So I read the assigned section of One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, and enjoyed it. At this point in the novel, a lot of symbolism is used to explain character traits and elements of setting, such as entire ward being run like a giant machine, with wires in the walls. Many different forms of entertainment use symbolism to express their point, while still giving the viewer the ability to connect it to their own personal life. The best use of symbolism, in my opinion, so far in this novel is description of Miss Ratched.
Miss Ratched (Big Nurse) enters the ward in the first chapter and is described as having doll-like features, but as she rounds a corner turns into a larger than life, Incredible Hulk sort of monster that is very insulting to the orderlies. This symbolizes the deception of mankind, and how one can look harmless at first, but can snap into something completely different in the blink of an eye. The obvious comparison is, as stated previously, is the Incredible Hulk. The Hulk changes from Bruce Banner, a regular sized man, to a mass of muscle and fury when made angry. While these two share this similarity, Big Nurse growing symbolically and Hulk growing physically, they differ very much in how they communicate with others. The Hulk in regular form tries to be calm and collective at all times, as to not cause pain to others around him, but Miss Ratched tries to control everyone around her using this internal monster. The novel demonstrates, as many before it have also, that power can corrupt if not properly used, and Miss Ratched is very corrupted.
I personally can connect to this theme because when one is presented with power, they must use caution when dealing with people. This can be seen all over the world, specifically in politics and government. When a leader feels he has a great deal of power that is not shared with anyone else, similar to how Miss Ratched cannot be fired and runs all aspects of the ward, they being to impose their own rules and procedures onto their population. In the case of OWFOTCN, the patients have to sit on opposite sides of the room, and are required to take their medication without explanation.
Anyways, this is the part where I get tired of talking about the novel, but need more words for my word count. So I guess I'll ask some prolific questions like, Do you think the ward is a microcosm of society, with Big Nurse running a dictatorship over the patients? Is McMurphy truly insane, or is he the perfect example of Ken Kesey's theory that "Everyone is crazy in their in their own way"?
Tyler,
ReplyDeleteI thought that your first posting was great! I enjoied how you made it relatable to anyone in your auidence using a recent pop culture icon (The Hulk) to symbolize Ms. Ratched. I also liked how your ideas flowed easily together and were simple to follow. I also enjoied your topic for this post. Alot of people put mental health or drugs, but you went deeper into the text, which is always nice to read.
Now for the bad news; I wished your post went into more details on your own thoughts. There were many parts when you touched on your own ideas and thoughts of the texts, but just when you were getting really deep into them, you went onto another example, leaving the reader (a.k.a Me) left there screaming at the cieling yelling NOOOOOOOO. Other than that minor inner outburst, i thought your blog was awesome!
I like your comparison of Big Nurse and mankind. How you are able to view someone one way, and within a second all your previous views could change. A lot of people are like that whether it be a family member, friendship or partner. Many people are shocked to discover mysteries of others. There are married couple out there that years later find something they’ve never known about that person, something that changes them completely. I also like how you pulled out the symbolism of Hulk from the novel. The Hulk being sweet and innocent as a person, but gets turned into a monster through anger and furry. I believe the way Chief see Big Nurse is similar to this. Chief describes her at first to be doll like and perfect. As the story goes on you start to see the flaws within her character. Nurse uses her monster like ability to have control and power. The idea of power leading to corruption is spot on. When someone is given power that is unable to control it, can only end badly.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think she seeks so much power? Why does she have the double faced character? Do you think later in the story that she was only perceived that way by Chief but is completely different person?
You're absolutely correct. Perhaps, the main reason he feels this resentment towards Big Nurse is the fact that she's simply a girl. Chief, and perhaps Ken Kesey, views Big Nurse as a beast. But is this a fair description? Maybe, and just maybe she really wants to help the patients. This is where literary critism comes into play. Is she made out to be a monster because of Ken Kesey's view on women? Or is this truly a monster in her own right. If you ask me, and this is entirely my own opinion, she isn't necessarily a monster.. but a misinformed nurse who sees the only road to recovery is her way. This, however, can totally change as we progress through the book. You do mention though that she's abusing her power. I wouldn't necessarily call it abuse. She's certainly strict, but not abuse. Especially in those days, where mental health treatment was in its early stages. She doesn't understand that each person is different, and that you cannot rely entirely on medication, but the need for change and experience. To your second notion of McMurphy's sanity. It's anyone's guess at this point whether or not he's actually crazy, and if he belongs in the institution. From what we've read so far, he seems perfectly sane, but maybe he's so insane that he appears to be sane? Crazy stuff. This all would be more clear if the author wasn't on drugs. :-(
ReplyDelete"With great power comes great responsiblity."
Excellent Tyler! I like how you killed two birds one stone - characterization and symbolism. Good connection to literature (yes, comic books are literature). Second and third paragraphs need some work :) Ali, touched on this too - being the nonconformist student in our class, I think we were both expecting a full on rant from you!
ReplyDeleteBrooklynn - great questions that you pose to Tyler to keep the dialogue going :)
Geoff - or is McMurphy so insane that he thinks its a good idea to admit himself to a place he can never escape? Great insight into Nurse Ratched. It does seem like Kesey/Cheif/McMurphy hate women. This leads to psychoanalytical criticism to determine what happened in Kesey's life to make him hate women. It also leads to F=feminist criticism to discuss the depiction of Big Nurse and treatment of women in the book. It is also anti-feminism because men try to fight back against women who have gained too much power. Lots going on here! :)