy’s cunning. At the start of the meeting, the doctor announces he happened to attend the same high school as McMurphy and even goes on to reminisce about the carnivals the school used to hold. But what is most interesting is the doctor's suggestion on page 111 to allow the “Acutes” to use the old tub room as a “...sort of second day room, a game room, shall we say”? This suggestion cues the reader in on McMurphy’s true intelligence as it was the same suggestion he had proposed to Nurse Ratched earlier. It leaves you wondering if McMurphy and the doctor really attended the same high school, or if it was all a part of McMurphy’s ploy to get what he wanted and annoy Nurse Ratched.
My favorite part of the novel is one specific hallucination that Chief Bromden has. This was the night that he did not take his little red pill to sleep. Bromden has a hallucination that the ward of the hospital was moving downwards sort of like an elevator. The description of the people running like a machine run by humans that appeared to be human but in his mind, they were just parts of the combine. I found this so interesting because I thought it represented the people that were conformed to the way society wanted them to be, and this is basically portrayed as Bromden's biggest fear. Bromden talks about Balistic as a vegetable, being finally being conformed to society. When the doctors cut him open, instead of guts and blood, there were metal parts. Bromden states, "The worker takes the scalpel and slices up the front of old Blastic with a clean swing and the old man stops thrashing around. I expect to be sick, but there's no blood or innards falling out like I was looking to see——just a shower of rust and ashes, and now and again a piece of wire or glass"(pg. 90). I found this interesting because Bromden's imagination was conveying the fact that the mental ward was taking away the humanity and independence of its patients just as society was conforming to things that brought about change.
One of the parts I liked is when the Chief was describing the Public Relations guys. It is one of my favorite parts of the book that isn’t like a main plot point. This man comes in with a group of ladies and talks about how great the facility is for the people that live there. The Chief describes him as a bald, fat man, almost like a balloon, that puts on a fake smile and shows them around. I think it is very interesting because the Public Relations guys make the facility seem like the perfect place for people to get better, but in reality it is terrible and someone is pinned against a wall everyday peeing on themselves.
Another part of the book that doesn’t have a big role in the book, but is still pretty great is when McMurphy tells the crazy stories. The one that Chief went into detail about was the bull riding story. McMurphy had somehow convinced a guy to put on a blindfold and ride a bull at a rodeo. I thought it was pretty funny how they put him on it backward and I imagined one of my friends on the bull so that probably made it funnier for me.
“‘Oh hello guys; stiff lip, stiff lip...look around, girls; isn’t it clean, so bright?’” (pg 37).
“They told the guy that the blindfold would keep him from getting dizzy when teh bull went to spinning: then, when he couldn’t see, they set him on that bull backward.” (pg 161)
My favorite part of the book is when McMurphy shows up at the ward. McMurphy changes the entire atmosphere of the ward by standing up to anyone or anything that blocks his view of how things should be. McMurphy livens up the ward and makes it not so depressing. He challenges many norms in the ward. One example of this is on pg. 121, “Let me see again”, McMurphy says. “How many of you birds will vote with me if I bring up that time switch again.” McMurphy is talking to the acutes to vote with him to have a time change so that they can watch the world series. He urges everyone to vote and he has a lot of influence over the other acutes. Another example of McMurphy’s influence is shown from Chief Bromden’s viewpoint on pg. 138. McMurphy brings up the vote in their group meeting. Chief Bromden said this about the matter, “ That’s that McMurphy. He’s far away. He’s still trying to pull people out of the fog.” This shows that McMurphy is trying to pull his fellow acutes out of the oppression and fear of the system. He’s trying to show them that they don’t need to be afraid of Nurse Ratched and the ward. I really like McMurphy as a character because of his attitude and intelligence.
