One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as an Evidence of Inhumanity of Psychiatric Treatment - Essay Example

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest as an Evidence of Inhumanity of Psychiatric Treatment al affiliation One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a cult film by Milos Forman demonstrating inhumanity and inefficiency of psychiatry in the 1970s. The action takes place in a mental hospital whose internal order resembles an anti-utopia. All the patients must obey its rules and regulations. The system works because all of them are too apathetic and weak-willed so that to demand changes. But everything becomes different the moment the main character appears. Mental hospital turns to be a conveyer bringing up its patients to hand. All of them are specific in their own way, but any deviations from socially accepted norms may be a cause to cure them. The methods of curing are similar for all the patients regardless of their diagnosis. Its main task is to provide control over the patients. This task is fulfilled by Nurse Ratched, whose mask of concern and care hides a manipulator turning her patients into helpless, infantile, and obedient creatures. One of the central issues raised in this film relates to stigmatizing. Media and social prejudices condemned the mentally ill to be forever haunted by stigmas. As a rule, the insane are portrayed in a negative way, but this film depicts them as likable, pitiful, and naive people. Most of patients are free to leave the hospital, but they prefer to stay. Society tends to repel those who are different, that is why the mentally ill are always stigmatized and misunderstood. In general, the film criticizes inhumanity and inefficiency of some of the psychiatric methods and narrates a story of an individualist who dared to challenge them. Key words: the mentally ill, the system, media, stigmas, individualist. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest as an Evidence of Inhumanity of Psychiatric Treatment One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is one of the most remarkable films directed by Milos Forman. It may be called a portray of society of the 1970s. Its aim is to reveal irrationality and absurdity of mental treatment practiced in asylums. The film genre may be defined as tragicomedy. This film enjoys wide success among viewers from all over the world and may be a good example of a picture favored by both critics and mass auditory. The film version of a cult novel by Ken Kesey produced a powerful impact on general public and made people reconsider some of their stereotypes. Viewers are given a chance to observe the events taking place in a mental hospital, which seemed to be a reliable shelter for the main character, Randle McMurphy. Being certainly unaware of possible consequences, he was simulating madness in order to escape imprisonment. This hospital turns to be a peculiar model of society with similar processes. Nevertheless, at a certain point viewers arrive at the conclusion that the society may be called a model of a mental hospital too. These two categories reverse their roles. Patients of a mental health clinic are not insane indeed. They are volunteers to stay there, because this institution happened to be the only shelter for them. However, absurd of society norms overtakes them even in the asylum. They are trapped in a vicious circle of both their personal and collective madness. There is no alternative. Only two variants may be chosen – either to become a victim of electric shock therapy, or to undergo total manipulation and brainwashing. Forman raises a lot of issues related to inner conflicts of personality and illustrates the way a person interacts with the external environment. Personal freedom may be considered as one of the central issues. Freedom enables people to make a conscious choice of their lifeway and range of activities. Person may be considered free only in case if he or she is unaffected by any imposed opinions and is able to take all the decisions individually, without pressure from any external factors. However, personal freedom is always limited by socially accepted rules. Free person may choose the way of behavior and course of actions in a variety of situations. In other words, free person cannot occupy passive position. On the contrary, such a person is always active and conscious about possible consequences of committed actions. Thus, freedom presupposes responsibility for performed deeds. The only society which lets its members feel free is the one possessing rationally organized economic, political and spiritual spheres of life. Freedom and personal fulfillment cannot be separated from social politics, which in fact is supposed to serve people as a means to satisfy their interests and needs, both material and spiritual. A number of rules and formalities curtain freedom of a personality throughout the whole life. Society seems to be a living organism making its members follow its rules and sacrifice their own desires in order to provide the best benefit for the whole system. Such a system and its laws are personified by Nurse Ratched. McMurphy refuses to obey this system and turns to be an embodiment of moral courage and thirst for freedom. He induces other patients to escape from their “nest” and to go their own way. There is only one problem. The system became an integral part of their lives, that is why they can no longer survive without its care. Real life beyond the hospital seems inhospitable and even dangerous to them. Nurse Ratched conduces this. There is a scene when one of the patients said to her that he would prefer loneliness. She replied that he was not allowed to stay alone because it could aggravate his illness. In fact, it is much more likely that hospital staff cannot admit their patients to stay alone because they turn to be out of control at such moments. Apathy performed by patients supports the system regime as well. Most of them cannot dare to make the tiniest step to change everlasting rules, though they desire these changes. They just try to persuade themselves that any possible changes are useless and senseless. McMurphy appeals to the remnants of consciousness and rationality, and he is finally heard. He managed to become an informal leader of patients and to pull them together. The only effective way to resist the hospital system is to band against it. Nevertheless, McMurphy cannot be called just a blind anarchist. His rebellion breaks out after an explicitly unfair action committed by Miss Ratched. She dared to neglect the fair play rules while voting. Even more, her