Laughter as Therapy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Laughter is a therapeutic form. In the novel One flew over the cuckoo’s nest by
Ken Kesey laughter represents freedom and an escape from nurse Ratched’s
restrictions.
Firstly laughter proves a vital role in helping the patients deal with their
problems. Not only does it help them deal with problems but it also gave them the
push toward progress on getting out of the institution.
Secondly, Mcmurphy was the one who started making people laughing in the
ward. When he first came into the ward he was cracking jokes and shaking
everybody’s hand.
Moreover, no one in the ward responded with any real response but confusion.
No body knew what laughter was in the ward, it was taken from them. The only thing
they had was board games and Mrs. Ratched’s music. The ward was a very
depressing place.
When Mcmurphy comes into the ward his laughing was making people uneasy.
This showed how far away the patients were from reality. The chief says “I see he is
making every body over their uneasy, with all his kidding and joking.” Then right
after he starts connecting to the patients and the Acutes actually show some sign of a
smile “The Acutes are grinning now not so uneasy any more glad that something out
of the ordinary is happening.” Only after 8 pages there is progress already seen in the
patients with laughter.
Chief Bromden states “The air is pressed in by the walls to tight to let loose
and laugh” Before Mcmurphy arrives it is true. After his presence is recognized by
the patients Mrs. Ratcheds grip over the institution starts loosing its hold. The first
thing the patients do to start breaking her hold is start the gambling. They gamble for
money even though it’s against ward policy. Little by little the patients show
improvement with themselves it is portrayed by the ability not just to laugh but laugh
at their own qualities.
This occurs in the climax of the novel during the fishing trip. When every ones
lines tangle up and they start laughing at each other and themselves that is when they
know that they aren’t really that crazy. They knew they were getting better. “They
could sense the change that most of us were only suspecting; these weren’t the same
bunch of weak-knees from a nut house.”
Some people even laugh when something horrible occurs, it is a method of
escape from what horrors or mishaps are going on around you. “Many
psychotherapists find humor a valuable tool in helping their patients to solve their
social and emotional problems.” (G. Samuel) Chief bromden was having many
problems once he learned to laugh especially at him self he was mostly cured. He was
considered a chronic but after Mcmuprhy showed him that he has the ability to laugh
and coincide with a group he was some what cured.
It can be concluded that laughing is resorted to in times where we need to
laugh. It’s an escape from reality, its comfort, its fear. Laughing subdues any emotion
that is too high strung in our system. It lets it vapor out in a melancholy form that
helps us cope with problems that no one else can really understand and help us with.
In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s it allowed emotional tension escape from the
patients and made nurse Ratched lose her ward.