When reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, there is always that underlying question of whether or not he actually belongs in a mental institution. Does he belong, or is he just managing to cause trouble in the ward? Let’s see what the readers think.
Reader #1-No matter if we think McMurphy is actually a psychopath or not he is very smart and likeable. I don't think that McMurphy is taking advantage of the others in the ward. Honestly he’s starting to figure out that nurse ratched is very manipulative and she is stealing power from the people in the ward. McMurphy tries to provide service for the other patients, unlike the nurse who takes it away. McMurphy is behind many of the games in the ward and had suggested opening a second day room as a game room, the plan that nurse ratched recently shut down. McMurphy likes to challenge the nurse and asked to move their card game somewhere else because it was too loud where they were. McMurphy to me belongs in the ward still because he does seem a little different, even though he is very smart he still had past experiences that lead me to believe he belongs there. Reader #2-In a direct response to question three, yes, McMurphy is taking advantage of the other patients. Hs uses their fear and shyness to gain control over them, leading them into doing things and actions they normally wouldn’t. McMuprhy seems to be in complete control of himself, just over the top in what he does. His first impression was loud, booming, and seemed to frighten many of the acutes, and even stir the chronics. He notices everything, and has recognized the ‘threat’ of Nurse Ratchet. He sees how the black boys are her, in a way, enforcers, even though she doesn’t like them, and they don’t like her. McMurphy’s and Chief’s relationship is evolving, seemingly slowly, but it has begun to pick up. He is a leader, but he does not lead from far away and in the shadows. He charges headfirst into conflict, just rolling with the punches. Reader #3-In Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy is the one who seems to be in charge of all the games going on in the ward. I believe McMurphy is not using the other patients for his own benefit. He is indeed trying to help them fix the society around them in the ward. There wouldn’t be anything in it for himself. Yes, he would receive money for winning the bet, but he is earning money everyday with different bets. “Who wants to lay me a pore little dollar that I can’t put this dab of butter square in the center of the face of that clock up there, or at least on the face?”(Kesey 104). This quote shows that McMurphy is already getting money from the other patients. Therefore, winning the other bet would not make much of a difference to McMurphy’s current lifestyle in the ward. I believe that the real reason McMurphy is doing this bet is to help make the ward a better place for the other patients. The games and escapades are to teach the Big Nurse and the rest of the people in charge of the ward. That things need to change for the better, or the whole ward will be turned upside down by the patients and McMurphy. Reader #4-McMurphy is taking advantage of the other patients in the ward. He knows that he’s superior over the rest of the patients due to the lack of knowledge they have. McMurphy has the advantage to be more outgoing over the others. He doesn’t have certain disabilities like others in the ward, therefore, he shouldn’t be in there. “He stops laughing and whispers, ‘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). When McMurphy says this, you can tell he knows and realizes things others don’t. He serves as a service to others in the ward due to his ability that others don’t. With his service, he speaks the mind of the other patients, taking advantage of them. Reader #5-McMurphy takes advantage of the people easily, for example he asked Bromden if he could move a panel as a favor, he can move it about a half a foot. Later on he makes a bet with the other patients that someone could lift the panel. With already knowing Bromden can lift it, McMurphy wins the bet. Even though McMurphy is hustling other people this is McMurphy’s first time in a mental institution, he’s been in and out of prison but he doesn’t belong in the institution. Even though he has a gambling problem, gets in lots of fights, and got arrested for rape he does not deserve to be put in a mental hospital meant for other people with greater needs. McMurphy knows that he doesn’t belong because during one part he stood up and challenged the doctor by saying “ do I look like a sane man?” But McMurphy wants to use his powers to get at other people. He doesn’t have good history with Nurse Ratched he says “I’m not crazy I’m smart, two qualities that she won’t be expecting.” too surprise Nurse Ratched and get under her skin. Reader #6-I think mcmurphy is taking advantage of the other patients. He acts perfectly normal yet tells the doctor that he belongs there. As mcmurphy says “ah. no if that's the case. This is my first trip. But I am crazy doc, I swear I am.” (kesey 47) I believe that he is taking advantage of the doctor in that part of the book. if he can take advantage of a worker he can definitely take advantage of a patient. he gets into their heads and plays with them. he makes them think stuff that he wants them to to help benefit him. Reader #5-McMurphy has a lot of games involving the ward. Sometimes I think he shouldn’t belong in the ward, but then again I feel like he should because he sounds a little crazy sometime. Other times I feel like he’s completely fine and doesn’t belong in there. When McMurphy is trying to get new privileges he is mostly fighting with nurse ratched about getting his clothes that from the workers and trying to be able to get to use the toothpaste at a certain time. McMurphy isn’t really taking care of the patients because he’s not really doing anything that involves the patient’s, he’s mostly caring about himself at this point. Reader #6-McMurphy does not take advantage of the other patients in the ward. Instead he makes them aware of what he can do, while letting them feel like they have won. McMurphy is out of place in the ward, but him being there can help change things. He brings hope to the ward that the nurse isn't so unbeatable after all. He doesn't care who you are or what type of patient u are. “he left that hand in front of me, as big as a dinner plate.” I think while McMurphy places himself above other people, but he tries to help everybody out together as a whole. He knows the only way to beat the nurse is with teamwork. McMurphy tries to stretch the rules of the ward, in my opinion to feel the nurse out. Although I believe he is fighting more than the nurse and it's the whole system! Reader #7-In the book, we have learned what kind of person McMurphy really is. He is a patient in a ward, yet he seems like he could manage perfectly fine in the outside world. He knows this, and it seems like some of the other patients believe this too, but while he is in the ward, it seems almost as if