Is Mcmurphy Portrayed In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Cuckoo’s Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest By Ken Kesey, is a profound and moving tale of a group of mentally challenged men; set in the 1960’s. The characters are all patients or staff with the walls of a mental hospital. All the patients in the hospital suffer from different mental illnesses. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is very sad at times, but enlightening. For the most part the general public, had no idea what went on inside the walls of the asylum. The novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is an accurate representation of its time period because it gives the audience a glimpse into an otherwise private and hidden struggle the patients faced in the mental hospital. We also learn the barbaric and just plain cruel way these

McMurphy gets Brodem to talk and listen, which no other person at the ward has been able to do. Brodem trusts McMurphy to keep his secret. These two men possess great and enormous connection, by the end of the novel. McMurphy attacks Ratched out of rage and pain after his friend and fellow patient commits suicide. As McMurphy finally and ultimate punishment Nurse Rachted forces him into a lobotomy (Kesey). A lobotomy is only used on the patients who seemly have no other hope, or on the patients who were a terrible nuisance to the staff. Before the voluntary patients even knew what became of McMurpthy, they finally signed themselves out the hospital. Brodem and the few that were left refused to believe that McMurphy actually did have the lobotomy, “Aaah, what’s the old bitch tryin’ to put over on us anyhow, for craps sake. That ain’t him” (Kesey 321). The lobotomy was a surgical procedure; the doctor would insert a pick like tool into the eye socket and certain nerves would be severed (Psychosurgery). It was a real tragedy because, Mcmurphy was mentally healthy before this procedure. Remember he was only there to avoid prison. Chief Brodem, out of a unspoken respect and love for McMurphy did exactly want McMurphy would have wanted for himself, “I mashed the pillow into the face”(Kesey 323). The Chief, suffocated what was left of McMurphy. Brodem then leaves the asylum after a little prodding. This story was often common practice with these type mental faculties. The patients then were treated so poorly. This is how psychiatry began in our country; with practices indistinguishable from torture (Leupo). American doctors have made great strides since the early 1960’s; but does society know what is going on inside the walls our mental hospitals? We didn’t in 1962, that’s for