In this novel, none of the characters appear to benefit from being institutionalized. Actually, it appears that the mental and emotional capacity of the characters declines while institutionalized on this ward of the hospital. I believe this decline is a result of a too much medication, electro-shock therapy and lobotomies as well as their fear of the head nurse.

In the beginning of the novel “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”, we are introduced to the narrator, a huge Indian by the name of Chief Bromden. In the first couple of chapters, through the eyes of Chief Bromden, we are introduced to the institutional setting, the main characters and the day-to-day routines of the patients and staff at the institution. We learn that there are two kinds of patients on this ward of the hospital; the Acutes and t

he Chronics. We learn that Bromden is considered a Chronic. Bromden explains that the Acutes are patients that the doctors think they can help. The Acutes stay on one side of the day room, telling jokes, playing games, talking and writing letters. The Chronics are patients that will never leave the institution. Chronics are divided into smaller groups of Walkers (like Bromden), Wheelers and Vegetables. Bromden explains that Chronics are like machines with flaws that can’t be repaired. He goes on to tell us that some of the Chronics used to be Acutes before mistakes made by the staff changed them to Chronics. As we read the book, we begin to understand what Bromden means by mistakes made by the staff. One of the first things we learn is that the staff over medicates patients who disrupt the routine in the ward. Bromden, himself, is one of the patients that they over-medicate. At the beginning of the book, Bromden talks about getting shaved and how he freaks out when they shave near his temples. “When the fog clears to where I can see, I’m sitting in the day room.” (pg 14) He always talks about the fog, but I think that’s what his brain feels like from the medication. “This morning I plain don’t remember. They got enough of those things they call pills down me so I don’t know a thing until I hear the ward door open.” (pg 14) Although it seems that the patients receive medication everyday, whether they need it or not, I think the head nurse gives extra medication to anyone who doesn’t follow her rules. Later on, during a group discussion session, this old man, Mr. Bancini, disrupts the session because he says he’s tired. But when one of the staff grabs his arm to take him to his bed, he freaks out and hits the guy. The nurse gives him a shot of medication that almost knocks him out. After that, he never does anything like that again. Bromden describes Bancini’s eyes as always being half-closed and cloudy. This is probably caused by the medications they give him.

Throughout the book, Kesey gives us many examples of how characters are abused through electro-shock therapy, medications, fear and lobotomies. The head nurse runs the ward like a concentration camp, using threats of the “Shock Shop” and lobotomies to make the patients do what she wants. Whenever a patient reacts like a normal person, they are given medications, electro-shock therapy or lobotomies to make them easier for the staff to control. Fear alone is a very powerful disability. It can make the most powerful man behave like a sniveling child. I think the characters’ fear of the head nurse made them become more withdrawn and prevented them from getting better. Electro-shock therapy is rarely used anymore and even at the time the book was written, it was becoming a thing of the past. “Our dear head nurse is one of the few with the heart to stand up for a grand old Faulknerian tradition in the treatment of the rejects of sanity: Brain Burning.” (pg 163) I think that electro-shock therapy was phased out because it caused more harm than good. If a patient continued to disrupt the ward after electro-shock therapy, the head nurse would order a lobotomy. A lobotomy seems to stop a person from experiencing emotions, because

Some topics in this essay:
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