Nature In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Nature is commonly defined as the outdoors, what separates the manmade structures from the wilderness. However, after a quick search, more intriguing definitions appeared like “humankind’s original or natural condition” (Merriam-Webster) and “reality, as distinguished from any effect of art” (Dictionary.com). While these definitions don’t fit the conventional definition of nature, they introduce a concept of purity and reality apart from clouded confusion that life can bring. Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest certainly experiences a rift from nature during his stay in the mental ward through the fog early on in the story. However, a reconnection with both definitions of nature, through McMurphy and the fishing trip, bring him back to reality and help him realize that he could break from his

However, through the relief of McMurphy and a fishing trip, he connects with reality and his own past, living with the tribe on their own in nature. These memories enable him to regain his size, or self-confidence, and empower him to leave the asylum. Only through experiencing nature, real life, could he see through the illusions and form a sane understanding of the world around him. When people are away from what defines them, they break down and lose a part of themselves. “The past beats inside me like a second heart” states John Banville. The past makes up just as much of a person as does their flesh and bones. When the past is taken away from someone, they are essentially dead inside, left to continue trudging on in a body: a walking