False Diagnosis of Insanity Essay
In the fresh One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. the false diagnosing of insanity is used as a use tool that will ensue in the patients’ control over the ward. Throughout the fresh Nurse Ratched and her staff presume that many patients in the ward are mentally sick and the province of insanity was extremely encouraged. The writer does nevertheless connote that the large nurse possessed an consciousness of their saneness through her continuity with coercing medicines and holding periodic group meetings that undermine the patients. Her method of invariably reminding them that they were insane was damaging to any opportunity of them developing into being “normal. ”
In this refuge. to be normal. to suit in. was to be unresponsive and defenseless. The patients had realized this and followed that demand. They chose to play a certain function. so that they would acquire no closer to punishable intervention. The patients finally manipulate the ward under the semblance of their mental unwellnesss. But it wasn’t until the reaching of the supporter Randal McMurphy. The mental infirmary was at a dead province before his visual aspect. He came into the ward so unfastened and confident with his province of head. It inspired the patients and competed with Ratched’s control.
The fog machine during the group meetings is another beginning of the wards power. to Bromden’s belief. The fog machine symbolizes the act of purposefully overcasting one’s cognition or consciousness of their milieus. Fog represents a deficiency of comprehension of one’s environment and besides signifies a signifier of flight. A machine that the ward controls shows the clasp that this staff has on their patients. McMurphy tells Bromden. “You had a pick: you could either strain and expression at things that appeared in forepart of you in the fog. painful as it might be. or you could loosen up and lose yourself. ”
The deficiency of consciousness is a signifier of flight for the patients because their life in the refuge is changeless parturiency. As a consequence Bromden sees the fog as security. since it helps him go forth this current world. He realizes that the fog machine is a trap. but can’t aid to be drawn to the security that it offers. since “ignorance is bliss. ” So one time once more the patients choose to take the easier way ; which is to allow the fog engulf them. But as a consequence Ratched has piece of head thought that the fog still stands in their heads. when in world McMurphy has already cleared the haze ; particularly in the head of Chief Bromden.
Chief Bromden is a really strong character and symbol in this novel. He represents the subject of false diagnosing of insanity. Since he doesn’t speak nor does anything that he isn’t assigned. Bromden is so dedicated to his facade. that the other patients really believe him to be deaf-and-dumb person. Throughout the novel the readers hear all the things he is believing. and basically Chief is a sane adult male. He purposefully portrays himself as midst and mindless so that he avoids subject from the ward staff. Bromden exclaims. “They don’t bother non speaking out loud about their hatred secrets when I’m nearby because they think I’m deaf and dumb. Everybody thinks so. I’m cagey plenty to gull them that much…”
McMurphy notices merely how intuitive Chief truly is ; that this adult male is falsely demoing insanity as a tactic to avoid issues. He is carry throughing the mental hospital’s societal norm. But because of this. Bromden would ne’er be suspected for making a offense or anything rebellious. Since the ward sees him as a shell of a adult male that is insane. McMurphy realizes this and sparks the thought of pull stringsing utilizing one’s false insanity. This thought leads to multiple events. like the fishing trip and the television screen protest. that pushes the large nurse into a corner. The patients were get downing to make things that they sane heads could manage. but they merely had ne’er been accustomed excessively.
Another facet of saneness introduced by McMurphy that the patients had non observed for many old ages was the motive of laughter. Throughout the novel the writer emphasizes the loud and deafening laughter that McMurphy resonated around the ward. He noticed that non many people there can express joy and that made him leery as to the environment that he was late placed in. Bromden thinks. “I forget sometimes what laughter can make. ” The power of laughter is so strong and to McMurphy it symbolizes saneness. After the fishing trip. he got Harding. Scanlon. Doctor Spivey. and Sefelt to fall in him in holding a large laugh. This shows that they are sane. but being in the infirmary confines that. Laughter became such a large symbol to the patients that they would be sniggering during group meetings and other times throughout the twenty-four hours.
This angered nurse Ratched. because the more they laughed. the more she lost her clasp on these work forces. Other staff in the ward viewed the pathetic action as insane. But it still overpowered them. no affair what they could make. The power of laughter was tested when the ward sent McMurphy to acquire his electro-shock therapy. After multiple Sessionss he returns during a group meeting and begins to express joy. aloud. bitterly. That scene pushed out all the nurse’s power and at that point the patients took control. They witnessed the intervention that they feared the most be overcome. So anything that happened afterwards was no menace.
In decision. the false diagnosing of insanity is used as a use tool that resulted in the patients’ overall power over the ward. McMurphy arrived and showed them that the mental refuge is no different from the society outside the walls. The societal norm in the mental infirmary may be different from regular social norms. but none the less you can take that and authorise it. The ward promotes insanity and they take all steps to do certain that the patients are insane. But the opposite occurred and alternatively the work forces learned to merely feign to be insane. This gave them power. It gave them control over their heads. “Never before did I realize that mental unwellness could hold the facet of power. power. Think of it: possibly the more insane a adult male is. the more powerful he could become…”