My favorite parts of Cuckoo's Nest are the interactions between McMurphy and Chief Bromden. Especially when he was first introduced, I found it really interesting how McMurphy was able to see through Bromden's act so easily. I feel like they could have a good friendship if Chief Bromden wasn't pretending to be deaf-mute. I also like how McMurphy keeps Chief's secret for him. He could write it down in the logbook, or break it to the other patients for them to write down, but he keeps it to himself for the sake of the Chief. One of my favorite scenes is when Chief raises his hand during the vote on watching the world series. "'Chief, you're our last bet'...No. That's not the truth. I lifted it myself. McMurphy whoops and drags me standing, pounding my back. 'Twenty-one! The Chief's vote makes it twenty-one!' (pg. 142)." Something about the contrast between McMurphy's boisterous, cocky personality and the Chief's stoic demeanor really intrigues me. I just really enjoy it when they interact. It makes me wish the Chief would speak, but that would give away his secret and most likely land him in a lot of trouble.
“…That ain’t me, that ain’t my face. It wasn’t even me when I was trying to be that face. I wasn’t even really me then; I was just being the way I looked, the way people wanted.” (pg. 162). I think many people can relate to this quote from this novel, especially high school students, and that is why it is one of my favorite parts. Many students can relate to this because they feel as if other people have certain standards for them. If students are in a club, on a sports team, or if they hang out with specific people, that student might think they have to put on a fake face and try to fit into other standards people have set for them. Being active in my church and working for a ministry, I sometimes feel like I have to be perfect all the time because I never know if I will see someone I work with or someone who is a part of my church. I wouldn’t want a small action or choice of words to ruin my reputation. Sometimes, I take my title of a Christian child too seriously and I forget that it’s okay to not be perfect. Having to put on my “perfect face” also puts a lot of pressure on me and other students can feel the same way. Chief Bromden then mentioned how other people in the hospital don’t act the way they look and I think it is important for myself and other students to be ourselves and to worry less about how other people want us to be.
To me, the most amusing, enlightening part of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was indeed when McMurphy entered the scene. I like him because of how he's outgoing, straightforward, and does not give a care what anyone else thinks of him. I remember towards the beginning of the book when no one responded to him after he made a couple comments he started laughing hysterically. "He stands there waiting, and when nobody makes a move to say anything to him he commences to laugh. Nobody can tell exactly why he laughs; there's nothing funny going on."(12) Proving my point he doesn't have a care what anyone thinks. Once McMurphy made it into the ward the air just changed. McMurphy almost brightened people's days. Not so much the nurses though. As well as lighten up the mood McMurphy also ties in some comedic commentary using some witty one liners. I love the fact that he is so into gambling he goes to the extent of bringing his own cards everywhere he goes just in case a game happens to be an option. In the ward, it almost seems as though Mcmurphy is taking advantage of his fellow peers considering they don't have much brian power left.
One of my favorite parts of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest so far is when McMurphy was first introduced, which is where Bromden's story really begins. McMurphy is this loud and incredibly confident person who introduces himself as a gambling man. He greets and questions everyone in the dayroom and immediately attempts to take charge of the group by debating with Harding on who is crazier. McMurphy's introduction is really my favorite part so far because he incites one of the main drives of the story by betting the entire ward that he can force Nurse Ratched to lose control within a week. "Your nurse didn't know this; she's not going to be looking out for somebody coming at her with a trigger-quick mind like I obviously got. These things give me an edge I like. So I'm saying five bucks to each of you that wants it if I can't put a betsy bug up that nurse's butt within a week." (Kesey 69) McMurphy walked into that hospital thinking that he would be able to outsmart the nurse, his words showing his impeccable self-confidence and belief that he could control his experience and leave unharmed. I personally had a lot of fun reading this section because the character brings a lot to analyze.
