One of the big themes throughout One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is control. There are a few people who have a lot of control over what happens and a lot of people who don’t. What does it mean to control others and why do we do it? Let’s find out!
Reader #1-People can feel threatened and find the need to control others to feel calm and in control. Control means that all power and choices lie in your hands. You have the power to make big decisions. People in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, tend to like being in control. Many people feel better taking lead and some people use this to their advantage. In the ward people try to pick arguments and make compromises to over power and seem in power at this ward. I experience control when I’m at work, or teaching anyone anything, or helping my sister in math. They rely on you and you must be there and in control. McMurphy tries to control the kids in the ward; the nurse as well. He likes arguing with her to seem more powerful and dominate. People who enjoy being dominate and who are extroverts tend to be in charge. Reader #2-Control is simply the power a person has over another individual or an object, and once someone has control, they are able to decide how a situation will play out. In Mcmurphy’s case, he controls people without them even realizing it. he uses a tactic that draws the attention away from himself onto another individual. for example, when Mcmurphy comes into contact with the nurse after him and the black boy were talking, the attention that was originally supposed to be on Mcmurphy quickly turned onto a staff member Mr. Washington. the big nurse yelled at him and said “Washington, why wasn’t this man issued a change of greens this morning? Couldn’t you see he had nothing on but a towel?”(Kesey 98) Mcmurphy had control in this situation because instead of him getting yelled at for not getting his own clothes, the blame was put onto someone else, leaving him in the clear. An example of a situation someone uses control would be in a group project, people usually fight for what the topic should be or how the project is going to be done. Whoever wins that argument has most of the power over the group, which isn’t fair but it’s just the way things work out sometimes. The types of people that try and control others are people who don’t feel like anything goes their way unless it’s their way. Mcmurphy refuses to let anybody on the ward control him. He always feels the need to be in control because he thinks he’s always right. Reader #3- A lot of people need to feel that their in control in every single situation. This is a lot like the character McMurphy, in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. He constantly is looking to be the man in charge. He pushes the Nurse to get on her nerves. He knows by annoying her, he in a sense is gaining control over her. Chief thinks of McMurphy, “One by one the patients are sneaking looks at her to see how she’s taking the way McMurphy is dominating the meeting…” (Kesey 113). Everyone is the group sessions knows that McMurphy is getting under the skin of the Nurse. This is exactly what McMurphy wants. Reader #5-Throughout the book so far, McMurphy has attempted to show that he has control in the ward, not only over the other boys, but Big Nurse as well. Control means that you have the upperhand in any situation. If you have control, you have authority and regulation over others. In the novel, nurse Ratched tries to control everyone by cruel punishments and pointless rules. Also, McMurphy tries to show control by acting as if he can do and say whatever he wants. He isn’t afraid of Big nurse, although the boys warn him. One situation that McMurphy tried to control was when they were all watching the baseball game tv and nurse Ratched turned it off, and then they all continued to pretend to watch the game on the blank screen. The type of people who are controlling, or want to be controlling, are the ones who have to always have their voice heard in every situation. Reader #6-Control is gained when someone is able to influence another person's behaviour. In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, the staff of the ward, mostly Nurse Ratched , has control over their patients. Just like how a prison has control over its inmates. Everything in the ward was under control until McMurphy arrives. McMurphy has the characteristics of someone who can easily take control of anything. He is assertive, a natural leader, and power driven. McMurphy makes a bet with other patients in the ward that he would be able to take control over the ward within the week. One of McMurphy’s first steps is to first gain control over the day room. During a group meeting it is McMurphy and the doctor that he had just met with suggested an “idea which might make things more pleasant for both age groups”(Kesey 110). Their idea was to add a new room connected to the day room that did not have the loud music. This plan was made by McMurphy with the help of someone in control, the doctor. McMurphy seem to be using the doctor's power to get what he wants, control over the day room. This is a small stepping stone on the path to control over the ward for McMurphy. Reader #7- Control means to have power over something or someone. Control is an important thing to have in life. In the book Cuckoo's Nest control is a big thing . Nurse Ratched has all the power in the story, anything she says has to be done. The two people who are fighting for control in the ward are nurse Ratched and McMurphy. McMurphy is gaining control over the patients in the ward because he is trying to rebel against the nurse in the ward. We as people try to gain control over things and other people because we like things to be done our way and I like in a way it makes us feel more secure. Reader #8-Mcmurphy and nurse Ratched are going to continue to have conflicts because they are both obsessed with power. To control means to be in power, to be the boss, to make all of the decisions and have everyone just go along with it. There are a few people in the novel that try to control the others and they are Nurse Ratched and Mcmurphy. Nurse Ratched has controlled every aspect of the ward since before Chief was even there. He even thinks she controls time by making it slower so they go crazier. Everyone fears her because they have seen what she can do to them “ She can't have you whipped. Shev can't burn you with hot irons. She can't tie you to the rack. They got laws about that sort of thing nowadays”(Kesey 68). She is so powerful and obsessed with order that she breaks the law, that is a little crazy. I experience control in many ways. For example, at home my parents control my siblings and I because they are our parents and they have authority over us. I control my own body which is what makes my decisions. Mcmurphy tries to control in a lot of situations, for example when he first arrived at the ward. He immediately asked who was in charge and took over within 10 minutes. People with trust issues typically try to control others because they want to be sure they know exactly what the other person is doing so they can feel secure. Everyone control’s their own body, whats sad is that nurse Ratched won't let them do that.
