Sofia Carrasco

Ap Lit/ Pd. 4
10/26/15

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Discussion Questions

In How to Read like a Professor, communion is described as the sharing of food or drink
between characters that signifies peace and friendship. In the novel One flew Over the Cuckoo's
Nest by Ken Kesey, the fishing trip and the party they throw at the hospital both have an aspect
of communion in them. When arriving at the gas station ready to embark on their fishing
expedition, the doctor tried to lie to the service man about whom the patients really were.
McMurphy then gets out of the car and tells the gas station man that they aren't "Ordinary nuts;
we're every bloody one of us hot off the criminal insane ward"(236). He then goes on to make up
lies about what the guys did to get locked up and takes pride in the fact that they are insane. This
makes the guys feel like "fighting roosters" (236) and not ashamed of who they are. They then all
crack open beers and eat snacks as they drive to the marina. In this scene, McMurphy gives the
guys confidence in themselves and then they celebrate together by drinking beer that he buys for
them. The whole fishing trip was an act of friendship between the patients
The second example of communion in Cuckoo's Nest, is the party they throw. At this point in the
novel the patients are all best friends brought together by McMurphy. With the arrival of Candy
and her friend, they begin drinking alcohol and smoking. Eventually they all get very drunk and
break into the nurses station, ride around on wheelchairs and laugh till [they] were rolling
about the couches and chairs, choking and teary-eyed (302). Laughter like that only happens
with friends that are real and true. Also the fact that they could be caught at any minute and have
severe consequences brought them together even more.

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My Replies:
1.Chapter 17: 4.1
I agree with the point that Billy had found a confidence inside of him that he didn't have
before losing his virginity. But I viewed Nurse Ratched's repression of sexuality as way to
control the patients urges and to hinder their freedom. She herself is embarrassed of her
femininity and believes that being more masculine equals having more power. In the beginning
of the novel we read about how her purse is filled with medical tools, "theres no compact or
lipstick or women stuff"(4). She clearly has no interaction with men beyond the patients and the
black boys in the hospital. Then when she sees McMurphy in his underwear and discovers Billy
with Candy, she is caught extremely off guard and overreacts due to the lack of sex in her life.
2. Chapter 24: 3.1
I think it was a deliberate move that Kesey made to show that anyone that wasn't
"normal" was either sent to the mental hospital or checked themselves into it. Not all of them
have mental illnesses but minor things that make them standout from the status quo, like
Hardings homosexuality. Kesey made the characters this way to show that even the slightest
differences were on the same level as having a serious psychological problem, like
schizophrenia, and were all treated the same way. Although McMurphy doesn't seem to have a
true psychological disorder he underwent a lobotomy due to his boisterous personality and
temper.

Additionally, I think that the fear part holds some truth but I feel as though McMurphy helped
them overcome some of that fear throughout the book. He gave them more confidence in
themselves and even helped Billy speak without stuttering, at least for a few seconds. By the end
of the book, all the patients either checked themselves out of the ward or moved to a different
hospital, showing that some realized they weren't sick while others truly believed they were.
3. Chapter 11: 2.2
I agree with your insights about the reasoning behind Cheswick's and Billy's suicides.
After rebelling, they both realized that they could never change the societal norms they have to
live by. Both of these deaths have significant meaning to the whole of the book. Cheswick's
death makes McMurphy want to fight the combine and conformity while Billy's death sets
McMurphy over the edge and forces him to attack Nurse Ratched. Violence plays an important
role in the novel because it is action not just words. McMurphy challenges the Big Nurse
verbally many times, but when he breaks the window of the nurse's station it sends a more
serious message. Also when McMurphy attacks Nurse Ratchet it is almost as if he is attacking
the combine itself. When Nurse Ratched returns to the ward she is broken. She no longer has the
power and the control she once had of the hospital.