Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOOS NEST

Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

The Novel • It’s a counter-culture protest novel, which is allegorical of society at the time. • Allegory: a symbolic representation of ideas. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

DURING READING – – – Ken Kesey Role of Women. How are they portrayed? Language: Looking for specific figurative devices. Interesting dialogue (how does each character speak). Machinery metaphors. Insinuation: Identify all the things that are implied in the novel. Read between the lines. Biblical Imagery: Note any reference to Christ, crucifixion etc Size: who is large? Who is small? Why are they large? Why are they small? Sexuality: What do we learn about each character’s sexuality? ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

THE NOVEL’S SETTING As you read through the following slides, fill in the gaps in the setting sheet. At the end, stick it into your books under the title: setting. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

1950 s – The Setting • The book was written and set in the 1950 s. It was published in 1962. • At this time in America, people outside the mainstream were often viewed with suspicion. • WHY? Because of the Cold War and the Red Scare. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

The Cold War • The US was engaged in a ‘cold war’ with the Soviet Union. Even though no warfare was declared, things were tense between the two countries. (note: today the Soviet Union does not exist – the largest country of the Soviet is Russia) • Both countries had nuclear power and it was feared that one or the other might use it. • USSR was communist and the US was scared of the spread of communism. Anyone that appeared to be different were presumed to be supporters of communism and were ostracised. They were called ‘reds’ and it was a time of ‘red scare’. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Propaganda Film • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=o 7 LCKs zv 3 w. E (duck and cover) • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=AWe. Z 5 SKXvj 8&feature=related (he may be a communist) Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Joseph Mc. Carthy • Republican senator from Wisconsin who capitalized on Cold War fears of Communism in the early 1950 s by accusing hundreds of government employees of being Communists and Soviet Agents. Mc. Carthy had no evidence to prove communist affiliations, but the very spectre of doubt was enough to pass judgement. • Many artists and writers (those of the counterculture) were arrested and questioned for having communist ties. Playwright Arthur Millar was among the accused. He depicted his own experience in his play The Crucible, likening Mc. Carthyism to the Salem witch hunt in the 1600 s. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

The Cold War • People in the states became increasingly persecuted for their beliefs under Senator Mc. Carthy. This was called Mc. Carthyism. • Towards the end of the decade national rebellion began against civil injustice. Young people, in particular began to question authority. • One particular group of dissenters were the ‘beat generation’ – they expressed dissatisfaction through art, writing, dress and nonviolent action. They were called Beatniks. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Beatniks • Poetry readings were a common forum for Beatniks to articulate dissatisfaction with societal constraints. • Allen Ginsberg’s poem HOWL illustrated what many people saw as the moral and social problems of the time. • Groups such as the Beats were a part of a larger movement called the ‘counter-culture’. This movement led to the emergence of ‘hippies’ in the 60 s. Hippies were dedicated to peace, love, happiness and they endeavoured to ‘expand their minds’ through the use of mind-altering drugs such as LSD. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Allen Ginsberg: Howl • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=MVGo. Y 9 gom 50 • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=PJDV 9 z 8 Xv. Eo&NR=1 Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

