Cuckoo 3

How does the concept of fog impact the story?

Fog is Chief’s illness. Chief’s perceptions seem uniquely limited by the fog. He acknowledges that “nobody complains about all the fog,” and while he concludes that this is a result of its comfort, he seems to be the only one aware of its existence (128). The fog thus clarifies that Chief is an unreliable narrator.

Fog is Nurse Ratched’s control. Nurse Ratched is able to maintain control over the ward through indirect and covert mechanisms, represented by the fog. Her mechanisms confuse and weaken the ward, and until McMurphy arrives, no one is able to combat the fog. Fog is always represented as something intentionally manufactured by a “fog machine” (42) and thus, there is clearly an actor, proven to be Ms. Ratched as she deliberately (as per Chief) confuses the patients with fog.

Fog is apathy. Chief repeatedly describes how the fog provides a refuge for the men of the ward. They hide and avoid action by clinging to the fog. Billy, for example, avoided confrontation when he “finally and forever crowded back into the fog” (134).  Chief similarly cites the fog as a reason he does not speak, saying “the fog’s clogged my throat to where I can’t make a sound” (135).

Fog is shame. Not only do the men of the ward feel ashamed of their disabilities, society as a whole feels ashamed that they exist and seeks to mask them. Just as Chief’s first observation of a fog machine in use was to hide military operations (130, 131) and one of its functions in the ward is similarly to prevent society from seeing its broken refuse.

What is the role of Billy’s mother?

Billy’s mother serves as his standard of valuation. Each character in the book makes considerations on the basis of what someone else will think. Most of the men, including Chief, shift from trying to act in a manner that pleases Nurse Ratched towards McMurphy. Nurse Ratched herself seeks to please society. Billy, however, is the clearest example of someone living to please another. After a tryst with a prostitute, Nurse Ratched chastises Billy, stating that “’This is going to disturb [your mother] terribly’” (315). He ultimately breaks down and kills himself, thus epitomizing the dangers of living for another.

Why does Kesey describe Chief’s dreams in such detail?

Chief’s dreams are the most vivid example of Kesey speaking directly and explicitly to the audience. Chief’s dreams provide contrast from the life on the ward, which while torturous, could otherwise get at times routine and dull. The dreams imbue the book with another form of social commentary, with dream scenes depicting disregard for human life and dignity and a systematic form of repression.

Why are the men called by their last names?

Big Nurse calls the men by their last names as a form of dehumanization. By stripping them of personal character, she allays any feeling she may have had against acting to harm them. They become mere cases rather than people. Interestingly, Ms. Ratched uses the men’s first names only when patronizing and manipulating them, as when she chastises Billy (314, 315).  Thus, Ms. Ratched’s callous disregard for her patients is subtly shown through her use of last names principally and first names merely for manipulation.

Cuckoo 2

The conflict between Big Nurse and McMurphy is in full swing at the end of "Part One." Who is getting the best of their rivalry at this point? Why do you say that (specific evidence)?

What is your perception of the Chief at this point in the story? Why? And how has the presence of McMurphy changed the Chief's character or his narration (be specific)?

Who are you rooting for at this point in the story and why?

At the end of Part One, McMurphy seems to have the upper hand. However, it’s important to note that they have not reached a state of equilibrium—any new happening threatens to change the power balance. Throughout much of this section of Part One, McMurphy seems dejected, as epitomized by his failure to life the heavy object to throw through the window. “His whole body shakes with the strain as he tries to lift something he knows he can’t lift, something everybody knows he can’t lift,” writes Kesey, as an illustration of the failure and futility of McMurphy’s attempts (125).  At the end of the section, however, McMurphy seems to have regained his ability to motivate his companions, to foment resistance. The section ends, importantly, with “men watching a blank TV, a fifty-year-old woman hollering and squealing at the back of their heads about discipline and order and recriminations;” Kesey intentionally left the audience with the belief that McMurphy had triumphed—if only temporarily (145).

At this point in the story, I’m still not fully comfortable with the chief. I now understand that he’s faced some level of trauma, seemingly tied to the Department of the Interior having taken over his tribe’s land and his later service in the war. The audience is also provided more insight into his mental illness, as his dreams begin to reveal twisted imaginings of hellish environments where humans are treated as objects (86-88). And yet, recurring nightmares alone don’t seem to constitute mental illness. The only other evidence present is the fog—perhaps a motif, but explained by Bromden as if it were a purely physical mechanism (the creation of which he describes in detail).