I am now realizing that many of my other favorite parts of the novel so far have McMurphy in them. Another one, in particular, is the whale boxer shorts scene. I found that whole ordeal to be incredibly humorous but also interesting with how it is symbolic. McMurphy's whale underwear reminds me of Moby-Dick, which can stand for the power of nature, again signifying McMurphy's untamed nature that goes against the controlled facility. "I think for a fact that she'd rather he'd of been stark naked under that towel than had on those shorts. She's glaring at those big white whales leaping round on his shorts in pure wordless outrage." (Kesey 99)
My favorite part of the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest so far is when McMurphy gets a group of people to sit in front of and watch a blank TV. "And we're all lined up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day, and she's ranting and screaming behind us."(Kesey 144)McMurphy really wanted to watch the World Series. So he needed to get half of the group to agree to switch the normal TV time so they could watch the World Series. McMurphy gets all but one person to raise their hand in agreement. Chief Bromden is able to hear what McMurphy is saying, but can't just raise his hand because then others will know that he is not deaf. Eventually, Chief Bromden submits and raises his hand, but Nurse Ratchet said no because Chief's vote was too late. "I can see I'm in for trouble, but I can't stop it. McMurphy's got hidden wired hooked to it, lifting it slow just to get me out of the fog and into the open where I'm fair game. He's doing it, wired...
No. That's not the truth. I lifted it myself."(Kesey 142) When it comes time for the World Series McMurphy gets people gathered to watch the game regardless of Nurse Ratchet saying that they could not. Ratchet turns the TV off on them and they continue to watch the TV that is now blank. She then goes "crazy" and screams at them and has a "fit" of her own. With this happening not only does it seal the bet that McMurphy made to a lot of people, but it shows the other people that Ratchet is not perfect. "If somebody'd of come in and took a look, men watching a blank TV, a fifty-year-old woman hollering and squealing a the back of their heads about discipline and order and recriminations, they'd of thought the whole bunch was crazy as loons."( Kesey 145) This made me laugh myself a little because of how ironic it was. A nurse for physio people was acting crazy herself.
The most enlightening part for me was Chief Bromden's dream sequence in Chapter 7. This was due to the fact that I didn't know Chief's real thoughts on the institution until they were put on full display in this descriptive evil place he's brought to. This was especially interesting because I've seen the film adaptation of this book and nothing remotely like that happens. Of course, the main difference is that the movie doesn't have the perspective of the Chief, but that aside there still wasn't anything like this powerful display of chaos that was seen in the novel. One of the most enlightening parts for me was "He Goes to the bed and with one hand grabs the old Vegetable Blastic by the heel and lifts him straight up...the worker drives the hook through the tendon back of the heel, and the old guy's upside-down" (Kesey 88). This is because it showed how Bromden subconsciously views the institution as wickedly evil and a place that preys on the weak. You never get this kind of perspective in the movie and it's only mentioned a few times in the book before this powerful scene occurs. This is why it was my favorite part of the book.
My favorite part in the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, is the overall battle between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched. Even though this plot takes over the entirety of the novel, I enjoy every time that those two have their battle of wits. I like all of these moments because it shows each of them, at separate times, and sometimes at the same time, using the other patients in the ward to their own advantage. McMurphy uses the patients more often than Nurse Ratched because they both know that the other patients want some of their individuality, and Nurse Ratched likes everything to be completely hers, her way, or the highway. One thing that I would like to point out is that throughout the battle of wits, Nurse Ratched never gets the lead. On McMurphy's first day in the asylum, Chief Bromden says that McMurphy gets the first point, telling Nurse Ratched “that is the ex-act thing somebody tells me about the rules just when they figure I’m about to do the dead opposite” (Kesey 26). Nurse Ratched gets her first win literally just after it when McMurphy conforms to getting his shower. From then on, McMurphy always seems to get the advantage first, it goes McMurphy 2, Nurse Ratched 1, then she ties it up. After that McMurphy gets another point and soon too does Nurse Ratched. I do not really know if this was intentional, but I would like to think that either Kesey wrote it this way to show that McMurphy is stronger, or to show how Chief Bromden may be leaving out parts of the story because he wants McMurphy to win, so he purposely leaves out some extra moments of Nurse Ratched winning.
