Chapters 19-23 (pages176-201 finish part 2)

In this section, the reader learns that most of the patients that enter the Ward are by choice, not because they were committed. McMurphy was originally fighting for the freedom of the patients and making it so they could have better lives. Finding out that they chose this completely alters his opinion and why he’s fighting. Why should he fight for something that someone else chooses to do to themselves? There is no purpose in his behavior if the only one getting punished is him. He is merely entertainment for the patients. As the reader starts the book, lobotomies and ESTs are seen as an evil treatment for patients if they don’t have a choice in the matter, but if they know what is happening and they have the ability to say no to the treatment, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Despite the consequences of the treatment these men are still itching to get it done to them. McMurphy believes the men of the Ward have “conned him,” (192) because they never told him that they wanted to be there, matter of fact, they acted as if they hated it there. In return, McMurphy stood up to bat for them and fell for their lies. Personally, I think this is just the start of things getting revealed, there has to be much more to the story than just that. There is no way that all of them chose to be there; it could be some form of brainwashing that Ratched put them under. Otherwise, everything McMurphy was fighting for had been a waste of time. 

McMurphy finally decides to let up on Mrs. Ratched because he learns the meaning of being committed. Committed patients can’t get better or aren’t seeking help to get better, so they’re trapped in the ward for the time being. McMurphy isn’t going to lead the rebellion anymore because he doesn’t want to, “bug her (Mrs. Ratched) into adding another year or so to my sentence.”(Kesey 193) Voluntary patients in the ward choose to accept treatment and rules because they are looking to improve their mental health. Since we’ve learned that most of the patients on the ward are voluntary, it gives us a positive perspective on the treatments. The patients willingly accept the treatments and compare EST to, “a free trip to the moon.”(Kesey 189) Harding says that, “Everything done here is for the patient's good.”(Kesey 189) which now gives the treatments a positive connotation. Finding out all of this information leaves McMurphy appalled, and he can’t understand why all of the voluntary patients choose to stay. McMurphy thinks that the patients, “oughta be out running around in a convertible, bird-dogging girls.”(Kesey 195) He thinks that they’re crazy for staying considering that they complain about the ward and the Nurse all the time.

McMurphy “lets up” on Nurse Ratched because he has learned in these chapters why all of the patients are on the wards. He realized that the “freedom” he was fighting for, was not really freedom as the patients were committed and not sentenced there like he was. He realized that they aren’t looking to get better or get more freedom, they were just looking for a place to live until the end of their lives. He also finds out that many of the patients voluntarily go through electroshock therapy, saying that it helps to cure them, saying it is “...completely painless”(Kesey 190). McMurphy begins to gain a seeming sense of pity towards the others on the ward. He sees that they are desperate for help, but knows that they won't go anywhere even if 'cured'.

In this chapter, McMurphy learns that all the patients on the ward are voluntary, there by choice, and not committed like he is. This causes him to let up because the more pushback he gives to Mrs.Ratched the longer the stay he has at the ward. This also leads to him losing respect for the others on the ward which is shown when he states, "Tell me why you gripe, you bitch for weeks on end about how you can't stand this place, can't stand the nurse or anything about her, and all the time you ain't been committed."(pg 195). He realizes that the people in the ward could leave whenever they wanted, all of the medical procedures like lobotomies and EST that he thought the others were being forced to do he realized they weren't, they could've just left. He was fighting to make others' lives better on the ward so they could make the best out of what their options were, but the realization of the others being able to leave, them choosing to put themselves through the "treatment" and not leave made him lose respect and prioritize himself. 

 In this section we see Harding ask McMurphy why he's "let up" on Nurse Ratched after having her "on the ropes". Why did he let up? What is the effective difference between being voluntary vs. committed? *Since many of the men are voluntary, what does that do to a reader's perspective concerning the treatments such as EST and lobotomies? *Lastly, how does this change McMurphy's opinion of the men he is on the ward with & has the author given us enough information for us to agree or disagree with his assessment?

McMurphy has let up on harassing Ms.Ratched because he’s beginning to understand the conditions of the patients on the ward and that she must handle the patients with a certain manner. He understands now that the men on the ward do need some extra help and treatment. McMurphy knows that the men on the ward are not mentally stable and that he needs to quiet his wants because they are not greater than the actual needs the patients on the ward have to receive. His want to watch tv at a certain time or to change the cleaning schedule is of lesser importance than keeping the patience stable and comfortable with a regulated schedule. He wanted to create change before but now he is realizing that his change will affect the stability of the ward. McMurphy’s opinion of the men has changed somewhat because he’s realizing that the men on the ward are truly not mentally stable. His observations and interactions have led him to see that he is an outsider compared to the men on the ward. He does not want to spend the rest of his days in a mental facility because that is not the type of treatment he needs. He is scared that if he stays any longer that he may end up mentally insane himself. He knows he is not like the other men.

The reader's perspective on the topic of EST and lobotomies does change when we understand that most of the men voluntarily joined the hospital facility because the men chose to be taken in the facility care. The men who voluntarily entered the facility gave their permission to have procedures done on them when they joined the ward. They understood that the procedures used would be with good intent and to help heal them. The idea of EST and lobotomies being used as treatment seems alright because the reader knows that the men are looking to find relief. The procedures are more of a treatment than a punishment for the men who entered the ward voluntarily. 

It’s a high probability that patients who are there voluntarily, have an easier way or time to leave the ward, “recovered” or not. And we see that McMurphy was fighting for himself (and the patients) for a better time in the ward, to make it more enjoyable. Because he thinks they are all there or mostly all of them were there because they were committed. But once he learns they were voluntary, his outlook changes. Why are they so pitiful or hopeless, when they themselves chose to be there? Our opinion and perspective definitely changes as we now know most of the patients were voluntary, and could probably get released relatively easily. However, they are choosing to stay, despite their complaints - especially about shock therapy. It’s mostly just a bit mind boggling to us all, including McMurphy. If these patients hate staying here, complain, and can't stand it, then why are they staying here? “‘Tell me why. You gripe, you bitch for weeks on end about how you can't stand this place, can’t stand the nurse or anything about her, and all this time you ain’t committed…” (195)