One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest Essays (1206 words) - Nurse Ratched

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest This movie demonstrates much of what I despise about my fellow feeble-minded Americans. In this movie, I saw stereotypes galore, and almost every cliche in the book. For example, one voluntary patient is seeking therapy for his marital problems. It seems that he and his wife were having "sexual" problems. This ultimately leads everyone, patients and viewers alike, to believe that this man must be gay. As if this weren't enough, we have to have the "blind-deaf-and-dumb-guy", and of course, he's foreign! The central character in this drama is Randal McMurphy. Mac is a new patient at the mental institution. He was transferred from a nearby prison. He seems to have been committed not for mental illness but because he is resistant to authority. In the past he has been arrested for such things as assault and statutory rape. He may be a criminal, and he may deserve to be in jail, but he is not insane. He was just too much work for the prison guards "cause I don't sit there like a goddamn vegetable" he says. I believe the only dangerous thing about Mac is his desire to fight authority, and I believe the danger is only for the authority figures. He may not go about his struggle in a lawful manner, but I do believe he has some good, sane ideas and beliefs which he tries to maintain in all of his situations. For example, in jail, he didn't feel it was right for the authorities to demand he act as a "vegetable" and I agree with him. In the institution, he felt that decisions should be made democratically and fairly, and he fought for this belief, which inevitably lead to punishment by ECT . Another influential character in this movie is Billy. Billy has some obvious self-esteem issues. I feel the portion of the film that we viewed in class only touches on his true character. Billy has a very obvious speech impediment, which seems to make him reluctant in many ways. He is the character that follows orders without question. He is threatened by Mac in many ways, but excited by his ideas at the same time. Mac's presence in the institution disrupts the routine that Billy has functioned so well under for so long. It is possible that his naivety could be a dangerous attribute to himself, but I do not feel that Billy is necessarily a dangerous individual. Chief is the stereotyped blind-deaf-and-dumb character. Before Mac, everyone ignored his presence, primarily on the basis of his silence. The other patients and staff apparently never even tried to incorporate Chief into their activities. When Mac comes along, he tries to utilize one of Chief's attributes, his height, in a basketball game. After awhile, Chief catches on, to the astonishment of all present, and helps Mac's team win a game. To the surprise to Mac, in a private moment Chief speaks. This leads the audience to believe that perhaps this silent man would only speak to those worthy of his words. Chief is not dangerous, only cautious. The infamous Nurse Ratched is the head nurse on this floor. She leads the therapy sessions and attempts to maintain order of her patients. She always uses a calm and rational tone of voice and claims to know what is best for all of her patients. The audience is lead to believe that she has some ulterior motives for her decisions when she requests that Mac stay in the ward during a review of his mental status. It is apparent to all at this point that there is nothing mentally wrong with Mac, though she decides he needs to stay. Perhaps this decision was made out of spite for his disruptive behavior. I do feel that she is dangerous. She has the power to keep a sane man in a mental institution and rule over his life for as long as she desires-this is very dangerous. Along with medication, the patients in this ward are undergoing a sort of talking therapy. It is lead by Nurse Ratched. Only certain patients are involved, primarily the less severe patients. Several patients assemble themselves in a semi-circle at the beginning of the session. They may begin where they had left off during a previous session, or they may start with a new issue. I am not sure if this type of therapy is used widely. I understand the benefits of group therapy, but perhaps in this situation a more individual-based therapy