My favorite part of the book is all the little idiosyncrasies and quirks of the other patients. He is pretending to be deaf so he knows things that he shouldn't. People let their tongues slip around him. Mcmurphy is the only one who knows he is not deaf. It is interesting that while Bromden has been there for near the longest and yet not one person has figured out his secret. McMurphy within a week figures out his secret and calls him out on it. He luckily does it when everyone else is asleep, however. I think this was no accident and he means to keep the chiefs secret. All of the patients have little things that make them unique. Harding has his hands, McMurphy has his boisterous personality and Bromden has his hulking yet silent figure. As the book progresses the people in the institution seem less and less crazy and more and more inclined to be okay with being mentally ill. For example, Harding seems very capable and intelligent however he blindly submits to Nurse Ratcheds ideas. When Mcmurphy calls him on being not crazy and asking why they submit to the meetings, Harding tries to convince the others and himself that they are for his and the others own good.
I'm not sure why, but when McMurphy arrives is my favourite part. From the get-go he is loud and defiant. You feel a sort of shift in the atmosphere of the novel and it feels less like a book I have to read for class and more like a book I would actually enjoy on my own. It feels like the novel isn't about Chief Bromden at all and it's actually about McMurphy. Bromden is just who tells the story. I love the mystery behind McMurphy as well because I do not think that Bromden actually knows the full story behind McMurphy. He’s almost like Christ in a way because he’s trying to change the ward and enlighten the patients. He treated Bromden like a human, unlike the rest of the patients, and wanted to shake Bromden’s hand. “Well, what the hell, he can shake hands, can’t he?” (pg.25) When he meets Harding, the “bull goose loony”, he then takes over the role that Harding filled. McMurphy also openly defied Nurse Ratched in almost every way possible. From refusing to take a shower, to literally saying to her face that he wasn’t going to listen to her and that he does not listen to authority figures. “‘... just when they figure I’m about to do the dead opposite.’” (pg.26) And if McMurphy is not mentally ill, I think it makes him a brave person because now that I know that he is trying to help the patients, he literally got admitted into a horrible institution where he doesn’t know what will happen to him.
My favorite part of the book so far would be Randale McMurphy's entrance to the facility. Right away from the start, he starts asking them all questions. Like who is the craziest and who runs the cards. He was trying to loosen all of them up by telling jokes. They all are baffled by him as none of them are like him. In movies when the bad kid is entering you know how producers always do slow-motion and have a dramatic effect. That is what I thought of when McMurphy walked in. He tells them how he wants to talk to the boss in charge because he is about to take over. McMurphy tells Billy Babbit that Harding better meets him man to man or to get out of his town by sunset. McMurphy seems savage but also smart in a way. He is trying to show the guys that they don’t have to let Nurse Racht boss them around. He does so by messing with her and making her very angry to show the others that they can do it too. Im interested in Randle McMurphy because he is wild and seems like he can help the boys out of the Nurses control.
"At first I see that he's making everybody over there feel uneasy, with all his kidding and joking,"
“The secret of being a top-notch con man is being able to know what the mark wants, and how to make him think he’s getting it.”
I feel as though that first morning after McMurphy arrives is my personal favorite part of the book so far. Chief Bromden is giving us a play-by-play of everything that happens throughout the day to give us a look at the schedule that McMurphy has to play by. McMurphy starts singing in the Latrine which everyone is surprised by because no one sings or laughs in the ward anymore. Then he uses soap instead of toothpaste when he finds out it against Ward Policy to have toothpaste out in the open for anyone to use. Then Ratched comes she starts getting mad at everyone. Finally, he drops his towel in front of Ratched just for us to find out that he has shorts on with Moby Dicks on them. The whole scene was a spectacle to think about in my head as Chief Bromden narrates it to us. I would also argue the breakfast directly following that incident was also amusing which McMurphy loving the food then flinging the butter at the clock because he thought he was "deadeye" aim. Although currently, this is my favorite part of the novel, there have been lots of funny and interesting things that have happened. I would infer that there are multiple things coming up in the book that we have not read yet, that would become a favorite part.