authority enabled her to manipulate the patients who were afraid of her. All of this turned to be a sign for McMurphy that the system around him is unfair and non-democratic. He refuses to let anyone encroach on his rights and starts his rebellion, which gains a form of passive resistance at its beginning. The scene with voting turns to be a turning point for one more character, Chief. That is the first time he demonstrates himself as a person possessing ability and desire to take decisions. His usual pattern of passive behavior is irreversibly broken. All of this composes one of the central issues brought up in the film – an issue of rational and conscious choice. Person cannot be regarded as a man of integrity without an opportunity to choose. One of the central conflicts revolves around the struggle against attempts to deprive patients of their indefeasible right to take decisions. As it was mentioned, this mental hospital may be considered as a society model. Thus, the implied context of the film warns population not to remain blind and apathetic and to resist absurd rules and regulations imposed by the system. Hospital staff treats their patients like children, but not like mature people. Such an approach makes patients behave infantile and easy to control. Ability to control patients and to prevent them from asking provocative questions is of great importance for the clinic. Viewers may observe a conveyor system of pills taking – all the patients are forced to take the same pills every day disregarding their diagnosis. McMurphy is the only person who refused to be treated like a child. He asked a nurse to tell what is in these pills, but she just said “It’s just medicine. It’s good for you”. Such a reply creates an impression that McMurphy is much more normal than she is. A request to take a nameless pill seems quite natural to her and is not regarded as a reason to ask any questions. All the other patients are much more obedient and immature. The only situation which gives them a chance to feel like adults is their fishing excursion. This trip turns to be a much more effective therapy than the one they receive in hospital. All of them look much more normal and cheerful than ever. This scene reveals the inefficiency of hospital treatment and even more, it proves its bad influence on the patients. The trivial round and ironclad rules make them feel frustrated and apathetic. The system turned to be stronger than McMurphy, though he managed to undermine it. He dared to doubt the traditionally accepted understanding of normality – it is no longer clear who is insane and who is not. The normality of hospital staff and sanity of patients are never questioned before McMurphy appears. Controllability of behavior may be considered as the only criteria of rationality of a patient regardless his true diagnosis. McMurphy breaks this balanced system and makes viewers reconsider their age-long stereotypes and ask such a question – what if some of the residents of asylums are normal and sane people deserving to be a part of society? Most of these stereotypes appeared due to media. Actually, it is difficult to overestimate the role of media while public opinion shaping. It has also proved to be a powerful instrument to control great masses of population. Thus, media may create stereotypes and stigmas establishing in consciousness of ordinary people. Very often the mentally ill become its victims. A number of their peculiarities are exaggerated and distorted. Mental disorders, as well as their sufferers become caricaturized. Ordinary people often fail to tell a mentally sane person from an insane one. As a result, treatment towards a person whose behavior seems to differ from generally accepted pattern becomes rather prejudiced. Therefore, any attempts taken by a mental patient in order to function like a worthy member of society have no chances to work out because society refuses to accept such a person. Any group of people is unlikely to tolerate those who are different from it. That is why mental patients are forever stigmatized and deprived of a chance to equal to all the other people. Media promotes these stereotypes, portraying mental patients like ignorant, suspicious, and sometimes even dangerous beings. Unfortunately, very often diagnosis is the only criteria to appraise such people, regardless its accuracy. Even more, very often the mentally ill are also portrayed as violent, cruel and aggressive people. It is one of the most widespread stigmas against them. A lot of people consider mental patients to be difficult to control and possessing unpredictable behavior. Media contributed a lot to creation of such a stigma. Everybody remembers film Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock. This film depicts the mentally ill as dangerous and violent people possessing no compassion. Silence of the Lambs by Jonathan Demme may be one more example. Brilliant mind accompanied by thirst to kill turns to be a bad combination. An insane person may be suspected to be an uncontrollable and ruthless murder. Nevertheless, it is worthy to mention that common people may hardly ever consider the mentally ill to possess high intelligence. Hannibal Lecter is just an exception from the rule. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest follows another path. All the patients (but for McMyrphy) are shown as pitiful and inoffensive beings. They do not even try to resist the monotony of daily routine imposed by their authorities. They seem to be intimidated victims of manipulation having no will to act like adult and sustainable people. They behave like children and receive punishments for being naughty. Viewers may watch Mr. Martini demanding his cigarettes like a naughty, impatient, and capricious child. Mr. Harding seems to be the only patient capable to think and behave rationally. Nevertheless, even he fails to behave like a sustainable individual. But McMurphy does not. This is a strong-willed and stubborn character who stirs up a rebellion against authorities. He sets a challenge, and finally his model of behavior is adopted by other patients. That is McMurphy who is acknowledged as a leader, but not Nurse Ratched. McMurphy does not seem to treat hospital patients in a prejudiced way. He treats them as if they are normal people, but not residents of a mental hospital. He disregards their diagnoses. In other words, he does not stigmatize them. At the same time, viewers may observe a slight hint on stigmatizing. McMurphy’s girlfriend entered the bus, smiled and asked whether all of them were crazy. They returned the smile and agreed. This is the moment when