McMurphy’s arrival seems to have made the Chief less impartial of a narrator. He seems to be somewhat emboldened by McMurphy’s contrariness to Big Nurse, and a result, describes in greater detail her failings and cruelties.

I am rooting, though with reservations, for McMurphy. I can’t say I identify with or appreciate him greatly. He’s clearly not an ideal hero, but when compared to the antagonist (Big Nurse), he seems quite good indeed. I’m not sure that even a 50s audience could have accepted Big Nurse as a hero, given Kesey’s portrayal of her as an angry, vindictive, and unfeeling master of the ward.

Cuckoo's Nest 1

The big nurse is a villain. At best, she neglects the well-being of the patients in pursuit of efficiency; at worst, she enjoys the pain she causes them. Chief tells us that, "she dreams of....a world of precision efficiency and tidiness" (29) and rejects individuals who "don't hate enough" (30). Thus, her evil is apparent-- for a society that values taking care of the sick and weak, her actions run contrary to moral norms. The patients recognize this, exclaiming, "'Ball cutter? Oh, you underestimate her'" (64)!

McMurphy is, although imperfect, a hero. He enters the ward boisterously, looking to cause trouble and immediate butting heads with the sadistic nurse. And yet, his good is apparent: he was honored with a "Distinguished Service Cross in Korea," and seems committed to the asylum merely due to a lack of self control. Furthermore, the audience appreciates the compassion demonstrated as he comforts Harding with the analogy of a pecking party (57-61).

Chief, at present, is an antihero. The audience sympathizes with him, but cannot fully trust or rely upon him. He is calm, and pacifistic, as demonstrated as the staffer marvels that he "'mine me like a baby'" (3) but the audience feels something missing, epitomized when Cheif says, "it's the truth even if it didn't happen" (8).

Gatsby Three

Gatsby Three/ Socratic Seminar

Why does Tom display caring towards Wilson?

Tom displays caring because, although overall unpleasant, he is a human being with normal attendant emotions. Specifically, he is moved to console Wilson “with soothing gruffness” (140) because of a sense of guilt. Having cheated on his wife with Wilson’s wife, he feels a sense of guilt and pity for Wilson when his wife dies. Interestingly, a sort of compassion is revealed here that seems otherwise lacking in Tom’s character (and herein provides the best example of why Tom is round).

What does the book’s conclusion reveal about Daisy?

Throughout The Great Gatsby, Daisy’s fundamental character trait is weakness. Although endowed with intelligence and class, Daisy displays a lack of resolve and decisiveness that ultimately characterizes her more than anything else. Her response to Gatsby’s confrontation of Tom demonstrates this weakness, as she attempts to avoid committing herself and is obviously quite uncomfortable with the situation as a whole. Even more acutely is this weakness demonstrated by her reaction to Gatsby’s death: she takes the path of least resistance, fleeing with Tom, and leaving no means of contact (164). As the funeral occurs, Nick notes that Daisy “hadn’t sent a message or a flower” (174). Fundamentally, Daisy is characterized through this action and throughout the book as weak and cowardly.

Why does Fitzgerald end Nick and Jordan’s relationship?

Fitzgerald chooses to end Nick and Jordan’s relationship as symptomatic of the breakdown of the normal social order. Although too late to be foreshadowing for the dramatic confrontation between Tom and Gatsby, the end of Nick and Jordan’s relationship in a matter-of-fact, relatively easy way shows the weakness of the social ties created in this society. Nick decides that he had “had enough of all of them for one day, and suddenly that included Jordan too” (142). Fitzgerald ends this relationship—albeit not a very important one—quickly and easily as a demonstration of its vacuity and weakness. He ends the relationship with a simple handshake (177) and although strong emotions remain, it is a testament to the failure of the social system that the relationship ends so simply and easily.

What is the purpose of Gatsby’s father for the book?

Gatsby’s father serves several purposes. Foremost, he posthumously characterizes Gatsby in several manners. He characterizes Gatsby directly as being “’bound to get ahead’”(173) and indirectly as a hardworking, ambitious individual who, despite an unimpressive family background, rose to great prominence. Additionally, Gatsby’s father shows Gatsby’s isolation from others, showing up only at his death and never having visited him before.