"It sure did get their goat; they turned without saying a word and walked off toward the highway, red-necked, us laughing behind them. I forget sometimes what laughter can do." (Kesey 95)
"We have weeks, or months, or even years if need be. Keep in mind that Mr. McMurphy is committed. The length of time he spends in this hospital is entirely up to us." (Kesey 158)
One aspect of this book that I really enjoy is McMurphy's character. I find him very amusing in the fact that he came to this hospital looking to hide from the other life that he has. Because he just walked into the build without any actual reason to be there, he likes to mess around with the patients and the nurse. One example of this is when he is standing in the hallway singing with only a towel on. This really makes Nurse Ratched very mad, but it also shows the other patients that you can still find ways to have fun in this terrible place. I also like Chief Bromden's character development. At the beginning of the story, he is more or less a lifeless character. But as the story progresses, he slowly gets more and more involved with the patients. This shows them that he could possibly be a functioning member of society and not just a chronic in this hospital. One way that you can see this, is when he looks out the window and there is no fog. There is actually a dog that he sees that could relate somehow to his childhood.
"It’d been a long time since I’d let anyone hear me do any more than grunt or bellow." Kesey Page 122.
So far, my favorite part of the book is McMurphy's arrival. The rebellious behavior of McMurphy is just what the bland and robotic ward needs. There is no excitement or hope in the ward. Ratched has abused her power to oppress the patients. He said that he is there "to bring you birds fun an' entertainment around the gamin' table." (pg 12) This shows how even at the very beginning of his time at the ward, he is there for some entertainment. The entertainment he will bring is not in the form of gambling, however. I think his distruptive entrance is perfect for his whole persona. He will continue to disrupt the whole system that Ratched has worked to put into place. He also said that he was "... thinking about taking over this whole show [himself]..." It is very apparent through this quote that he plans on taking over the system. He directly challenges Ratched's authority and causes many problems. I love that he is directly going against an abuse of power. I hope that he completely breaks down Racthed and gives the patients some sense of hope or freedom; she treats the acute patients like children, even if they do not deserve it.
My favorite part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the towel scene in which McMurphy tries to get Nurse Ratched's goat by appearing like he isn't wearing any clothes and messing with her. I thought it was really funny when he took off the towel and it was revealed that he had shorts on the whole time since Nurse Ratched was freaking out about having a naked man running around the facility. I was happy that he was bringing some hope and excitement to the patients. My second favorite scene in the book was the therapy room where McMurphy is mad at the men for behaving like chickens and having a "pecking party". I liked this because of Harding's dialogue; his rants were easy for me to understand but still fascinating to me. This scene made Harding my favorite character. My third favorite part was when the group just stared at the blank t.v. the screen while Nurse Ratched yelled at them, it made me really happy that they found a way to one-up her. It was frustrating to see her unfrazzled and having the upper hand, so it felt like justice seeing her lose her mind a little.
"It sure did get their goat; they turned without saying a word and walked off toward the highway, red-necked, us laughing behind them. I forget sometimes what laughter can do." (Kesey 95)
"If somebody'd of come in and took a look, men watching a blank TV, a fifty-year-old woman hollering and squealing at the back of their heads about discipline and order and recriminations, they'd of thought the whole bunch was crazy as loons" (Kesey 145)
Up until page 236, my favorite part in the book is when the glass in the nurse's station had to be replaced three times. Mr. McMurphy had punched the glass after a meeting and explained that he had not known the glass was there because "it was too clean." After the glass had been replaced, McMurphy punched through it again. His excuse was that he thought the cardboard—which had been inserted to replace the glass—had been left out. He acted as if he did not know the window had been replaced even with the sticker still on the new pane. After the next installment, they had painted a big white "X" so McMurphy knew the glass was there. This is where I start to find it humorous. Before the paint even drys, Scanlon accidentally threw the basketball through it. Whether this act was actually an accident or not I still find it comical. These guys are not a symbol of respect—nor are they great role models in that sense—but their acts of rebellion show that they still think independently and do not need a nurse to determine their every movement or thought. It is not the disrespect particularly that makes me laugh; however, it is McMurphy blatantly challenging Nurse Ratched's intellect and patience. Everything McMurphy encounters is a gamble and he seeks to outwit his opponents which creates an amusing show for spectators.