LSD • Ken Kesey took part in scientific experiments at a hospital trialling LSD as a state-controlled mind-altering substance. It was thought that it could help those suffering mental disorders such as schizophrenia. LSD was not so effective as a medical panacea as it induced hallucinations. • To the counter-culture of the 1960 s LSD was a good thing; it helped hippies to explore their own mind and expand their horizons. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Kesey and the Novel • Published 1962 • It was met with immediate success. Kesey bought a farm in California where he and his friends spent time taking LSD. Known to the local authorities for his drug usage, the police caught him flushing marijuana down his toilet. He fled to Mexico. When he returned he was arrested and put into jail for several months. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Kesey & the Novel • In 1964 Kesey and his friends took a road trip in a bus named Further across the US. On the journey they continued to indulge in masses of LSD and took part in subversive behaviour. The group called themselves The Merry Pranksters and their adventures were captured in Tom Wolf’s story The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. This book became a must-read for the hippie generation. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Ken Kesey Interview • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=s 4 iln. AD v. T 2 s Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Nursery Rhyme Tingle, Tangle Toes She's a good fisherman Catches hens, puts'em inna pens Wier blier, limber lock Three geese inna flock One flew east, One flew west, One flew over the cuckoo's nest O-U-T spells out Goose swoops down and plucks you out. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Nursery Rhyme 1. 2. 1. Upon first reading, what does the nursery rhyme mean to you? What do you know about the word ‘cuckoo’? European cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds' nests and build no nests of their own. The baby cuckoo is raised by parents of a different species along with their own babies but usually grows more quickly than its non -cuckoo nest-mates and pushes them out to die. If someone is called a cuckoo, they are being called crazy. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Nursery Rhyme • The title refers to a shock-therapy-induced recollection of a childhood game played by Chief Broom’s grandmother. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Title • Obviously, Nurse Ratched is the "good fisherman Catch(ing) hens. . . " and ". . . put(ing)'em inna pens. " With respect to the "Three geese inna flock, " Kesey uses the chant to assert the opposite polarities of the Big Nurse & RPM. The "east/west" polarity represents the opposite philosophies and social-politics at the base of their conflict, and which represents their respective ideas re: the individual's relationship to the state/society. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Themes in novels are never one word, they are an idea. Below are some themes evident in this novel. – Individuality & rebellion against conformity. – The state is a machine that controls. – The emasculating power of women. – The importance of expressing sexuality. – The false diagnosis of insanity. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Themes • Write each theme up in your book. Using half a page, note down all the ways that this theme is made evident in the novel. • Beneath your notes, write a couple of sentences explaining what Kesey’s purpose was in exploring that theme. What is he trying to teach his audience about this particular idea? • At the end we will collate your notes on the board. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Theme: Women as Castrators • Aside from the prostitutes women are seen as threatening and controlling. • Bromden and Mc. Murphy attribute the suffering of the patients to the emasculation and castration caused by Nurse Ratched. • Fear of women is a central feature of the novel. • Harding; “We are victims of a matriarchy here. ” • Rawler commits suicide by cutting off his own testicles. Bromden “all the guy had to do was wait” implying that the institution would have achieved the same in the long run. • After Mc. Murphy’s third EST Nurse recommends an ‘operation’. Mc. Murphy jokes that she means castration. The labotomy achieves the same results. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Theme: Society’s Destruction of Natural Impulses • Mechanical imagery represents modern society. • The hospital is made of machinary and Blastic bleeds rust, not blood. • Bromden was a pure natural spirit accomostomed to hunting and reading natures signs. This way of life is subverted by society when his fishing village is converted into a profitable hydro-electric dam. • Mc. Murphy represents unbridled individuality that the rest of the patients are in awe of. Mc. Murphy fights to retain his individuality until he can bring individuality to the others. Only then does society get the better of him. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Theme: The importance of expressing sexuality. • Kesey implies that an expression of sexuality is healthy. • Most patients have warped sexual identities because of relationships with damaging women. • Due to repressed sexuality, perverted sexual acts are made implicit: the aides engage in ‘sex acts’ and it is suggested that they rape patients. • The ward is sexless until Mc. Murphy appears and boasts of his sexuality: he owns cards with 52 sexual positions, he’s slept with a 15 year old girl, and he wears Moby Dick boxer shorts. He first had sex aged 10 with a girl even younger. • Mc. Murphy attempts to cure Billy of his stutter by arranging his first sexual encounter. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Theme: False Diagnosis of Insanity • Mc. Murphy’s sanity is expressed by his laughter, his sexual appetite, size and confidence, yet he is considered insane by the state. • The institution is insanity. • Throughout the novel the sane actions of the men are contrasted with the insane actions of the institution. • Kesey asks us to question ‘what is crazy’? Bromden’s hallucinations seem crazy, but they’re also very perceptive and insightful. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Laughter • Why is laughter such a theme of the book? What does it mean for Kesey? Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Homework on Laughter • Find out: – Why do humans laugh? – How is laughter powerful? – When are you told not to laugh and why? Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Motifs: Invisibility • Bromden tries to be as invisible as possible. He hides in fog, and he avoids talking. • The control of the combine is invisible. • Mc. Murphy smashes the glass. This symbolises to the patients that while they may not see the control that society has on them, it is there, and it can be smashed through. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Motifs: Power of Laughter • Laughter is a defence against society’s insanity. It is implied that those that cannot laugh properly have no chance of survival. • At the end, on the fishing trip all the men, including the doctor share real and deep laughter. This illustrates their physical and psychological recovery. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Motifs: Real vs Imagined Size • Bromden describes people by their true size, not their physical size. Their size relates to their level of power. • Bromden is six foot seven, but thinks he’s smaller than everyone. He says that Mc. Murphy is broad as ‘papa was tall’ and his father’s name was The Pine that stands Tallest on the Mountain. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Symbol: Fog Machine • The ward is perpetually oppressed by a dense fog that Bromden hides himself in. • He believes that the fog is a mechanism used by the Nurse to control the men and render them incapable of acting contrary to the way she dictates. Mc. Murphy drags each of them from that fog. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Symbol: Boxer Shorts • White whales: make us think of Moby Dick. The whale is a phallic symbol which suggests Mc. Murphy’s blatant sexuality. • Also calls to memory Ahab’s obsessive and futile pursuit of the whale. Nurse Ratched is Mc. Murphy’s futile pursuit. • Moby Dick also stands for the power of nature. Mc. Murphy’s untamed nature comes to conflict with the institution. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Symbol: EST Table • Associated with crucifaction. • It is shaped like a cross with straps across the wrists and over the head. • Ellis, Ruckly and Taber, all acutes whose lives were destroyed by EST stand as public examples of what happens to those that rebel against society. Ellis is actually nailed to the wall – an explicit reference to Christ’s crucifixion. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

