Part one questions “Chapters” 5-8

Questions: ch. 5-8 The fog is a manifestation that originates in the mind of Chief Broom. Explain the fog., Where does it have its origins? Why does the Chief need it? Are there any patients totally lost in the fog? The Chief remembers the fog from his time in WWII. It’s a place of escape, one in which you can give in and not have to fear the “clarity” of life without the fog. He needs it because he is so afraid of those in power at this time. He explains that the fog starts to dissipate once McMurphy gets admitted. What are the (hypothetical) good intentions of the meeting? What is the ugly reality? How does Harding get hurt? The “good intentions” are to get everyone’s feelings out there so that there are no secrets and so that the other men can understand and help Harding. Instead, this is simply a practice in humiliation, which in turn emasculates Harding and makes him feel inadequate. The men hate these meetings because they are just another form of torture.

What does Nurse Ratched do to try and intimidate McMurphy What does Nurse Ratched do to try and intimidate McMurphy? How is he supposed to feel when she says that? How does he feel? How does McMurphy turn the tables on her? She begins reading his file aloud, which includes a charge for statutory rape. The Nurse believes McMurphy will become embarrassed and flustered, but instead he uses the story to make the men laugh and warm up even more than him. How does Ken Kesey explore issue of sexuality? How does McMurphy feel about his own sexuality? Sexuality is seen as something abnormal and even violent. The men are completely emasculated by the women in the novel, and it seems like the only way to get a “leg up” on the women is to take advantage of them. Anyone who has an “abnormal” sexual urge or relationship is also encouraged to talk about this in the group meetings.

What is the theory behind the Therapeutic Community What is the theory behind the Therapeutic Community? What event in the Chief’s memory shows how the Nurse has perverted this theory? Why does the Chief believe the men do this? This was answered earlier – it’s meant to make sure everyone feels ‘comfortable’ enough to share their deepest, darkest secrets so that there are no disputes among the men. This reminds the Chief of the time when the Nurse would all but force the men to confess their sins, and when Pete Bacini, a Chronic, got upset with the orderlies because he was tired of the meetings. Provide a dictionary definition for emasculation. Who does this term accurately describe? Emasculation: the removal of a man’s genital area OR to make a male feel less than a man by means of humiliation. As stated before, the Big Nurse fits this definition to a T.

What is Harding’s rabbit and wolf analogy? What is a pecking party? How are the meetings like "a bunch of chickens at a pecking' party"? McMurphy explains that a pecking party is when one chicken starts pecking at another that is bleeding; it in turn gets blood on it, so other chickens start pecking at it, spreading the blood throughout the flock. By the end, the chickens peck each other to death. McMurphy uses this analogy for the group meetings after seeing Harding getting “pecked” to pieces by the other men about his sex life (or lack thereof) with his wife. What is Harding’s rabbit and wolf analogy? Harding tells McMurphy that the men are all rabbits who are afraid of the powerful wolves (Nurse Ratched) and have learned how to self-preserve by hiding in “holes,” or by not speaking up against the system in place. They know their place as rabbits and will continue to hide so they don’t get eaten by the wolves of the world.

What bet does McMurphy make with the others What bet does McMurphy make with the others? In reasoning his bet, what does McMurphy admit? McMurphy bets that he can “get the best” of the Big Nurse within one week just by not letting the things she does bother him. He admits that he loves to gamble and that he came to the hospital to get some new “suckers” to get money off of. What is significant about Chief’s Santa Clause story at the very beginning of the chapter? The man comes in, claiming to be Santa (and even looks a bit like him) and doesn’t leave for six years. When he does leave, he looks completely different (not “jolly” or fat anymore).

What happens between McMurphy and Nurse Pilbow What happens between McMurphy and Nurse Pilbow? Explain the irony in this situation. McMurphy makes her so nervous (or the Big Nurse’s stories make her nervous) that she drops a pitcher on the floor. He tries to pick it up for her, but she assumes he will try something sexual and yells at him that she’s a Catholic and for him to stay back, when all he is trying to do is be helpful. The Chief believes her birthmark is a mark of guilt and shame. What does McMurphy discover about the Chief? How does this comment on perception in the story? McMurphy finds out that the Chief isn’t actually deaf. This is interesting because he’s been on the ward for 10 years or more, and no one else has bothered to try talking to him; they all assume he can’t hear.

What does The Chief believe about the pills the aides give to him before bed time? The Chief believes the pills paralyze him to get him to sleep. They probably do sedate him, but he thinks they cause paralysis. Describe what the chief sees at night. Explain this in terms of an analogy. The Chief envisions the dormitory turning into a factory of sorts, and then realizes it is a type of slaughterhouse. One of the men on the ward, Blastic, is taken from his bed and slaughtered like a sheep, but when he “bleeds out,” he doesn’t have blood, but instead is full of rust and wires. This is once again a manifestation of the Chief’s belief in the Combine. The men’s humanity is taken from them slowly, so by the end, they become robots.

The events that occur at night: are they true, "even if it never happened?" The idea behind them is true – these men have been robbed of their humanity, which can be seen through their inability to laugh, their “pecking parties,” and the robotic schedule they must follow. According to his vision, what happens at the end of your time on the ward? What role does the Public relations man have in all of this? At the end of your time on the ward, you’ve become something non-human, and the PR man’s part in the vision makes it seem like you are almost a prize or trophy, such as a 12-point buck or a large fish – something to hang on a wall.