"The ball punctured, and Martini picked it off the floor like a dead bird and carried it to the nurse in the station where she was starring at the new splash of broken glass all over her desk, and asked couldn't she please fix it with tape or something? Make it well again? Without a word she jerked it out of his hand and stuffed it in the garbage." (Kesey 208)
"She stopped when she got to the middle of the dayroom floor and saw she was circled by forty staring men in green, and it was so quiet you could hear bellies growling, and, all along the Chronic row, hear catheters popping off." (Kesey 232)
My favorite part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest so far is not necessarily a certain event. I find it very interesting that we have such a weird perspective on the different characters and events because we are seeing it through Chief Bromden's eyes. It gives me mixed feelings when reading because we don't know if we can rely on his narration at all. Although, I think that whenever Chief talks about the fog it's a very interesting perspective we are given. I think specifically on page 128 when it's just a single paragraph about how thick the fog is really shows us how connected the fog is to McMurphy when he talks about how "That's what McMurphy can't understand, us wanting to be safe. He keeps trying to drag us out of the fog, out in the open where we'd be easy to get at." It also says that "It's getting hard to locate my bed at night, have to crawl around on my hands and knees feeling underneath the springs till I find my gobs of gum stuck there." He also doesn't know it is completely in his head because he also says "Nobody complains about all the fog. I know why, now: as bad as it is, you can slip back in it and feel safe."
One of the most impactful parts of the book was on page 322 the passage when Chief Bromden said, “I’d been listening to the breathing for hours, since they had wheeled the gurney in and lifted the stretcher onto the bed, listening to the lungs stumbling and stopping, then starting again, hoping as I listened they would stop for good—but I hadn’t turned to look yet.” I showed that Chief did not want to see him suffer. Chief was hoping that he would have just died on his own so he would not have to take McMurphy out of his pain and embarrassment that stemmed from the lobotomy that showed the power and control Ratched really had over every single one of their lives. This is why he killed McMurphy, it wasn’t because he hated McMurphy or that he wanted to see him dead. Bromden cared about McMurphy so much that he was willing to kill him in an attempt to do what he thought McMurphy would have really wanted. Additionally, once he freed McMurphy, McMurphy freed him. It is the impact that McMurphy left of Bromden that really pushed him to escape and find a new life so at that time they both freed each other.
My favorite part in “One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest” is when the staff is having all the patients to clean and McMurphy doesn’t get up from his chair. He just continues to sit in front of the TV which is not even on and refuses to get up and clean like he was asked to do. When the Acutes led by McMurphy but with all taking part for something that means good. The so called meetings that they were told would make them better but the meetings were designed to fail so that they would never get better. The patients struggled very hard to gain independence as they were trained a certain way. At the end of part one “If somebody of come in and took a look, men watching a blank TV, a fifty-year-old woman hollering and squealing at the back of their heads about discipline and order and recriminations, they’d of thought the whole bunch was crazy as loons” (145). The patients are in a very rough condition to what is considered the norm in the so-called “real world” or basically the world we live in. As we can see McMurphy who obviously is a little crazy has logical thinking and is the patient's hope for change.
My favorite part in "One Flew Over a Cuckoo's Nest" was when chief Bromden starts talking with McMurphy. Not only does Bromden open up after many years of everyone believing he was deaf and dumb, we finally get to hear about him and his childhood. It gives us insight into how he got to the mental ward. Bromden explains to us and McMurphy how he sees himself and that he believes he is small. This is ironic because of how physically big Bromden is. I really enjoyed this part as it presented new ideas and helps us understand many more situations. I believe after he opens up Bromden becomes a more reliable narrator. Before he was stuck in the 'fog' and wasn't the most reliable. And after everything he sees is clear and he wants to join the fun and be open and present. Hearing about how Bromden grew up really connected me to the book.
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