Journal #2 3rd q.

Motifs and themes are commonly used throughout literature. The authors use these writing techniques to expose an underlying meaning or lesson behind their stories. These literary tools help give the story depth and leave the reader interpreting the story to a further extent. One story that is an extremely good example of using themes and motifs in a story is, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In this novel, there are many different motifs. However, one of the most forthcoming themes in this story is the story of Christ. The setting of this story is placed in a mental institution run by the head nurse, Rached, or better known as “The Big Nurse.” She runs the ward with ultimate control with the help of three Negro boys. The patients of the ward do not have their own opinions, and if they do they do not act upon them. However, the atmosphere of the ward was forever changed when a man pretending to be insane was admitted into the hospital. McMurphy became a figure that all the men in the ward came to admire. He made an entrance into the ward with his booming manly laugh, one that had never echoed through the ward before. From that point on, McMurphy and the Big Nurse became enemies. McMurphy began to lead the men into standing up for themselves against the combine. He associated with the salt of the earth just as Jesus did, leading them into a better place. For example, when the Big Nurse refuses to let the patients watch the World Series, McMurphy has the men sit in front of the television just as it was on, reacting to imaginary events. As the story progresses the similarity to Jesus and the bible grows even further. When the men go on a fishing trip McMurphy is referred to as the fishers of men. In addition, upon returning from the trip McMurphy was subjected to electric shock therapy. He himself referred to this electric shop therapy device as a crown, asking if there were any thorns to go along with it. The bible imagery does not only pertain to McMurphy. Billy Bibbet can be viewed as Judas who betrayed Jesus. When Billy Bibbet is caught sleeping with a prostitute he immediately tells the combine that McMurphy was the cause of it. Finally, just as Jesus was killed upon the cross McMurphy was lobotomized, leaving his followers of inmates to continue his uprising against the combine.