Leading Consequences

Authority is “the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.” I’ve experienced many forms of authority throughout my life, from many different people, that all fall under the umbrella of being adults. As children, we are told that adults should be met with respect and have the right to exercise their authority over us when the situation calls for it. My experience with authority has been very mixed throughout my seventeen years of living, I usually fall into line when met with most forms of authority. The book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has various alternate perspectives on how to adapt to authority.

Throughout the book Nurse Ratched serves as the leading authority over the ward, seeming to have connections to the supervisor, a sense of control over everyone, and the power to do as she pleases. The two characters that embody the responses to authority are McMurphy and Harding, who often conflict with each other due to having different views. McMurphy is against leading authority while Harding fully accepts and supports it, both disgusting their viewpoints on her authority in long detail. On page 54 Harding states, “Our dear Miss Rached? Our sweet, smiling, tender angel of mercy, Mother Ratched, a ball cutter? Why, My friend, that’s most unlikely.” To me, this sounds like what I remember from my mother being like a parental authority that made me feel safe. That safety she gave off was why following her authority was easy because I knew that following someone I trusted wouldn’t hurt me or have any consequences. The quote is also interesting to me because I know that others don’t feel the same way about her. Submitting due to fear of her, which also connects me back to my parents. How it wasn’t a fear of them but a fear of what could happen to me, fear of being punished, a fear of negative consequences.

McMurphy has played a very significant role since his introduction, almost always being the cause of something interesting happening in the ward. At first, he seemed rather carefree and joyful about being in the ward, disrupting the hierarchy of control. Although he changed once he learned that the nurse could extend his time even further he started behaving. On page 164, he confronts Harding and others by asking, “It’s interesting to me that you bums didn’t tell me what a risk I was running into…” This reminds me of the education system, how there’s always something a teacher can say or do to enforce their authority. An example of this would be when a parent is called, or detention is threatened. I’ve never been a fan of consequences, more so any punishment that takes things away from me. The act of something being taken from you that you have no power to get back is why authority through fear is so powerful. I’ve gotten many things taken from me growing up and they’ve all been things I could get back, items that give me joy. When I look at McMurphy’s situation he could point to his sentence which is time he can never get back, therefore his incentive to behave would be much greater.

Respecting authority has alway been a choice, everyone makes it every day when we decide to obey the law. In the Ward the characters have very limited options which causes them to often go the easy way out, as Harding chooses to do, obey the authority and keep it moving. I’ve never truly thought to defy authority because I have no reason too, but through looking at the resident ward members I understand why defiance would strike out in some, mostly McMurphy. On page 176, McMurphy snaps and breaks the window with his bare fist, blood trickling down his hand while he speaks with Nurse Ratched. This symbolizes that everyone has a breaking point when it comes to authority. I remember getting in trouble with my father and giving all my energy worrying about what he’ll do or what he’ll take away, all of a sudden I don’t care anymore. It gets to the point where they’ve taken so much from you that there’s no real fear of consequence anymore because you have nothing left. I fear that eventually due how cornered every patient is at the ward it’ll eventually cause anarchy anarchy among the ward.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Has opened my eyes to a new view on authority, I’ve been fortunate enough to have a kind nurturing authority growing up, one that I felt comfortable submitting too. This book made me question how far is too far? When is it alright to defy authority? And, What is the appropriate way to combat toxic authority? I would never anything as extreme as in the book but I know one day authority and I will bud heads, and that makes me worried about the consequences.