all of them loose their own individuality and become a labeled group of people acknowledging their insanity and specificity, though all their diagnoses and clinical histories are different. However, neither McMurphy, nor viewers treat them disdainfully or indifferently. On the contrary, McMurphy is quite well-disposed towards them. There is also a scene demarcating such notions as “crazy” and “dangerous”. One of the staff members says “I think hes dangerous. Hes not crazy, but hes dangerous”. It means that these two notions are no longer inextricable. Most of hospital patients are too apathetic to perform resistance and to create any dangerous situations. One more scene depicting hospital residents as weak-willed and helpless people is the one when McMurphy gets to know that most of patients are volunteers to stay in this hospital. He is shocked by the fact that they are free to go, but they do not take this opportunity. It is worthy to mention his unstigmatised treatment towards hospital residents one more time. It should also be taken into attention, that McMurphy has been regarded an insane too, though he was sane indeed. These two facts made him consider norm to be quite a relative category. That is why he tends to misconceive such notion as “crazy”. He uses this word to describe anyone who deviates from socially imposed norm, forgetting about difference between eccentric public order disturbers and the mentally ill. Anyway, patients prefer to stay in the hospital on their own accord because real life beyond its walls seems too inhospitable and difficult to them. They think they are just too weak to handle all its challenges. Chief is the only person breaking this pattern. The end of the film gives viewers a hope that this character is strong and sustainable enough to find his place in society. Finally, viewers are driven to the conclusion that McMurphy’s presence is the only factor which stimulates patients to behave in a more normal way and to enjoy any everyday affairs. It becomes clear that as soon as McMurphy disappears, all the patients will come back to their strict day regimen. No further progress will be possible. Viewers can only take pity on the patients because such a situation seems to be hopeless. Thus, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest may be considered as a film depicting patients of a mental hospital who are able to make viewers well-disposed and sympathizing. The director refuses to portray his characters as violent and dangerous psychos. At the same time, it is possible to say that the film creates one more stigma related to the mentally ill. Viewers are offered to perceive them as harmless, helpless, and naive beings requiring constant support and care. Comicality turns to be one more integral part of this stigma. All the patients may be called funny or at least positive. The director imparted all his characters with bright and grotesque appearance. Patients do not look like each other and this makes their whole group look rather comical. Their manner of communication elicits a smile as well. Thus, this film crafts an image of a harmless, likable, and pitiful human being condemned to be a victim of some mental affection. Anyway, society has always been perceiving mental illnesses as a dangerous problem which should be fixed or at least isolated. People are afraid of phenomena they cannot classify, explain, and control. Society tends to beware of such things because they may pose a threat for public order and safety. As a result, the mentally ill are reckoned as strangers who have no chance to be loved and understood. Of course, this is a form of unfair discrimination. The system forces individuals to conform to its rules and regulations. The film shows that society is ready to isolate nonconformists like McMurphy by any means, regardless their true state of psychological health. At the same time, ordinary people are completely ignorant in any questions concerning the mentally ill. They possess no knowledge concerning the true nature of mental disorders. The word “crazy” is used to mark anyone or anything deviating from the norm. The only reaction of public is to escape from this problem and to isolate its sufferers. Nevertheless, isolation in an asylum proves to be inefficient as the psychiatrists fail to help their patients. This film is a bright illustration. Nurse Ratched may be called an instrument of society whose primary task is to control, but not to cure. She employs a variety of means in order to fulfill this task. She is satisfied with the fact that all her patients are weak-willed and fragile because it makes them easy to control. She uses therapy sessions as a tool to undermine their self-confidence and to impose her own regulations. Nurse Ratched knows all the pressure points of each of her patients and she uses this knowledge to prove her authority. She counts herself to be a professional and she is proud. She cannot let anyone undermine her status and that is why she refuses to recognize Billy’s progress. It turned to be her fatal mistake. It is clear for viewers that Billy’s mother is an actual source of his problems. It is also obvious that his mother is rather domineering than loving. Her friendship with Nurse Ratched makes it impossible for Billy to escape her control even in the asylum. Nurse Ratched has certainly gone too far that time. It is important to mention one more issue raised in this film. The director demonstrates the effect of lobotomy – it plunges patients into vegetative state and deprives them of ability to think and speak. In fact, its victims stop their existence, though they remain physically alive. In most cases, people of art address this topic attempting to demonstrate inhumanity of this procedure. The film shows that it is better to die than to live such a life. Thus, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest aims to reveal cruelty and inefficiency of psychiatry of the time. Its message corresponded to the spirit of those times and brought the ideas of anti-psychiatry movement to wide audience. Psychiatry became a means of a social control, but many people could not tolerate this fact. The society seemed to become an anti-utopia which devours itself. McMurphy is a bright example of a nonconformist sacrificing his life for the sake of fight with the system. It is just a freedom-loving person trapped within four walls. Film message states that people need courage and determination in order to change the structure of society and live better lives. References Hockenbury, D., & Sandra, E. (2012). Discovering Psychology (6th ed.). NY: Worth Publishers. Read More