21 Comments
charli burgess
11/19/2015 02:36:49 pm
I agree with reader #3 McMurphy wants to be in control because he wants to go against Nurse Ratched. I think he wants all the control to be able to get out of the ward. I agree that all McMurphy wants is to gain control over nurse Ratched.
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Charli burgess
11/19/2015 02:41:54 pm
I agree with reader #7 that Nurse Ratched has all the control in the ward because all the patients are scared of her. I disagree though that control is a big thing in life. I don't think McMurphy or Nurse Ratched need to have control over something in their life, I just think that because they both have different views on what they want they keep fighting to get exactly what they want.
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Follmer
11/19/2015 03:42:24 pm
I agree with Reader#2 with the fact that McMurphy refuses to let anyone control him. He always believes his way is the right way and no one can put him in his place. He is someone who will put you in your place if he believes he is right.
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Follmer
11/19/2015 03:44:29 pm
Reader #7 has a good point that McMurphy and Nurse Racthed are fighting for power. Both of them will not stop until they have all the power over the ward. It is going to take a lot to take the power away from either of them.
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shannon heraty
11/19/2015 04:16:00 pm
I agree with reader 2. reader 2 said that mcmurphy is controlling the patients without them even realizing and i agree with that and i wonder if its going to stay like that for the rest of the book.
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Bridget
11/19/2015 05:39:27 pm
I agree with reader 8 that McMurphy and Nurse ratched our both obsessed over power
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Bridget
11/19/2015 05:40:24 pm
I agree with everyone that McMurphy is controlling the ward his way and is obsessed with the idea of power
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Ryan Franicevic
11/19/2015 08:40:55 pm
#6 I agree with them about McMuphys natural ability and initiative to change things up in the ward. I feel it is to early in the book to tell if this is for personal gain or the other members of the ward. I find it hard to believe a character like McMuphy, is doing it just for grins. The Nurse is not use to these interruptions to her ward. It will be interesting as the book continues to see how she will unravel.
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Jenna Ross
11/19/2015 08:59:06 pm
Reader #1 I agree with this reader because this is shown through Nurse Ratched. She uses the patients weaknesses for her power and holds all the power in the ward
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Becca Seidenzahl
11/19/2015 09:57:21 pm
I agree with reader #1 because McMurphy likes arguing with Big nurse just to seem more dominate. He does this a lot and he is trying to send the message that he is in control. He makes it seem as though he has the upper hand with nurse Ratched.
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Christian Pishotta
11/20/2015 07:56:22 am
I somewhat agree with reader #2, but something about it seems a little off. Yes there was a bit of a power struggle between the nurse and McMurphy, but McMurphy didn't really control the situation during that time. He merely just drew attention to the black boy because he had not given McMurphy his clothes, at least that's how i see it.
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daniel castiblanco
11/20/2015 07:56:40 am
@reader#7
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daniel castiblanco
11/20/2015 07:58:42 am
@reader#6
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Paige C
11/20/2015 08:44:47 am
I agree with reader #2. McMurphy seems to be taking advantage of the mental hospital because he doesn't really belong there. He is a lot more advanced than most of the people that are in the ward.
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Lauren seidenzahl
11/20/2015 10:08:49 am
I agree with reader #5 that mcmurphy is trying to control everyone in this book. He is also definetly trying to control nurse ratched as well. But nurse ratched does it, too. She controls all the patients. But she does it in mean and cruel ways.
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Hanna Smith
11/22/2015 10:53:01 pm
I agree with reader #7 because we all like to have things done a certain way and to get things done our own way. It clearly represents Mcmurphy's character and how he refuses to take orders from people he thinks are below him (mostly everyone). It shows a lot about the manipulation skills he has as well.
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Emily
11/24/2015 10:00:31 am
I agree that a lot of people are competing for attention and dominance in the ward which is leading to conflicts
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Dorian
11/24/2015 10:01:12 am
McMurphy likes to 'fight' with the nurse, showing he in a way has more control over the patients then Nurse Ratched. Reader 1 is right and I agree with them
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emily
11/24/2015 10:02:50 am
i agree because the fact that McMurphy took control in the ward just after 10 minutes proves that the ward doesnt have a leader
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Allie David
11/24/2015 10:31:13 am
I feel that controlling others is huge in the book. McMurphy is trying to make everyone better and control everything and Nurse ratched does it too along with trying to control the ward.
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lauren seidenzahl
11/30/2015 10:44:08 am
i agree with reader #7 that control is very important in life. and that it is very important in the book. i agree that mcmurphy and nurse ratched are both wanting control in the ward.
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AuthorWelcome to Miss Hardie's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Blog! Here we will be posting our thoughts and discussing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. Please join in on the discussion! ArchivesCategories
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