Free Bird

Through out this novel the patients have been refered to as birds and loons. When first reading I understood this to have a negative connotation and mean crazy. But as the term continually arose I thought it had to have more significance. I then thought about how birds are also a symbol of freedom because of their ability to fly. If this is representative of the patients, do you think Kesey is hinting at the fact that the patients also have the ability to fly and be free?

Cagey

Chief has used the word cagey to describe both himself and other patients on the ward. Although he originally uses the word to describe himself as sneaky and deceptive, he later says that McMurphy had gotten mad at the ward patients for being cagey. The word itself perhaps comes from whatever created the word cage, which could have a number of connotations. In this case, as the patients on the ward have already been described many times as birds, this could mean that by being cagey, the patients are trapped...in a birdcage and are therefore able to be manipulated. When you really think about it, Chief pretending to be deaf and dumb may help him survive, but it also cements the fact that he is trapped inside the ward and will essentially remain there for the rest of his life. He is taking no risks. McMurphy wants to inspire the ward (whether it is for his good, theirs or both we don't really know) to act in a way totally opposite than survival tactics and wants to challange the order of the road, and maybe because of the patients being trapped birds they are not fully able to do that.

You Birds

On page 117 McMurphy says "how many of you birds will vote if I bring up that time switch again?" and then down the page he refers to them again as birds.  McMurphy sees the group as sort of a flock of birds.  In the context this isn't a good thing.  Like a flock of birds, the group sticks together and all seem to follow each other in their fear of Nurse Ratchet.  This makes them all seem to blend together into one big mass while McMurphy stands out as an individual and a threat to Nurse Ratchet. 

Loon

On page 138 Chief says that any observer would have thought that they were as "crazy as loons". Obviously there is the connection with the word loony which can be a simile for crazy but I think that there is meaning behind why Kesey choose the loon. They are black and white birds with red eyes and I think that they could represent the struggle between good and evil. The black being the combine and at the head, the red eye as Nurse Ratched and the white could represent the patients. If you look closely the loon's back it has many white spots and on the breast of the loon is a large white patch which fades into black as it gets closer to the spots on the back. Each of the white spots could be a patient and the white breast could be McMurphy as he trys to connect with the patents but is hindered by the black of the ward and Nurse Ratched.

Cuckoo

I think the word cuckoo has a very strong symbolisim in this book and in the American language. For example look at Coco Puffs, the mascot is a bird and the catch phrase is "cuckoo for Coco Puffs". Not only is this motif present in the book but also on the book, for it is in the title, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Kesey uses birds continually in the book to represent craziness. Therefor, I believe it is obvious from the title that the ward is being called the cuckoo's nest or the crazy bird's home. One question that arose from this observation was is it the patient's nest or Nurse Ratched's nest?

Bull Goose Loony

Another interesting point to consider in how birds are used in the novel is the use of the word loon to describe patients on the ward and of their "leader" as the Bull Goose Loony. The Bull portion of the description refers to the strongest (Theodore Roosevelt once said that he was stronger than a Bull Moose) and is also has strong male connotations. The Goose part is pretty general, as "Goose" refers also to swans, ducks, and other such birds. However, geese have been shown to mate for life and form "marriages" (both same and opposite sex) much like humans, so goose here could refer to a human sort of interaction. And the loon is another rather broad group of birds, but their name comes specifically from the loud yodel like call they make, and has inspired the term "loony" referring to, well crazy people. The call itself might refer to the fact that the patients have much louder (and stranger) "bird calls" that distinguish themselves from the outside society.

The Buzzard

When McMurphy is talking to Harding he calls Nurse Ratched a buzzard. A buzzard is a bird of prey that eats small mammals, worms, and carrion. This fits very well with McMurphy's piont about Nurse Ratched being a ball cutter because small mammals and worms can be interpreted as symbols for the male genitals. Buzzards eating carrion, previously dead meat (aka they are scavengers), can also refer to McMurphy's disgust of Nurse Ratched for getting pleasure by manipulating the weak patents of the ward. A buzzard is a very appropriate comparison for McMurphy to make knowing his views toward the Nurse.

Birds+Chief

So far, Chief has an interesting relaionship with birds. He uses his memory of hunting birds with his father as a method to get away from the madness of the ward and a way to escape his fears.

Initial Post

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