Cuckoo's Nest ~ #2

At the end of Part 1, despite a long, arduous struggle for the upper hand, McMurphy has managed to get ahead of the Big Nurse. His breaking of the glass symbolizes his ability to cut through the Nurse's facade, although she has admittedly worn him down considerably by this point. His failure to lift the control panel demonstrates that McMurphy is not invincible and comes with his own vulnerabilities that make him susceptible to Ratched's control. Outside of the ECT room, where Harding and McMurphy are conversing, McMurphy expresses a certain degree of defeat and hopelessness in the face of the seemingly unshakeable Nurse's regime. He reveals fear at the thought that the Nurse has the potential to increase his stay at the ward by however long she wishes and finally acknowledges the true power that she wields. However, McMurphy has also proved on several occasions that the Nurse is indeed fallible and her kindly demeanor not as pliant as once thought. By breaking the glass at the end of Part 1, McMurphy declares his overall triumph over Nurse Ratched - at least thus far in the book.

The entrance of McMurphy in Chief Bromden's life has allowed him to challenge the idea that the totalitarian ward regime is indestructible. He is united with the other patients in their desire for the Nurse's oppressive rule to collapse under McMurphy's constant pressure. He more openly expresses his own views and personal wishes (still in the context of his mind only, however; he has not yet ventured out enough to dare speak). Still, part of him resists change, as seen in his attempt to "hide" within his own schizophrenia-induced fog during a group therapy session. He is not yet totally on board with the idea of revolution within the ward and still clutches onto his fear of the larger regime at hand. The Chief almost seems to have submitted to the unyielding rule of the Combine both within and outside of the hospital, and his still-provincial mind keeps him from embracing the idea of radical change just yet.

Cuckoo's Nest Blog #1

Nurse Ratched is the villain of the novel. Bromden notes that Ratched has two natures; her sweet side that the patients see, and her "hideous true self" that comes out only when things don't go her way and no patients are around to witness her reversion back to her actual nature (5). Doctors who have worked with her often back out of the job after only a few weeks or months, saying, "'Since I started on that ward with that woman I feel like my veins are running ammonia, I shiver all the time, my kids won't sit in my lap, my wife won't sleep with me" (29). After only six hours of being admitted to the ward, McMurphy remarks to Harding that "she's big as a damn barn and tough as knife metal. She fooled me with that kindly little old mother bit for maybe three minutes when I came in this morning, but no longer" (60). Ratched is depicted as cold and calculating behind a mask of motherly sincerity, secretly possessing a strong need to be in control and to straighten out what she considers anomalies in her system. Ratched's uncaring and dismissive demeanor towards her patients prevents them from getting the adequate therapy they need, meaning that she acts as a force against "good" within the novel. This is what identifies Nurse Ratched as the most clear villain in the story thus far.

McMurphy would fall into the category of antihero. He is hard and crass in contrast to the softer, more diluted personalities of the other ward patients. His past appears shady; he is first introduced as a gambler, and during a group session is revealed to have a long string of past incarcerations for various crimes: "drunkenness, assault and battery, disturbing the peace, repeated gambling, and one arrest - for rape" (45). He is the first to openly say that Nurse Ratched is a "ball-pecker" and vocally question her motives toward the patients (60). His harsh demeanor and questionable history prevent him from playing the role of hero, but his clear opposition to the villain, the Big Nurse, combined with his brash nature, makes him the antihero. Despite that he doesn't quite personify the "good" nature of a traditional hero, the audience can clearly see that he is on the side of the ward patients and opposes the manipulative habits of the Big Nurse, which prevents him from being the villain.

The final role of hero is left to Chief Bromden, our deaf and muted narrator. Bromden's disabilities and caged-in attitude are revealed to simply be ploys that allow him to observe events broadly as well as inconspicuously (24). We have relatively little information about Bromden at this point, much like we lacked information about the hero in The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway. What makes Bromden the hero, however, despite our lack of knowledge about him, is his silent but clear opposition to Nurse Ratched's tyrannical reign over the ward, and the fact that he lacks the more brusque qualities of the antihero, McMurphy. He displays acute awareness of how the hospital operates and the dark undercurrents that run within it. This knowledge, coupled with his softer personality, make him the most clear choice for hero at this point in the novel.

Gatsby Blog #3

Does Nick's arrival in West Egg act as a catalyst for what happens in the book or would the events have happened on their own?

There isn't much direct textual evidence to support it, but I believe that Nick Carraway's coming inadvertently led to what happened with Wilson's family, Gatsby's death, and Daisy's ultimate fate of being forced to remain with Tom. The reason is Nick interfered with the reconciliation of Gatsby and Daisy, and if their relationship had not been rekindled, then Tom Buchanan never would have gotten angry enough at Gatsby to tell George Wilson that it was Gatsby's car that killed his wife (178). Going back even further, Myrtle's death might not have even happened in the first place, because if Nick hadn't helped in getting Daisy and Gatsby together, then they wouldn't have been together that night with Daisy driving Gatsby's car (143). Of course, there is no way for the audience to know what could have happened in an alternate timeline, so whether or not Nick did indirectly set off the chain of events is purely speculative.

What do Nick's comments about the green light and the "boats against the current" at the end of the novel stand for?

Nick's final statements wrap up a central theme of the novel, which is that trying to recreate the past is a futile attempt that ultimately leads nowhere. Throughout the novel, the green light had symbolized Gatsby's struggle for Daisy, but really what he wanted was to recreate their relationship in the past. Nick compares this struggle to boats paddling against the current; no matter how hard Gatsby tried to "paddle" to a future that looked like his past, it was only dragging him backwards continually (180). 

Why does Jordan Baker pretend that she doesn't have feelings for Nick at the end of the novel?

When going to see Jordan for the last time, she remarks to Nick that she had been taken with him for a time, but now that she didn't "give a damn about [him]" (177). She is already engaged to someone else, and even treats Nick with mild contempt. The possible reasons for this are 1) she realizes Nick's partial responsibility for the tragic events that occurred and resents him for this, blocking out the desire she had to be with him, 2) is disappointed with how things turned out and wants to move on from it by hastily becoming engaged to another man, or 3) is angry with Nick for leaving her and not giving her the attention she thought she deserved. There is no concrete answer to this, but it is clear that Jordan does end things with Nick on a contemptuous note, evidenced by her mysterious comment that he is also a "bad driver" and her insinuation that he is not who she thought he was (177).

Is Tom truly evil at heart?

Despite the highly negative light he is portrayed in throughout the novel, we can see Tom display real emotion at Myrtle's death, despite that she may have been only a mistress to him (141). He also takes measures to comfort Wilson, who is in hysteria over his wife's death, possibly because he understands what it is like to "lose" his wife as well, even if only figuratively (140). Still, Nick retains an unfavorable opinion of Tom by the end of the novel, but it is up for debate whether or not Tom's negative impression throughout the book is caused partially by Nick or is a real representation of his character.