Lit Log #1 - Maya Phan

Throughout the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest our narrator is a guy named Chief Bromden. Though we do not know why he is there and what might have happened, we know that he feels a certain way about the people there in the ward with him. When Mr.McMurphy gets committed to the ward the power dynamic between the Nurses, Chronics, and Acutes shifts. McMurphy often is known to have started arguing back and forth with the nurses, especially Big Nurse. He is really one of the only people who have begun protesting what Big Nurse has said. When Bromden and most of the other patients are really scared of Big Nurse and what she can do to them. She has great power over all of that but McMurphy does not seem to be afraid of this.

The way that McMurphy has protested is something that I have been trying to understand throughout this entire book. He doesn’t get nervous like Bromden or Billy Bibbit, he instead faces the problem he wants solved head first. When McMurphy knew the World Series was coming on TV he knew that he needed to be able to watch it in the ward. A number of people told him that it wasn’t worth the risk, “It’s still a risk, my friend. She always has the capacity to make things worse for us. A baseball game isn’t worth the risk.” (107) McMurphy completely disregarded this comment and went on asking people to vote with him, but he made it seem like they were getting something out of this as well when it was something he wanted himself really badly. When the vote came to a close it was 20-20 which meant that he wouldn’t get the World Series on the TV. But what no one told him was that the chronics were involved in this vote and they were the 20 who couldn’t vote yes so they would vote no. This made Mcmurphy extremely mad at Big Nurse and anyone else in charge. When the vote closed Bromden raised his hand, discrediting him being deaf and voted yes. Which changed how people now see Bromden. In that moment I’m not sure whether he cared about what he was doing or knew what he was doing. I just knew that it was something that would completely change how McMurphy see’s Bromden. McMurphy was so happy but Big Nurse kept saying the vote was closed when the meeting ended, which made Mcmurphy extremely mad again.

To me, as a reader and personally, I do not understand how McMurphy has the guts to keep standing up and pushing for what he wants against authority when no one else can or wants to. Like Bromden, I would be scared of Big Nurse as well, “Watching him sitting there frowning all to himself, I remembered what the Big Nurse had said in the meeting, and I began to feel afraid.” (148) I understand where Bromden is coming from. Knowing that both of these people are manipulators is something to keep in mind, something that will stay in your mind forever. Something that will alter the way you think about all authority figures in your life. When I look at the people of authority in my life I notice how scared I am to talk to certain people of power. Teachers, mentors, bosses, and even friends’ parents. In my life I have never really been able to stand up for myself the way McMurphy can. I usually just choose to deal with whatever I’m going through alone or with my friends, which is fine because I usually come out of anything with a better understanding of myself or I come out stronger than I was before. I think there are certain benefits and disadvantages to being like McMurphy when standing up for what you believe in and what you want.

I’ve never really been the one to go against what someone says or wants. I usually follow the rules to a T. When I was younger I always did what everyone told me to do. Which can be good but then sometimes can’t be good at all. Whenever I would do my homework when younger I would always tell my mom how I would have to follow exactly what the teacher told me or else I would get in trouble. Now knowing I can use my own strategies is something helpful. Knowing what’s best for you is something I think is so important to growing as a person. I think understanding a character as important as McMurphy is crucial. Understanding why he wants what he wants and will do anything to get what he wants. I think first finding out why he is committed there and if he acts like this normally in life. Being a true leader for people in the real world is what I mean. The way he gets everyone to follow him and listen to him. McMurphy has yet to be afraid or step back from addressing authority but rather run towards it. I think that is something that I am still figuring out how to do till now. Knowing how to ask for what I want and stand up for what I believe in.