In this section of the book, McMurphy does many things to try and upset Big Nurse. He often challenges her authority and gets the men to back him up. He tries to push his limits as far as he can. However, he has realized now, that Big Nurse is the one who decides how long every one stays at the asylum. In realizing this, he has also come to find that it probably wasn’t a very good idea to get on Big Nurse’s bad side. In my opinion, he is finding out that working in the fields could be better than being in the asylum. I think he made a big mistake pretending he was insane so he could get out of working in the fields. At least then you have some control over your life and you might be able to decide when to leave. In the asylum, he has to deal with all the rules he sees as stupid and he doesn’t have a way of knowing what his future might hold. Big Nurse is the one who decides his future. Once McMurphy realized this, I think he went into denial. He immediately blamed the men, especially Harding for not “tell[ing] [him] what a risk [he] was running,” (Kesey 166). I think he knows it was his fault, but he doesn’t want to admit it. However, I don’t know if it is his pride or a different reason.
With this section, I also had a few questions. First, what does it mean to be “committed” at the asylum? (Kesey166) I know that McMurphy was really mad when he found out that most of the men there weren’t, but I don’t really understand what it means. Second, why did Cheswick kill himself? I know that he didn’t like it at the asylum, but is that the only reason? Finally, why did McMurphy act so weird at the therapy session? It seemed like he just broke the glass out of nowhere and nobody even gave him a reason to.
Works Cited: Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. New York: Penguin Books, 1962. Print.
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McMurphy just now is realizing that he isn't as safe as he thought, before when he got himself commited, he thought he was doing the smart easy thing and there were no downsides but now he's realizing that there are dangers and there is a risk to himself that could affect him now and much later. to be commited basically means that you are stuck in the institute until the doctors deem you sane and until then you are stuck there or any other ward they turf you to. The others cant leave without consent if the docotrs have no viable reason to commit them and keep them there. Lastly, I believe McMurphy did have a provoked reason behind destroying the glass. He wanted to show the Big Nurse that he still held some cards and that she didnt control him completely, she may govern over him here but its still a little old lady against a big irishman and he shows this by accidently pumbling the glass above her.
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