Is McMurphy sane?

Is McMurphy sane?

Randle McMurphy, an Irish-American rebel, guilty of assault and gambling (and statutory rape), is described as being a larger than life figure, seen from some around him as their hero. Instead of finishing his short prison term, he decides to have himself admitted to a mental institution, where he will definitely enjoy the the remainder of his sentence in a nice, comfortable setting. Or so he thinks..

As we all know from part 1 and half of part 2, he's the strength and willpower of all those around him. And they see him at their savior. We've seen two personalities from him so far, him rebeling from Big Nurse, and him staying silent towards Big Nurse. Most, including myself, would think that his "normal" state would be the rebelious side. In the middle of P2, when he's told by the lifeguard that he has overstayed his original sentence by many years, McMurphy begins to fear that he too may be leading down this past. Throughout the whole novel so far, he's been acting out of control in spite of the system. In fact, he eventually wins the bet with the group of guys that he can get to her. But now, knowing what he does, he begins to come to a realization. He must conform and behave in order to get out of the mental institution. So that brings me to the question, is McMurphy crazy? He decides to behave UNDERSTANDING what he was doing before was wrong. That makes him guilty, yes, but does that make him crazy?...

Is society sane? Am I sane?

We're living in a world of craziness. A world that never sleeps. We are far too busy to appreciate the simple things in life. And like McMurphy, we also pretend to be things we aren't. We conform. Maybe for different reasons though, as we're not locked up in a mental institution. But why is it that we pretend to be things we aren't, like McMurphy? Everything has a purpose. McMurphy is being obedient in order to someday get out of the mental instituion. Instead, we want to be cool, or maybe to get a different job or new friend, or maybe to gain access to something we wouldn't have otherwise. Maybe we're like McMurphy in a way, and just don't realize it. We all have our problems. Instead of conforming to others to try to be something we aren't, we need to stay to true to ourselves. Would this advice help McMurphy out at all? Probably not, because he's already demonstrated that his true self could be the wreckless and rebelious McMurphy, and this will likely land him in the disturbed ward.

If I had to give McMurphy advice to assist him in his current situation, I would just tell him to be himself and to do what he thinks is right. Whether he's a psycho or not, we probably won't know. There is no wrong answer to this question, but honestly, I believe he is somewhat crazy. Crazy like his peers? Maybe not. But as Ken Kesey said, everyone has a little crazy in them.

The Fog

What is Fog? What does it represent? Why is it used?

Chief uses fog as a gateway. An escape from reality. Somewhere, surpressed in his mind, is an event which needs removal. The book briefly and vaguely mentions an airstrike during the war of Vietnam, and Chief's need to omit these memories from his present reality. The book actually doesn't mention his role in Vietnam, which is odd, but is heavily implyed that an incident occured which resulted in Chief losing his hearing. Was it the airstrike which did this to him? Chief separates himself from reality by using Fog as a sort of safe place for his mind to go. When Chief experiences dissatisfaction or insecurity, it seems as though Fog or another iteration of it appears. Is this a clear illustration of what Ken Kesey was experiencing? Perhaps something happened to him which made him feel the need to resort to drugs, or perhaps writing this book was his gateway or "fog".

What use does modern society have for "fog"? Well, its said that there are certain types of gateways drugs, and some which lead to even more "hard" drugs. What are they "getting away" from and what are they using? It varies by person, but some people use gateway drugs to escape a situation without actually escaping it. Marijuana, cocaine, meth, among other drugs are known to be gateway drugs. BUT it is not just drugs that are used to escape reality. Sugar and caffeine are also gateway drugs, depending on the person. So is watching TV. So is playing games. There are virtually endless amounts of activities that one can do to "get away", not just drugs. We all, including me, have activites or habits (or sometimes, addictions) to use as our fog, similar to Chief’s need to in One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest.

I think if Chief was receiving the proper treatment (what is proper..?), he may not have the need for using fog. Instead of surpressing memories and avoiding reality, it may be better for his character to confront his insecurities and fears. Giving himself purpose and allowing change could go a long way. What I know isn't proper treatment is total control, mixed with medication. Big Nurse may have the right intentions, but controling their self existance and forcing medication on them is not helpful. The only helpful treatment I see from Big Nurse is from the Group Therapy session they have each day. Is it helpful to force it on them? No. But it allows them to speak their mind, and more importantly the truth, which helps combat their urge to ignore reality by using a gateway. Other than the group therapy session, they do not allow the patients to learn through their bad experiences, which creates the need for fog.

All in all, I think Ken Kasey is illustrating several good points from the first chapter alone. Each person is different, which creates the need to have treatment suitable for all people. In One Flew over the Cukoo's nest, Big Nurse is the one who essentially dictates how they can be cured. Her routine, and the routine of the instituion itself, doesn't allow for healing through change and experience. Healing\Curing people should not be relied on medication alone, it should go beyond that. He also wants us to fight conformity and rise up against the system. The system in the book is clearly not the answer, and arguably makes the patient worse. This creates the need for reform within the system.