The
characteristics of a good story are present in the film “One flew
over the cuckoo’s nest”. First, the element of veri-similitude is
evident because the story was about mental patients but not so much
about their defects rather how they were treated and repressed. The
film depicts that the patients were also humans experiencing pain,
laughter, frustration, and courage. This invoked my empathy for the
characters.
The
narrative style was excellent because the story had a concrete and
coherent beginning, middle, and ending. The movie was set in a mental
institution. The story began by introducing the main characters, the
cool demeanor of Nurse Ratched and a petty criminal, RP McMurphy
being led inside the asylum. McMurphy faked being insane so that he
can avoid the labor in the work farm expecting that life in the
asylum is less stressful. However, his plan backfires because he came
face to face with the authoritarian oppressor in Nurse Ratched who
controls the patients with her high-handed ways. Mac realized that he
had to lead his fellow inmates in going up against the unfair rules
set by Nurse Ratched.
The
middle of the story showed the development of the characters and the
conflict. A power struggle ensued between the two, a tug-of-war, on
who can wield more influence on the patients. Nurse Ratched believes
that the patients should just obey. On the other hand, Mac believes
that the patients should learn to assert themselves and ask questions
and not just blindly follow the rules. Mac nonchalantly disobeyed the
rules by leading his fellow inmates to a fishing expedition which
they all thoroughly enjoyed and by heading a drinking party in the
ward. The party was a celebration and a means for Mac and Chief’s
supposed escape but it ended up tragically in the morning with Billy
committing suicide, Mac strangling Nurse Ratched out of desperate
anger, and he was eventually lobotomized ending up as a “vegetable.”
The story ends by Chief liberating Mac from his suffering by
smothering him with a pillow and finally, Chief used the hydro
console to escape the premises of the “cuckoo’s nest.”
There
were also a lot of surprising events in the movie which kept the
viewer glued to the screen such as Mac’s unexpected escape (by
climbing over the wired gate) and their fishing expedition as well as
Chief’s revelation that he is neither deaf nor dumb.
These provided
the exciting twists and turns of the movie, holding captive the
viewer’s interest and imagination. Emphasis also played a vital
role in the movie. The movie highlighted on the fishing adventure and
the late night party showing the lighter side. At the same time, the
movie also displayed the therapy sessions which proved to be
agonizing for the patients. A lot of philosophical statements were
also evident in the film. The theme and title both speak of a
counter-philosophy to the existing mainstream situation of societal
repression.
The fishing expedition was a
significant aspect of the story because the outing gave the inmates
the chance to prove to themselves that they can stand up on their own
and fend for themselves inspite of a threatening outside world. The
trip also gave the hopeless inmates a taste of freedom and they all
had a good time. Mac took a backseat in the trip, instead he taught
them how to drive the boat and how to catch fish. The outing made the
inmates braver and stronger and they gained courage and
self-reliance. In contrast to their dependent and helpless situation
in the asylum.
Perhaps Mac opted to bring
them to a fishing expedition rather than a baseball game because he
noticed the pride and joy in Dr. Spivey’s face in the photo that
showed the fish he caught. Another reason can be that Mac must have
thought that Dr. Spivey, as an ardent fisherman himself, would
probably understand why they decided to have an unexpected fishing
trip. Also, Mac may have realizedthat th