Close Reading Analysis

McMurphy Listening to Harding

CLOSE ANALYSIS
“‘Mr. McMurphy ... my friend ... I’m not a chicken, I’m a rabbit. The doctor is a rabbit. Cheswick
there is a rabbit. Billy Bibbit is a rabbit. [1] All of us in here are rabbits of varying ages and degrees,
hippity-hopping through our Walt Disney world. Oh, don’t misunderstand me, we’re not in here
because we are rabbits—we’d be rabbits wherever we were—[2] we’re all in here because we can’t adjust to our rabbithood. [3] We need a good strong wolf like the nurse to teach us our place.’
‘Man, you’re talkin’ like a fool. You mean to tell me that you’re gonna sit back and let some old
blue-haired woman talk you into being a rabbit?’
‘Not talk me into it, no. I was born a rabbit. Just look at me. [4] I simply need the nurse to make me
happy with my role’” (Kesey 76).

Rabbit and Wolf Metaphor
Rabbits: Conformists, submissive to societal expectations, follows rules/standards set by “wolves”
Wolves: Leaders who dictate and enforce societal conditions and guidelines to which the “rabbits” conform

Highlights
1) “‘All of us in here are rabbits of varying ages and degrees, hippity-hopping through our Walt Disney world’” (Kesey 76).
In essence all those who exist within societal bounds without having a say in those boundaries are rabbits existing in a world dominated, structured, and led by wolves. This is a world where ignorance is the state of mind that offers the most happiness, hence the allusion to Walt Disney World (a theme park where the children are at their happiness when they accept the false reality presented before them in which the creators profit off of their belief and submission to the illusion.)

2) “‘we’re all in here because we can’t adjust to our rabbithood’” (Kesey 76).
All the patients landed in the hospital because they strayed from societal bonds and did not fit societal norms. Their “rabbithood” (Kesey 76) is essentially their societal role that they failed to fill in compliance with societal guidelines. They are unpredictable, not controlled well enough by the everyday institutionalized means of dictating social behavior. For the mental patients it has been determined that they must be shaped in a tougher manner before they become fully aware of their status and obligatory societal role as a “rabbit” to the point where they play the part well enough to function in society.

3) “‘We need a good strong wolf like the nurse to teach us our place.’” (Kesey 76).
The mental patients are “rabbits” or conformists who don’t demonstrate submission to societal norms in their behavior and because of this non-conformity, due to ‘mental impairments’, they must be ruled with a strong, forceful hand. Harding is saying in this line that Nurse Ratched, as she is a wolf, naturally has the capability of beating people into submission, which makes her fit to deal with ‘unruly’ mental patients.

4) “‘I simply need the nurse to make me happy with my role’” (Kesey 76).
Harding says it is the Nurse’s job to make him happy with his role. For Harding to become ‘happy’ with his role Nurse Ratched must make him accept the submission his role as “rabbit” requires in a way that makes the oppressive nature of this act tolerable. For Harding, however, because he has been labeled as different it is clear that compliance and fitting in with society’s standards is difficult. The pain accompanying the journey to his ultimate ability to conform becomes almost a sort of numbing process as it is ruled with seemingly sickening tyranny. His ‘happiness’ or peace will come when he is so numb that he cannot feel the pain of such conformity.

Significance
In this section Harding reveals his perception of the world and the ways in which he believes it operates. His view of humanity breaks it up into two factions, the weak and the strong. Through his monologue and use of the rabbit-wolf metaphor Harding displays his belief that these roles are innate in society and the patients are there because they haven't conformed to their role as rabbit. When other patients show their agreement with Harding's views the reader is given confirmation about the root of disparity and helplessness for the patients, which is their belief that their nature prevents them from having strength and their internally destructive belief that they must submit to the Nurse's tyranny to essentially survive.
McMurphy becoming aware of this sense of disparity and deeply rooted insecurity that the patients feel allows him to strengthen as a leader as it motivates him to instill hope and strength within the patients.