But I don’t really know the answer to this one.

Gatsby Two

Meyer Wolfsheim serves to maintain a level of intrigue around Gatsby that is not entirely positive. Wolfsheim seems a shady character: engaged in almost certainly illegal business dealings, the man impresses Nick with the scope of his activities and the gumption with which they are carried out. When told by Gatsby that Wolfsheim had fixed the World Series Nick ponders, “The idea staggered me….It never occurred to me that one man could start to play with the faith of fifty million people- with the single-mindedness of a burglar blowing a safe” (73). Wolfsheim thus contributes to Gatsby by creating a mysterious, not entirely positive aura later confirmed by Tom’s revealing of Wolfsheim and Gatsby’s business dealings.

Daisy humanizes Gatsby, thus allowing a level of personality and relatability missing beforehand. Rather than merely being a wealthy, removed, and mysterious man, Gatsby becomes someone capable of “creative passion” (95) and “a rush of emotion” (96). He becomes human, capable of emotions—manifesting later in anger, nervousness, and happiness—and of faults in a manner lacking earlier in the story.

Gatsby’s past adds to the charm of the man but also makes the reader question somewhat the gaps still missing. Clearly skilled with people, the story of the yacht paints Gatsby as resourceful and affable. The story of his time at St. Olaf’s characterizes him as arrogant and ambitious, while his Oxford days serve a similar purpose. And yet, overall, the back story now revealed helps the reader sympathize with this strange man who rose to such wealth and prominence through a combination of luck and talent—not through family connections or inheritance.

The reader’s overall impression of Gatsby is dependent on the specific reader. I have a more positive image of Gatsby, because he now seems to possess substance and work ethic. The substance is provided by his romantic past, while the work ethic, even if bolstered by shady dealings, is evident from his wealth and how he went about its accumulation. And yet, I also view Gatsby as more emotionally volatile (a view confirmed by reading on slightly) and perhaps given to poor judgment.

Jelly Roll Morton- "Black Bottom Stomp"

-This music sounds like dance music. At Gatsby's, it would've been played live by a full band. It seems both generally non-objectionable and also non-meaningful.
-The mood is upbeat and cheerful. The song has a fast tempo, mostly major scale notes, and a variety of instrumentation that seems to contribute to a cheery mood throughout.
-The music seems intended chiefly as dance music, although practically, it would probably serve as dinner or conversation music for those not on but near the dance floor.

Gatsby One

Based on the first 60 pages of the book, Nick, Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby are the most important.

Nick is a hero. He seems to be a kind, intelligent individual, albeit perhaps awkward and easily confused. Although by no means perfect, he is characterized as being, “inclined to reserve all judgments” (1). When speaking with Daisy, she exclaims that, “I love to see you at my table, Nick. You remind me of a- of a rose, an absolute rose” (14). Thus, both Nick’s characterization of himself and Daisy’s characterization of him suggest that Nick is a fundamentally good individual, and so at this point in the book, I would predict that he is a hero.

Tom, on the other hand, seems a cruel, unpleasant figure. From his physique- classified by Daisy as “hulking” (12) - to his demeanor, he seems to be arrogant and mean. His demeanor is perhaps best characterized as exploitative, as he cheats on Daisy with no pretense of shame and his interactions repeatedly are tinged with a sense of bullying. When discussing cars with George Wilson, for example, Tom switches quickly from joviality to abusiveness as he responds, “…if you feel that way about it, maybe I’d better sell it someplace else after all.”All of his interactions seem to abuse a power disparity, leaving the audience unfavorably impressed.

Frankly, Daisy cannot be easily characterized in any of these three categories. But were I to do so, I would place her within the category of antihero. She seems fundamentally good, but is jaded and cynical, even going so far as to tell Nick that she is, “pretty cynical about everything” (16).

Gatsby is discussed less in this section than the three characters mentioned above, but his importance to the story is foreshadowed. At this point, Gatsby seems a hero. Despite rumors about him having “killed a man once” or that “he was a German spy during the war,” the man seems fundamentally good, and there seems no basis for these rumors (44). However, it is conceivable that he will have some sort of baggage revealed later.