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Laughter In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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The age old adage that “laughter is the best medicine” appears as a recurring theme in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Laughter is proven throughout the novel to be a symbol of the strength the men of the ward acquire through McMurphy’s influence. The occurrence and genuinity of laughter among the patients evolves throughout the book, paralleling the evolution the men experience due to McMurphy’s revolutionism.
R.P. McMurphy as a character is representative of the individualism and autonomy that the patients lack. From the moment he is introduced, he is depicted as a powerful, unrelenting force. His physiognomy evinces this claim with his well built, muscular body, corresponding directly to his headstrong attitude and independence, …show more content…

Chief hears it and remarks it as the “...first laugh I’ve heard in years.” (Kesey 12) This moment is significant because it initiates laughter in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as a symbol of strength. As previously explained, McMurphy has resolve the patients do not, thus granting him the ability to laugh boldly and unadulterated exemplified in “He laughs til he’s finished for a time … Even when he isn’t laughing, that laughing sound hovers around him, the way sound hovers around a big bell that just quit ringing-it’s in his eyes, in the way he smiles and swaggers, in the way he talks” (12). This quote demonstrates the symbolism of laughter, because like the way McMurphy exudes strength, he is also emblematically exuding laughter, thus further connecting the two. The reason Chief can’t recall a “real” laugh is because he, Billy Bibbit, Harding, and all the other men have never felt strong enough under the nurse’s rule. She controls the men through her manipulative and authoritarian attitude, creating an atmosphere of unease, consequently making the idea of laughter completely unfathomable to the patients seen in “The air pressed in by the walls too tight for laughing.” She is able to belittle the men to the point that she chips away at their self esteem and self image proven by the fact Chief believes he is a small man,

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McMurphy makes the patients realize they all have a purpose in life. He preaches this to Billy and Chief the most. Billy’s only limitations are his stutter and the fact he is still taking orders from his mother. Once McMurphy sees this, he questions "why? Why You're just a young guy (Billy)...why do you stand for it"(167).

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In novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, a leader organizes a group of mental patients and rebels against the figurehead of the broken institutional system of the mental hospital. McMurphy pushes The institutions rules of order, bringing out the evil in the situation. Bromden, due to his bias narration, misconstrues Nurse Ratched as the antagonist where, in truth, she falsifies this by trying to maintain order and by ultimately seeking the best for her patients. Kesey chooses Bromden as the narrator, by doing this, he introduces an element of skepticism for the audience as Brombden opposes the institution.

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For example, on their fishing excursion McMurphy “knows [they] have to laugh at the things that hurt... to keep the world from running plumb crazy… he’ll let the humor blot out the pain” (Kesey 250). Accepting the absurdity and adopting a sense of humor is important to get through the negative and spread laughter and joy rather than accept the dull fate of ordinary life. McMurphy acts as a savior who brings happiness and vibrant life to the patients by exposing them to laughter and humor. McMurphy gives confidence to the

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This madness in Mcmurphy gives the men hope throughout the novel. The irrational behavior can be judge as reasonable in many cases. Mcmurphy is a big, loud and confident man. He’s different from many other patients in the ward. When he first entered the ward he was laughing and telling jokes.

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Forcing people to follow a societal norm is detrimental to the health of the mind and body. The struggle between conformers and non conformers creates a schism in society. In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey asserts the overarching importance of individuality through the use of a conflict between the patients and the nurse as a microcosm of society. In the novel, the delusions of the narrator create a surreal world that reveals a strong message on the nature of conformity.

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The question of sanity becomes apparent when McMurphy, a confident gambler, who might have faked psychosis in order to get out of the work farm, is assigned to the mental hospital. He quickly stirs up tension in the ward for Nurse Ratched by encouraging the men to have fun and rebel against her rules. Brodmen appears to be sane for the most part, despite his hallucinations of a fog, which seems to be the result of something both the ward and the world has done to him. He is able to think logically and though others believe him to be deaf and dumb, he uses this to his advantage. Chief states, “They don't bother not talking out loud about their hate secrets when I'm nearby because they think I'm deaf and dumb.

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