Title Analysis

The title of my novel was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It draws that title from the famous nursery rhyme “One flew East, One flew West, One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest.” Ken Kesey, however, named his book that because of its symbolic meaning. The cuckoo’s nest in the title refers to the insane asylum that the novel takes place in. The one that flew over it is McMurphy, who, if only temporarily, was on top and king of the asylum. The title does not explain the theme, but it does show that the patients in the asylum are “cuckoo” and McMurphy is not. The title is never directly referenced in the text, but is mentioned in the dedication of the novel.

Theme

A major theme in the novel is no one is unbeatable. In the novel, Nurse Ratched (Often referred to as The Big Nurse) appears to the patients, to be unstoppable. However, when McMurphy comes into the asylum from a prison farm, he turns the place upside down. The nurse is eventually brought down when, in a fit of rage, McMurphy attempts to strangle her. Although she survives, she is unable to speak, and cannot control the patients anymore. Also, McMurphy is seen as unstoppable by the big nurse and her three aides, but, in the end, he too is stopped, after receiving a lobotomy that put him in a vegetable state. Another major theme is People are never as they seem. Throughout the book, almost everyone has on a deceptive front. The Big Nurse acts as though she is sweet and caring, but really she is cold and cruel to the patients, feeling that they are below her. McMurphy’s front is that he is insane, when really he is a sane man who wants to get out of prison. And Chief Bromden acts like he’s deaf and mute, when really he can speak and hear clearly.

Setting

The plot occurs in the late 40s-early 50’s (no exact date is given, but we know it is after World War II). It takes place in a hospital with an insane asylum attached to it, located in Oregon, near the coast or near a lake. The setting never changes in the novel, but there is a considerable amount of time that passes. It takes place over a number of months, but the specific amount is never actually specified.
If the setting was different in my novel, even if it took place in a different asylum, it would be very different. If it took place in a different asylum, Chief might not act like he was deaf; the inmates wouldn’t be treated like they were inmates in a prison, and Billy Bibbit would still be alive. McMurphy would also be alive, because there would be no need to give him a lobotomy, because he would never have attacked the big nurse. McMurphy would still be alive, Billy Bibbit would still be alive, but Chief Bromden would still be in the asylum. If it took place modern day, McMurphy would still be alive, because we don’t do lobotomies anymore. The patients would be treated for their symptoms, rather than just to keep them under control, and the Big Nurse would have nowhere near that much power.

Character Description

Three main characters are: The Big Nurse, McMurphy, and Chief Bromden. The Big Nurse is a huge part of the plot. She is the antagonist of the novel, and completely cruel. She mistreats the patience, threatens doctors and aides, and abuses her power over people. She is the one who brings about Billy Bibbit’s death, by threatening to tell his mother that he slept with a prostitute. She is the reason that the Chief has to mop up the floors, and she is the reason McMurphy is put in the disturbed Ward, given a lobotomy, and ultimately she is the reason he is killed. McMurphy, however, is kind to the patients. He treats them as his equals, and, when he gambles with them, always makes sure they win back their money. He becomes friends with Chief Bromden, takes a particular liking to Billy Bibbit, and encourages Harding to be a man. McMurphy is the polar opposite of the Big Nurse, and the two often fight throughout the book. Chief Bromden is the narrator for this story, and is a good person. He agrees with McMurphy in everything he does, and supports him to the end. Chief Bromden fought in World War II, and most likely retained some Post-Traumatic Stress disorder when he returned. He was put in the asylum, and discovered what he calls the Combine, which is all of society trying to make everyone into everyone else.

Main Conflict

In the novel, the Big Nurse controls everything. None of the patients like her, but they have neither the willpower nor the tools to fight her off. Harding describes himself and the other inmates as Rabbits, and she is a Wolf. When McMurphy is transferred to the asylum from prison, however, everything the nurse worked so hard for is turned upside down. McMurphy encourages the patients to gamble, laugh, love, and joke. The Big Nurse doesn’t like that at all. She wants to stop McMurphy, and make things back to the way things were, but things will never be the way it was ever again.  When they have a group meeting for the patients, McMurphy has an argument with the Big Nurse about how to pronounce his last name. After the fight, McMurphy makes a bet with several Acutes (Patients that will one day be released) and even some Chronics (Patients that won’t be released) that he can beat the Big Nurse. McMurphy then does several things to irritate her, including walking around in only a towel, offering her aides food which they aren’t allowed to eat, taking twelve patients (Including Chief Bromden) on a fishing trip, and trying to leave the eating hall early. The conflict ends when, after Billy Bibbit kills himself, McMurphy attacks the Big Nurse and strangles her. She survives, and McMurphy is put in a catatonic state. However, The Big Nurse larynx was crushed, and she lost her voice. Her greatest weapon over the patients, all the Acutes checked themselves out of the asylum, and most of the Chronics are transferred. Eventually, there are only three people that had been friend with McMurphy, Chief Bromden, Scanlon, and Martini. McMurphy is returned to the ward as a vegetable, the result on an unnecessary lobotomy. Chief sees this and realizes that if anyone sees McMurphy like this, everything that he had done would be lost, and the Big Nurse would win. Seeing no other choice, Chief Bromden smothers McMurphy and breaks a window, escaping to return to his people to lead them.