Wednesday, November 12, 2008

One flew over the cuckoo's HANDS

I think that we can all agree that McMurphy has a a big influence on everyone in the ward. Someone that he initially had trouble "getting to" would probably be Nurse Ratched. But sure enough, like the McMurphy that we all know and love he finally does. Page 108 reads: "The nurse's head gives that one little jerk again, and she beds over her basket, picks up a folio. She fumbles with the papers, and it looks like her hands are shaking." Her hands, in this scene, illustrate how she is feeling. McMurphy finally outsmarts her and she is so upset that she can't control her hands. This is just another prime example of how Kesey uses hands as a way to establish a mood, or moods of characters, in the book. And I know I say it a lot, but I look forward to seeing how Kesey incorporates more hand references throughout this excellent novel.

4 comments:

chrisr said...

Yes kevinc I do agree that at this one instance McMurphy seems to be getting the better of Nurse Ratched, but later in the reading on pages 120-124 Chief "returns to the fog" because he feels Nurse Ratched is impossible to beat. I would urge you kevinc to keep up with the reading, because at this moment it is clear Nurse Ratched is still in charge. Yes McMurphy has done a little to phase her control, but not near enough for Chief's liking.

chrisr said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

kevinc that sounds just like the spark notes interpretation a fellow blogger, JKlei, was talking to me about! I find it sad that while I'm seeking enlightenment in this great novel, your taking shortcuts.

kevinc said...

well maybe if you would man up and say it to my face, not be an anonymous commenter, then you would realize that i have been reading. And i'm not afraid to put my name out there. this isnt honesty box