FREUD • Sigmund Freud (1856 -1939) was a famous psychoanalyst. He believed sexual desire was the primary motivational energy of human life. He also believed that you could interpret dreams to gain an insight into unconscious desires. • Some of this theories were… Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Castration Anxiety • This is a freudian term for the fear men have of being castrated. The thought is that when boys see a female’s genitalia they falsely assume that the girl had her penis removed, as punishment for misbehaviour. The boy becomes anxious that the same thing will happen to them. • Castration anxiety is when one fears that their testicles will be removed, resulting in a loss of power. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Penis envy • A theory that girls are envious of a male’s possession of a penis, as they connect it to having strength. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Oedipus Complex • The desire to possess the parent of the opposite sex. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

FREUD • Write down in your own words what some of Freud’s theories were. • Identify parts of the novel where these theories are explored by the characters. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

POST READING: Discussion Questions • Kesey states that One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest helps the reader to "question reality" by "tearing away the fabric of what we've been told is reality and showing us something that is far more real. " Do you agree with Kesey's analysis of his book? Select a scene or two that does or does not effectively accomplish this. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

POST READING: Discussion Qts: Microcosm of America The mental hospital is clearly meant as a microcosm of America in the early 1960 s, a picture of the world that the counterculture is rebelling against. Who do people on the ward represent in society? In what other ways is it shown as a microcosm? What does this tell us about the revolt? Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Microcosm Ideas • The group therapy: all about tearing down your neighbour. • Control imposed by the Nurse is similar to control imposed by state. • Men are scared to act in an individual way for fear they are identified and punished. Or that others will tell on them. • Expression of sexuality is forbidden. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

RELIGIOUS IMAGERY: Christ • Throughout the book, Mc. Murphy is presented very much as a Christ character, often in quite heavy-handed ways why and how? Think about this carefully there a real lot of examples to draw on. How does Candy fit in all this? Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Religious Imagery • • • Mc. Murphy is alluded to as a Christ figure. He becomes a martyr for the patients. Ellis stands ‘crucified’ to the wall. Before fishing trip Ellis shakes Billy’s hands and tells him to be a ‘fisher of men’. It’s the phrase Christ used to his disciples to win people over as converts. The fishing trip is the salvation of the men. Patients are 12 in number, same as the 12 disciples. When Mc. M is put on the EST table he says, ‘Anointest my head with conductant. Do I get a crown of thorns? ’ Both Mc. M and Christ die to save others and give them hope. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

POST READING: Discussion Questions RELIGIOUS IMAGERY Throughout the novel there are explicit references and allusions to the bible. Why do you think Kesey has done this? What does he imply by making connections between religion, characters and the ward? Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Exam Questions “Novels present flawed character(s) in challenging environment(s). ” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Exam Questions “Central to the purpose of a novel is the presentation of a major theme. ” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Exam Questions “Characters and how they interrelate is the main focus of a novel. ” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Exam Questions “What matters most? In a novel, it is always the ideas. ” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Exam Questions “Setting enhances the reader’s appreciation of important ideas in novels. ” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Exam Questions “The novel is often concerned with human weakness and its consequences. ” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

Exam Questions “The novel usually depicts the journey of a character or characters. ” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

“Setting enhances the reader’s appreciation of important ideas in novels. ” “The novel is often concerned with human weakness and its consequences. ” “The novel usually depicts the journey of a character or characters. ” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST

TIMED ESSAY: 50 MINS “Central to the purpose of a novel is the presentation of a major theme. ” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied. OR “What matters most? In a novel, it is always the ideas. ” To what extent do you agree with this view? Respond to this question with close reference to one or more novels you have studied. Ken Kesey ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST