Anthony Hardwick
Gouin 2nd
FD/RD One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Essay
Feb 23, 2015 When regarding the effectiveness of the ending of any novel you must first take into consideration the preceding events and the characters associated with the ending. At the end of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by author Ken Kesey, Chief Bromden the first person narrator murders his closest friend in the mental hospital he is being held in and escapes. This ending is very fitting to the novel and the characters involved for several reasons, some of which being the development of the Chief, the constant oppression that the men at the asylum faced, and the courage instilled by McMurphy. The Chief is believed to be deaf and dumb by every member of the asylum including McMurphy at first. Eventually, as the Chief begins to gain confidence in himself and due to the oppression and cruel things he is put through in the asylum, the idea of escape seems more and more viable to him. After being inspired by McMurphy’s courageous acts of rebellion in the asylum, the Chief eventually reveals that he is not deaf or dumb but it was a façade the entire time. This moment marks the beginning of the change that takes place in the Chief, although at this point the idea of escape is far from reality for him. Shortly after this point, the doctors and nurses of the asylum get tired of McMurphy’s constant rebellion and put him through excessive shock therapy. Upon returning from shock therapy it becomes apparent to the chief that McMurphy is no longer coherent due to permanent brain damage caused due to his excessive “treatment”. The Chief, unable to stomach leaving the empty shell that once was McMurphy behind suffocates McMurphy with a pillow and breaks out of the asylum. At this point the Chief had gained enough confidence to break free from the asylum but can’t leave his best friend to rot, this is very believable considering the trancendence seen within the chief throughout the duration of the novel. Perhaps the most apparent catalyst for the development of the chief is McMurphy and his actions. Throughout the novel the Chief finds himself inspired by the way McMurphy rebels against the nurse running the ward but cannot find the strength to do so himself. McMurphy although being a form of inspiration to the rest of the members of the asylum his actions have more of an apparent impact on chief than any other character. It also seems the McMurphy thinks more fondly of Chief than most of the other patients as he, although knowing of the Chief’s supposed deafness, still attempts to associate with the chief on several different occasions. At one point the chief reveals to