Rhetoric Study
Because Kesey uses Bromden, a delusive patient as the narrator, his writing must reflect the mental capabilities of Bromden, but finds a unique balance between good writing and keeping the character in mind. Kesey uses Bromden's thoughts to show the effect of McMurphy on the patients and specifically Bromden. In the beginning of the book, Bromden's understanding of the hospital is rudimentary and he thinks of it as a complex machine, seeing no humanity. As the story evolves and Bromden emerges from the hazy fog of his thoughts, the writing becomes more clear and complex. He begins to see the humanity and flaws of Ratched and the others in the hospital, and as the haze lifts from bromden's eyes, the writing becomes less choppy, more emotional, and has greater detail. From the beginning, Kesey uses rhetoric to invoke feelings of pity towards the patients. He does this in order to set up his argument against society.
"In my dark I hear her rubber heels hit the tile and the stuff in her wicker bag clash with the jar of her walking as she passes me in the hall. She walks stiff. When I open my eyes she’s down the hall about to turn into the glass Nurse’s Station where she’ll spend the day sitting at her desk and looking out of her window and making notes on what goes on in front of her in the day room during the next eight hours. Her face looks pleased and peaceful with the thought." (4)
This first instance of Bromden hiding from Miss Ratched is rhetorically important. Kesey portrays her as mechanical with the word choices "clash with the jar of her" and "she walks stiff." Bromden's eyes are closed as she passes to show his relationship to her; when he finally opens them she is about to be in her place of power. Kesey chose this to establish early on in the novel that people can't hide from those who are powerful. Kesey contrasts this powerful first image of the nurse with a later one:
"Just at the edge of my vision I can see that white enamel face in the Nurse’s Station…For the first time she’s on the other side of the glass and getting a taste of how it feels to be watched when you wish more than anything else to be able to pull a green shade between your face and all the eyes that you can’t get away from." (141)
Again, this passage starts with Bromden's vision, but he now spies her instead of avoiding looking at her. When he does this, he sees she is out of power and now in his position. Kesey chooses a green shade to say this because he often uses green to convey the hospital's ugly spirit.
"The big, hard body had a tough grip on life. It fought long time against having it taken away, flailing and thrashing around so much I finally had to lie full length on top of it and scissor the kicking legs with mine while I mashed the pillow into the face. I lay there on top of the body for what seemed days. Until the thrashing stopped." (309)
In this passage, Bromden is killing McMurphy after McMurphy's lobotomy. He describes the body as "big" and "tough". Although these are literal, it mimics the qualities that Bromden admires in McMurphy. He describes McMurphy as "it", thereby completely dehumanizing him because the hospital has won. Bromden says he "lay there on top of the body...days", already classifying McMurphy as dead when he isn't because all his spirit is gone. Kesey uses hyperbole in the sentence to exaggerate the difficulty of what Bromden did, and separates "Until the thrashing stopped" into a separate sentence to emphasize that this was the end of everything.
"In my dark I hear her rubber heels hit the tile and the stuff in her wicker bag clash with the jar of her walking as she passes me in the hall. She walks stiff. When I open my eyes she’s down the hall about to turn into the glass Nurse’s Station where she’ll spend the day sitting at her desk and looking out of her window and making notes on what goes on in front of her in the day room during the next eight hours. Her face looks pleased and peaceful with the thought." (4)
This first instance of Bromden hiding from Miss Ratched is rhetorically important. Kesey portrays her as mechanical with the word choices "clash with the jar of her" and "she walks stiff." Bromden's eyes are closed as she passes to show his relationship to her; when he finally opens them she is about to be in her place of power. Kesey chose this to establish early on in the novel that people can't hide from those who are powerful. Kesey contrasts this powerful first image of the nurse with a later one:
"Just at the edge of my vision I can see that white enamel face in the Nurse’s Station…For the first time she’s on the other side of the glass and getting a taste of how it feels to be watched when you wish more than anything else to be able to pull a green shade between your face and all the eyes that you can’t get away from." (141)
Again, this passage starts with Bromden's vision, but he now spies her instead of avoiding looking at her. When he does this, he sees she is out of power and now in his position. Kesey chooses a green shade to say this because he often uses green to convey the hospital's ugly spirit.
"The big, hard body had a tough grip on life. It fought long time against having it taken away, flailing and thrashing around so much I finally had to lie full length on top of it and scissor the kicking legs with mine while I mashed the pillow into the face. I lay there on top of the body for what seemed days. Until the thrashing stopped." (309)
In this passage, Bromden is killing McMurphy after McMurphy's lobotomy. He describes the body as "big" and "tough". Although these are literal, it mimics the qualities that Bromden admires in McMurphy. He describes McMurphy as "it", thereby completely dehumanizing him because the hospital has won. Bromden says he "lay there on top of the body...days", already classifying McMurphy as dead when he isn't because all his spirit is gone. Kesey uses hyperbole in the sentence to exaggerate the difficulty of what Bromden did, and separates "Until the thrashing stopped" into a separate sentence to emphasize that this was the end of everything.