Post #4 Part II

Part II has a lot of change happening within the characters. The chapter starts with a staff meeting, where the Big Nurse, Doctors and all the Black Boys meet up to discuss the actions of McMurphy. During this meeting, Chief Bromden is allowed to be in the staff room, sweeping the floor, since everyone thinks he is deaf. In the meeting, all the Black Boys think that McMurphy should be send to another Ward, however at the end of the meeting the Big Nurse decides to keep him in the same ward and let him struggle. “I don’t agree that he should be sent up to the Disturbed, which would simply be an easy way of passing our problem on to another ward, and I don’t agree that he is some kind of extraordinary being – some kind of ‘super’ psychopath.” (136) This decision is a surprise to everyone, even Chief Bromden who heard everything that was said during the meeting.
Another change that happened was that Chief Bromden now is able to see the patients clear again, since the fog machine is turned off. This relates to my post I did last time, where I said that the fog machine was a hallucination and not a realistic way of torture. Furthermore, during a night in the institution, Chief Bromden wakes up and sees for the first time out of the window: “I looked out the window and saw for the first time how the hospital was out in the country.” (141) During that same night, it is the first time the author, Ken Kensey uses a reference to birds: “Then they crossed the moon- a black, weaving necklace, drawn into a V by that lead goose.” (143)
Another change, which happens, is with McMurphy and him not standing up anymore for the other patients. For example, at some point Cheswick wants something so bad that he becomes a danger for the ward so he is send to the Disturbed for the day, however McMurphy does not help him out of this situation. During a trip to the pool with the Ward, an accident happens and Cheswick drowns. From this day on, McMurphy changes and tries to become more behaved towards the Big Nurse. This proves that during the meeting at the beginning, the Big Nurse was right to keep him in the same ward until his ice would break.
At the end of Part II, McMurphy apologizes for the first time to the Big Nurse about not behaving. This is the biggest change that McMurphy has gone through, and due to this the other patients will have to change too. I hope that in Part III, there will be more change within the patients and that we find out more information about the past.

Post #3 pages 80-Part II

The end of Part I, was mostly about McMurphy’s conflicts in the mental institution. From day one, everyone knew that McMurphy was someone special and would get his way, whenever he would want to. “But the new guy is different, and the Acutes see it, different from anybody been coming on this ward for the past ten years, different from anybody they ever met outside.” (82) Actually, I was quit surprised on how slow the book goes, because on page 83, it is the next morning since McMurphy arrived. From that point on, until the start of Part II, it is about McMurphy and him getting his way through everything. For example, he walks around the ward with just a towel, because the black boys forgot to give him the uniform. When the Big Nurse comes, she gets furious about this and yells at him about the policies of the institution. However, McMurphy doesn’t care and blames the black boys for good, which they later on get in trouble for not preparing the laundry. Another thing that has changed throughout the book is that the Doctor of the institution is now on the side of McMurphy which makes things easier for him to get his way. Another conflict is that McMurphy wants to watch a baseball game which is on TV when there is no TV time in the institution. To change the TV time the patients have to vote for it. However, the end vote is 20-20, but then Chief Bromden, stands up and decides to give that last vote, to change the TV time. This is another step towards the relationship of McMurphy and Chief Bromden. The last thing that happened in Part II was the revolution that started between all the patients against the Big Nurse. All patients decide to stop doing their chores and sit down in front of the blanked out TV. “..then we all put down our mops and brooms and scouring rags and we all go pull us chairs up.” (125) This is how Part I ends…

Language:

I have noticed that at some parts, the paragraphs are short, and tell different stories from the past and the present. I almost have the feeling that it has something to do schizophrenia, of the main character Chief Bromden. Maybe this also has something to do with the war experiences, he had. This is also one of the reasons why Chief Broom is in the institution. However, the word choice has not changed a great deal; maybe it will change more in Part II.

Questions:

I do not understand the things with the fog. Is it a hallucination that Chief Broom has from his war experiences or is it reality? Personally, I think that it is something he feels, and sees but actually it is not there. A reason for this might be that it is his fantasy world where he is trapped in, due to his prior experiences. So far we haven’t found out much about the past of the patients, and I think this will be a crucial point to find out more about Chief Bromden.

Post #2 pages 40-80

The next 40 pages in the novel described the daily routine and the free time of the patients. I think that the main characters are Chief Broom, who is the narrator of the story but also the new patient, McMurphy. The language has changed a little bit since the beginning, because I noticed that the patient is growing towards the reader. For example, one really understands the situation, since it is told from the perspective of Chief Broom, who is a patient since a really long time. One of the main things that happened was the plot which was made against the Big Nurse. After the meeting with all patients, McMurphy decides to not tolerate the actions of the Nurse, and convinces the Acutes to go against her. After a lot of discussions, on what to do, they do a bet: “Just what I said: any of you sharpies here willing to take my five bucks that says that I can get the best of that woman...” (66) I am not sure, but I think that the main aim of the bet is that McMurphy has sex with the Nurse. (Really not sure) During the whole discussion, Chief Broom listens to what is happening and thinks to himself about the consequences. This proves that he is actually not deaf, even though all patients think this. The next part of the novel was a dream/reality story. I am not sure if it was a dream or not, since there are two sentences which are contradicting each other: “…tell anybody about it they’d say, Idiot, you just had a nightmare…” and the other sentences is “He says, you are havin’ a bad dream, Mistuh Bromden.” (80) This two sentences both on page 80 contradict the dream that Chief Bromden was having. His dream, was about being tortured during night, while all patients get their red pill, which knocks them out with sleep. However, that night Chief Broom doesn’t take the pill, because McMurphy helps him, to talk himself out of it. And for this reason, Chief Broom witnesses the nights at the institution. The next parts in the story should be interesting too, because the relationship of the two main characters will build up, since McMurphy already found out that Chief Broom is not deaf.

PS: I really did not understand pages 57-80, when there is a lot of talking about rabbits.

Post #1 Pages 1-40

Post #1 Pages 1-40

The first 40 pages of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, describes the different characters that are in the novel and sets the setting for the continuation of the story. The story is set at a mental institution, in the late sixties. So far, the novel has explained the situation at the mental institution where the main character is being treated. The main character, Chief Bromden, A.K.A Chief Buh-Broom, has been in the mental institution since World War II. He is described as a half-Indian with black hair, which can’t call for help and is being bullied by the “black boys”. The “black boys” are the helpers in the institution, who take advantage of the patients in every sort of way, even if it means to torture them. For example the nickname of Mr. Bromden, came about because he always has to sweep the floors since the “black boys” tell him to do so. The language which the main character uses is full of metaphors and similes. An example of this is on page 5, where Chief Bromden describes the reaction of the Big Nurse towards the “black boys”: “...so big I can smell the machinery inside the way you smell a motor pulling too big a load.” One of the main changes that happen in these 40 pages is the arrival of a new patient. He is described and drawn as big, tall, wide shoulders and strong man who seems to have to real mental problems, since he has no problem with cooperating with the other patients. The day the new patient arrives, named McMurphy, everyone is shocked about the reaction McMurphy has towards the other patients. He goes to all of the patients: the wheelers (the ones in a wheelchair), the vegetables (the ones that can’t do anything), the Acutes (not that severe problems) and the Chronics (the ones that have severe individual problems).
My personal response to the first 40 pages is quit opposite. On one hand, I have the feelings of the patients that are being treated like dirt and have the severe mental problems. Meaning that I have a feeling of pity towards the patients. But on the other hand, I am excited for the next part of the story, where the new patient will change things in the institutions. Also, I am excited for the relationship that the main character, Mr. Bromden and the McMurphy will have.