McMurphy takes advantage of the other patients in the ward with him. As i brought up earlier, we all know McMurphy is very different from the others in the ward. We know this because earlier on in the book McMurphy says, “They don't bother not talking out loud about their hate secrets when i'm nearby because they think i'm deaf and dumb, everybody thinks so. I'm cagey enough to fool them that much.” which shows he knows he is smart but the staff does not think or know this. McMurphy also is known as the “main leader” and all the other patients follow by his example. Mcmurphy knows this and can get them to think or do things a certain way, so with that alone, he seems to have a gripe on the patients and takes advantage of them in this way as well. Reader #8-McMurphey is taking advantage of the other patients in the ward. McMurphy is taking advantage of the people in the ward by using the ways of gambling he used outside of the ward. For example he made a bet with patients in the ward that someone could lift the control panel, when he already knew that it is possible because Chief was able to do it. This is taking advantage of the other patients because they didn't know someone could lift it up, but McMurphey knew it was possible so he could pocket some money, off the people with an actual illness. I believe that he shouldn't be aloud in there because he doesn't actually have a mental illness. He has a gambling problem that can be fixed by just therapy, he doesn't need all the medicine to fix that problem. In a sense he is helping other patients but he is very well taking advantage of them. He takes their money without hesitation. Reader #9-McMurphy admittedly does not belong in the ward and says he’s there by choice to avoid the laborious tasks he was dealt in prison. The ward is specifically for mental patients who need help and McMurphy doesn’t fit that description. He’s a misfit by the standards of the outside world so he’s been placed with other misfits. Symbolically, he represents change in the strict order of the ward and hope for the patients who have longed to expose the big nurse for her manipulative ways. I think the patients fear his methods sometimes because if he ticks Nurse Ratched off too much, they could all be punished. Everyday he’s doing something new to challenge the big nurse and he stuns them with his behavior. “I hear McMurphy out there in the latrine as I come out of the covers. Hear him singing!...Everybody’s thunderstruck. They haven’t heard such a thing in years, not on this ward...How come the black boys haven’t hushed him up out there? They never let anybody raise that much racket before, did they? How come they treat this new guy different?” (Kesey, 91-92) McMurphy is constantly testing big nurse’s limitations and this, to the people of the ward, is like an act of war. He targets her because he knows she’s the one who holds the major power around there and if he corrupts her, he’s essentially tapped into the system of the combine. Overall, his intentions are in interest of all the patients but he doesn’t seem to be personally concerned with their well being. He just finds great entertainment in getting others out their comfort zone. Reader #10-mcmurpy is in the right position to take advantage of people, with the fact that he isnt severely ill, in the book he asks Bromden is he can move a panel as a favor, he can move it, but only for about a half a foot. later he makes a bet with the other patients that someone could lift the panel, knowing bromden could lift it already, mcmurphy wins the bet. mcmurphy is hustling over these people being his first time in an institution. Mcmurphy has only experienced a prison. Mcmurphys only problem is that he gambles alot, gets into fights, and does illegal activities doesnt put him in the right circumstances to enroll himself as a patients in a mental hospital. Mcmurphy admits to needing that type of medical help when he challenges the a doctor saying “ do i look like a sane man?” yet he has desire to use his power against everyone else. he then spooks the nurse telling her that he isnt crazy but smart.
9 Comments
Ryan W.
11/19/2015 11:11:42 am
I Agree with reader#2's answer to the question. But I don't agree with the reader when they said that McMurphy is shy. I think he is the polar opposite of shy. He is outgoing and went out of his way to shake everyone's hand when he first arrived, something a shy person would not do.
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Jenna Ross
11/19/2015 09:01:02 pm
I disagree with this reader because I feel like the conflict McMurphy is having with nurse Ratched is taking away from helping the other patients. Due to him not having a mental problem he should not be in the ward because he's taking away time from other patients
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Becca Seidenzahl
11/19/2015 10:01:14 pm
I agree with reader #2 because it does seem like McMurphy is taking advantage of the other boys in the ward. He uses their shyness and insecurities to feel better about himself. Although he is trying to do good things in the ward, like standing up to big nurse, he is still making a negative impact on the others in some way or another.
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Christian Pishotta
11/20/2015 08:02:23 am
I agree with reader #3 with how McMurphy is trying to make life better for the other patients. Before the big nurse merely had the patients be nothing but dolls and have nothing better to do. But when McMurphy showed up, he seemed to make life in the ward more interesting for the patients, and is still trying to get them to enjoy themselves with what they got.
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Danielle Morrissey
11/20/2015 10:04:14 am
I agree with reader #1, mcmurphy is a very smart guy and he is helping the other patients to realize how controlling ride ratched is.
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Jiselle
11/20/2015 10:23:49 am
I agree with reader #1 and that he tries helping the patients like Jess ratched is supposed to be doing. He also tries compromising with her a lot and she doesn't like him at all. I don't believe that he's crazy but he is different.
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Allie David
11/24/2015 10:35:18 am
I know McMurphy is known to take advantage of people in the ward, but i believe that he belongs in the ward to some extent because of this past actions.
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emily
12/1/2015 10:24:38 am
i think mcmurphy has alot of power in the ward because everyone looks up to him and copies what he does, making him an authority figure. I think later on if he makes a bad decision the others will follow, or he'll try to break out and others will join him.
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Megan
12/15/2015 10:26:51 am
I agree with reader 1 that McMurphy is trying to help out in the ward and figure out the nurse. He makes life better for the rest of the patients.
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