Theme Of Insanity In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

The textbook meaning of insanity is “a state of mind that prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction; seriously mentally ill.”. Ken Kesey addresses this concept and challenges the idea of what is insane in his novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Kesey’s novel displays the life of Chief Bromden a “chronic” schizophrenic, who lives under the tyrannical rule of the head nurse at the Oregon Psychiatric Hospital. Bromden tells the story of a new patient R.P McMurphy, who enters the ward and challenges the reign of Nurse Ratched. In the novel, Kesey uses a number of literary devices such as Biblical Allegory, to address the importance of laughter in keeping sane. As well as post the question of what is really crazy and who gets …show more content…
McMurphy shocks the ward by entering their lives with a laugh Chief describes as, “free and loud and it comes out of his wide grinning mouth and spreads in rings bigger and bigger till its lapping against the walls all over the ward.... I realize all of a sudden it’s the first laugh I’ve heard in years” (p.12). His free expression stuns the other patines who had become accustomed to repressed emotions. McMurphy believes humor keeps men human and able to deal with the stresses of the world. McMurphy expresses his view on humor by telling the men, “Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing.” (p.70). The fact the other patients have lost the ability to laugh he finds wearisome and works his hardest to fix it. The boat trip is a pivotal moment for the men because they finally find their voices and their boisterous selves start to emerge. They are finally able to laugh, loud and out of control pushing through the fog of authority. With the increase in laughter, the ward is lighter, and the patients can start to heal. McMurphy theory is portrayed in an observation Chief makes, “he knows you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy.” (p.250) That by laughing away the pain, the world cannot …show more content…
It is society that places the title of insane on people Kesey, often touches on the idea that readers should consider the value of alternative state of perception, which some may consider as crazy. When Doctor Spivey is explaining the theory of Therapeutic Community, he states, “ the group can help the guy by showing him where he’s out of place; how society is what decides who’s sane and who isn’t” (p.49). McMurphy enters the ward symbolizing sanity with his boisterous laughter, sexuality, strength and confidence. Chief Bromden is mesmerized by McMurphy’s ability to be who he really is despite the oppression of the world, saying “the Combine hasn’t got to him in all these years; what makes the nurse think she’s gonna be able to do it in a few weeks? He’s not gonna let them twist him and manufacture him.” (p.161). Kesey uses McMurphy flamboyant ways to contradict the hospitals view on normal. Through the novel, the actions of the men symbolize sanity while the Institute’s actions seem insane and crazy. An example is when Nurse Ratched loses control when the men refuse to clean. Kesey shows the Nurse acting crazier than her patients, saying, “ a fifty-year-old women hollering and squealing at the back of their heads about discipline and order and recriminations, they'd of thought the whole bunch was crazy as loons.” (p.145). Even though, the men are supposedly the “crazy” ones Nurse Ratched actions throughout the novel beg