McMurphy's Sad Realization

 

            McMurphy acts extremely rebellious and uncooperative throughout most of the section we read for tonight. But towards the end of the section, he gets the ominous feeling that he could spend more time than he had bargained for inside the ward. During the staff meeting immediately following the patients standoff with the Big Nurse about the World Series, the Big Nurse states that “‘the length of time [McMurphy] spends in this hospital is entirely up to us’” (158). Kesey foreshadows that McMurphy will stay a long time in the ward through the use of the Big Nurse’s controlling diction “entirely up to us.” The Big Nurse’s chilling assertion further reiterates her absolute power over the patients in the ward. Although they stood up to her, she still remains calm and confident of her power over them. After many days of insubordination, McMurphy has a talk with the pool lifeguard who tells him that “being committed ain’t like being sentenced [jail time]” and further implies that one does not know when they will get out of a mental hospital like one does in jail (170). After this conversation with the lifeguard, McMurphy realizes that his rampant disobedience has only made the ward staff more likely to keep on the word for a longer period of time. After his epiphany, McMurphy starts acting very unlike himself. He begins to act introverted, disinterested with the patient’s problems, and obedient to the Big Nurse. The narrator describes that “he was giving in because it was the smartest thing to do” in order in cut down his potentially lengthy stay at the ward (174). Through the use of the hopeless diction “giving in,” Kesey indirectly characterizes McMurphy as now obedient to the Big Nurse. It would appear that even though McMurphy galvanized and inspired the other patients to stand up against the Big Nurse, the Big Nurse still has total power over them because she controls how long they will stay on the ward. I find it very chilling that despite McMurphy’s best efforts, it seems he cannot do anything to diminish the Big Nurse’s power over the ward.