Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1991. British and American Philologycal Studies (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 20)

Katalin Grezsu: Layers of Implication in Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cockoo's Nest

42 This is one of the possible layers of implication in the novel. But if we reach down to deeper levels, we find strong and frequent allusions to Christian mythology. The question that might rise here is this: why did Kesey introduce these mythological elements into his novel, in an ostensibly de-mythologizing age, set for anything but myth? We might find several possible answers to this question. First of all, myth always bears an element of nostalgia, yearning for a lost past. It is always a way to escape from an unstable present, in this case from the anarchy of the twentieth century. Myth can offer stability and serve as a unitive strategy in the face of cultural disintegration. Another reason why Kesey used these symbols is that through them he could create another dimension of his novel which points to classical myths. These ancient myths, as for example, the Bible, are part of the "cultural codes ....: they are part of the body of knowledge that we must bring to bear in order to understand the works."

5 The reader who is aware of the 'story' behind the novel understands the parallels, the symbolic correspondences, these all help the receiver to get a more comprehensive understanding of the novel. Kesey employs Biblical correspondences for various reasons. He sometimes uses direct references to the Bible, but he also employs word-by-word quotations. In some cases he wants to reinforce certain parts of the novel by relating them to a well-known cultural document. A good example for this is the fishing expedition. Kesey just hints at a number of things that gain their meaning when we put the missing pieces together from the Bible. In this case he echoes a story in the New Testament, i.e. Luke 5. Christ and his disciples go fishing. Simon and John do not catch anything, but when Christ joins them the nets are filled with fish. Here McMurphy, just like Christ, is not fishing. He is shown as a Messiah, his fellows are the disciples. Kesey refers to them as "McMurphy and his dozen people". This complex picture is intervowen with the symbology of water. Against the sterility of modern life water is a life-giving element, fish living in water are a symbol of fertility and life. In this case this incident prefigures later events, and it is suggested to the reader who is familiar with the ending of the original story, that something similar will happen here. This feeling is reinforced even more by other remarks of McMurphy, as for example, It is my cross', 'anointest my head with ointment', 'do I get a crown of thorn?'. These references bear several meanings. On the one hand they foreshadow McMurphy's impending tragedy, on the other hand they help Kesey to create a comic, almost grotesque atmosphere. Although McMurphy is aware of his fate, he is joking about it, he despises the black helpers with his behaviour. He plays the comic role of a clown and the more serious one of the Messiah at the same time.