Transcript One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s
Nest
Ken Kesey
Why did Kesey Write in this Way?
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Kesey actually worked as a night warden on
a ward in a mental hospital. He was so
determined to get the feel of being a patient
that he underwent ECT.
While at Stanford, Kesey volunteered for
medical studies on the effects of
psychoactive drugs (often hallucinogens). He
used these experiences to inform how Chief
would see the world
Adaptations
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Cuckoo’s nest was adapted for both stage
and screen.
The 1975 film won the “big five” Oscars:
Best film, best adapted screenplay, best
actress, best actor, and best director.
Kesey unsuccessfully sued film producers in
1975 because they changed the point of view
from the original story.
Narration
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Be patient with your narrator, Chief Bromden.
He has had too much electroshock therapy
and too many drugs.
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Kesey probably did too!
Keep in mind that our narrator is not the
same as our protagonist.
What is this?
Combine Harvester
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A combine harvester is an agricultural
machine that harvests all types of cereals, oil
seeds, and legumes through four main steps:
The crop is cut and directed into a rotating
chamber with a series of beaters going the
opposite direction. The grain is dislodged, falls to
the bottom, separated from debris by sieves and
wind. The grain is transferred to a hopper for
transfer and the debris falls out the rear
Motifs to keep an eye on:
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􀂆 Fog
􀂆 Hands
􀂆 Nature/purity
􀂆 Machine/combine
􀂆 Christ/savior
􀂆 Sanity/insanity
􀂆 Laughter
Check out some images that McMurphy
would have seen in his ward
Similarities to “Cuckoo’s Nest”
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Guests had to check in
Most were admitted by
family members
Many patients had the
power to leave on their
own but were “controlled”
by staff and manipulated to
believe that they needed to
stay.
Mental Hospitals in the 1930-1960s
Conditions at These Hospitals Could Be
Atrocious
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􀂆 Over crowded
􀂆 Dirty
􀂆 Not nurturing
􀂆 No privacy
􀂆 Similar to—or in
some cases worse
than—prison
Inside the Institutions
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􀂆 Patients were provided with
“adequate care” (and segregated)
which often times led to inadequate
care, poor facilities, and loss of
dignity.
􀂆They were usually given
uniforms and daily “chores.” In fact
it wasn’t until 1973 that New York
state banned public hospitals from
requiring patients to work in
exchange for their room and board.
􀂆Families were often ashamed of
the patients and would deny their
existence.
􀂆Ultimately, some of these
hospitals became holding areas for
a person’s entire life.
Medical Care in Mental Hospitals:
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Deaths and injuries sometimes
resulted from both appropriate and
inappropriate treatments.
Patients were treated with medically
approved procedures like: being put
in tanks of ice-cold water, spun in
chairs for hours, and forced
"medications" (powerful
psychoactive drugs) .
Patients were also “treated” with
non-medically approved procedures
which were simply designed to
control them. For example, patients
could be shackled to walls, placed in
seclusion (most often without
clothing) or placed in restraints
(being strapped to a bed with leather
restraints, often in a spread-eagle
position).
Types of Treatments for the Mentally Ill:
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Group therapy
Drug Therapy
Electroshock Therapy
Lobotomy
Drug Therapy
Thorazine:
 the first psychotropic
drug, was a milestone
in treatment therapy,
making it possible to
calm unruly behavior,
anxiety, agitation, and
confusion without using
physical restraints.
Chlorpromazine:
 Schizophrenic
psychosis or manic
depressive disorder
Electroshock/Electroconvulsive Therapy
􀂆 Became very popular 1930’s40’s.
􀂆 Originated to control negative
behaviors in animals
(electroshock)
􀂆 A doctor had noticed that
schizophrenic epileptics who
had a seizure often were more
“normal” after the seizure—
which led to chemical
convulsives and ultimately
electroconvulsive treatment
􀂆 Used to alter the chemistry in the
human brain to produce
desired behaviors.
􀂆 Cruelly, it was used as a control
device within most wards.
Electroshock Therapy is Very Controversial but
is Still Used Today
- Used to treat some forms of severe
depression
- Used to “control” the elderly
- Used on children in an attempt to
correct their wild and/or unwanted
behaviors
Lobotomy
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Surgical procedure for cutting nerve pathways in the frontal
lobes of the brain. The operation has been performed on
mentally ill patients whose behavioral patterns were not
improved by other forms of treatment; it was supposed to be a
last resort. The procedure was pioneered by Nobel laureate
Egas Moniz in the 1930s
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Between 1939-1955 over 100,000 lobotomies were
performed in the United States.
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If performed correctly, disconnecting the frontal lobes there
caused no loss of intellect, no impairment of memory, and no
problems with speech or gait.
Abuses of Lobotomy:
􀂆Freeman developed what
others
called assembly line
lobotomies, going from one
patient to the next with his
gold-plated ice pick, even
having his assistants time
him to see if he could break
the lobotomy speed record.
It is said that even some
seasoned surgeons fainted
at the sight.
􀂆Doctors would recommend the
procedure for everything
from psychosis to
depression to neurosis to
criminality.
Lobotomy
􀂆 "Every patient probably loses something by this operation,
some spontaneity, some sparkle, some flavor of the
personality”
􀂆 The aim was that "the patient might be transformed from a
disturbed to a quiet clement [insane person]." There was no
intention to "help" the patient. The goal was only to
eradicate the behavior which others found undesirable.
􀂆 “Mercy killing of the psyche”
􀂆 The frontal lobe is the seat of the higher functions such as
love, concern for others, empathy, self-insight, creativity,
initiative, autonomy, rationality, abstract reasoning,
judgment, future planning, foresight, will-power,
determination and concentration
“deinstitutionalization revolution” mid –
1960’s
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A radical "deinstitutionalization revolution" began
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It was supposed to end the cruel and inadequate care
of institutions
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Individuals would live in their communities and
have a "normalized" life
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Group homes, residential care facilities, and rooming
houses were developed
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The movement helped to break up the control that
was happening in the hospitals.