The Use of Laughter as Medicine in Ken Keseys One Flew...

The Use of Laughter as Medicine in Ken Keseys One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest For years, it has been said that laughter is the best medicine. In Proverbs 17:22 it says, A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. Imagine being in a place where medicine takes the place of laughter. This is the environment the patients at an Oregon psychiatric hospital in Ken Keseys One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1962) experienced before the arrival of a new patient. Chief Bromden, who is presumably deaf and dumb, narrates the story in third person. Mr. McMurphy enters the ward all smiles and hearty laughter as his own personal medicine. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a story about patients in a psychiatric hospital, who are under the power†¦show more content†¦Nurse Ratched says, Does anyone care to touch upon this subject further? (44). McMurphy acts mislead about what Mrs. Ratched has asked and asks back, You ask, I believe, Does anyone care to touch upon--- (44). Mrs. Ratched snaps back at McMurphys response with, Touch upon the---subject, Mr. McMurry, the subject of Mr. Hardings problem with his wife (44). McMurphy uses despaired ideas to respond in this. McMurphy tries to make a joke at the fact that Hardings wife makes him, Harding, feel inferior because of her large breasts, because he doesnt want to bethink Hardings problem. When Mrs. Ratched posts work assignments, she assigns McMurphy the latrine. He thinks it would be appropriate to thank her personally for the honor. The only work that was done to the toilets was a brush ran along the bowls once or twice apiece and some Clorox splashed around inside of them. After he finished, he said, Thats clean enough. Maybe not for some people, but myself I plan to piss in em, not eat lunch out of em (138). Nurse Ratched went to inspect McMurphys work and exclaimed, Why, this is an outrage...an outrage... (138) at every bowl she saw. McMurphy replied, No; thats a toilet bowl...a toilet bowl (138). Through this exclamation Mr. McMurphy makes fun of Mrs. Ratcheds choice of words to get over the fact that he did, indeed, do a bad job on the toilets. After McMurphys crazy fishing trip, Chief Bromden and