Cuckoo's Nest Seminar questions

Why did Chief smother McMurpy, did it benefit McMurphy? Throughout the entire book McMurphy rebels again Big Nurse. This eventually causes her to feel the need to lobotomize him, turning him into a vegetable. As a vegetable McMurphy is unable to do anything, the process basically turns him into a display for Big Nurse’s power. By defeating Mcmurphy Big Nurse is able to prove that she is “all powerful” and nothing can stand in her way. Chief smothering McMurphy allows McMurphy to not have to watch the treacherous control of Mrs. Racthed and be able to do nothing. Also, Chief is destroying Big Nurse’s display of “total control.” With McMurphy dead the patients do not have to see a constant reminder of someone beat down completely by Big Nurse. Therefore, yes, by killing McMurphy, Chief greatly helped Mcmurphy, who would have to watch what he once rebelled against and do nothing. Did Big Nurse really want to help any of the patients? No, she wants total control. She doesn’t care about the patient’s health or well-being. She wants to take control, like a communist. She holds the meetings to point out the patients weaknesses. For example, Harding’s problem with his wife and sexuality are brought up in one of the group sessions. In this sessions some of the other patients raze Harding about his problems. The fighting between patients allows Big Nurse to maintain control because few rebellious relationships can be formed and patient’s self-confidence is lost. Would a different narrator change our viewpoint on McMurphy or Big Nurse? Most definitely. Chief looks up to McMurphy for his rebellion and despises Big Nurse for her torture. If one of the black boys or nurses was the narrator, Big Nurse would have been viewed as a woman struggling to keep control over a villainous patient. McMurphy would have been viewed as the villain, instead of Big Nurse. Chief’s narration allows McMurphy to be viewed as heroic; any other narrator would not have given this feeling.

Cukoos nest blog 1

In One Who Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest there are some distinguishable villians and antiheros. However, there aren't any clear heroes. The villains are Bit Nurse and the black boys. The antihero is McMurphy. The black boys may or may not be acting the way they are by will. Mrs. Ratched, whose nickname is Big Nurse, may be forcing them to act the way they do, so that they can keep the job they have and she can maintain the high level of control held in the institute. The black boys may have not wanted to "kick [Mr. Taber] in the shins" when he was giving them trouble, however it was needed for Big Nurse's control to be maintained. Mr. Harding says that the staff desires our cure as much as the patients do, and they aren't monsters. They only act as monsters to help Mrs. Ratched, who may, in some way, harm them if they do not do exactly as they are told to do. Mrs. Ratched, "a bitch and a buzzard and a ball-cutter" according to Harding, is a villian. Everyone fears Mrs. Ratched and in return she abuses them to keep them in control. She is a monster to keep control of her patients. Everyone fears her. Even "Doctor Spivey is completely conscious of his inadequacy. He’s a frightened, desperate, ineffectual little rabbit, totally incapable of running this ward without our Miss Ratched’s help, and he knows it. And, worse, she knows he knows it and reminds him every chance she gets." It sounds like the doctor is the person who is actually susposed to be in charge. But, Big Nurse has taken control over him and is making him never forget that without her the combine would not run smoothly. This corruption is evil, making her a villain.  McMurphy, the antihero, does not like the way thing happen in the institute at all. He sees how terribly the patients are treated and makes a bet that he can get the best of [Big Nurse] —before the week’s up—without her getting the best of [him]. One week, and if [he didn't] have her to where she don’t know whether to shit or go blind" he lost the bet. This week continues on, past the end of the section we were to read. So, we don't know how it ends up. We want McMurphy to be successful in "getting the best of her."  He is an a anti hero because he has had sex with underaged girls, that is not acceptable on our society. In our society we would put them and pit them on the sex offenders list. So, because he rebels against Big Nurse he is a hero to us. But, because he has sex with younger girls he is an antihero.