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

43 There are examples for the demythologization of the original story as well. The aim of the writer with these is to use mythology as an ironical device and to show the preposterous quality of our lives. A very good example for this demythologization is the description of the Last Supper scene as an orgy, lacking all the elements one would expect. Yet another interesting device is the evoking of prefigurations in the reader which may or may not be fulfilled later. A very good example for this is the picture of Ellis crucified overloaded with electricity, echoing Christ on the cross. Although one might expect it is not Ellis who is crucified at the end of the novel, but McMurphy. A further example of unfulfilled expectations is the lobotomy of McMurphy. Everything points towards his death. If one follows the original story, he must be killed. But the Combine cannot kill him, because they cannot afford to produce a martyr, they have to show their strength by ruining McMurphy's personality. In this case the myth is weakened by the novelist's version. Kesey employs a controlled system of references to mythological figures all through the novel. Harding, who becomes the leader after McMurphy, is a Peter figure, while Chief Bromden, who sleeps in the neighbouring bed is a John figure. From a WASP point of view Bromden is born with a flaw: he is an Indian. But McMurphy teaches him that being an Indian is not a fault. In a larger sense Bromden is the person who is to be redeemed, who is saved in the end, and who, as the best disciple, may preserve and hand down the teachings of his Master. From another point of view Bromden's figure is the adaptation of American national myths. He represents the stereotyped figure of enslaved strength^, whose victory is the victory of the natural man. Billy is a Judas figure, the Last Supper is followed by his suicide. He is McMurphy's favourite disciple, who in the end betrays Iiis master. His example shows that this world turns people into as many Judases. Even these random instances convincingly prove that there is a strictly controlled correspondence between the elements of the novel and some Biblical prefigurations. McMurphy's victory over Big Nurse is total. She is exposed to other people as just another person. She is reminded that she is just a human being, and hereby she realizes that she cannot manipulate the patients any longer. This is something noone would have believed at the beginning of the novel. As Bromden describes their meeting shortly after McMurphy's arrival, 'She is too big to be beaten

.... She's lost a little battle here today, but it's a minor battle in a big war that she's been winning and that she'll go on winning .... She'll go on winning, just like the Combine, because she has all the power of the Combine behind her.'

7 But McMurphy wins battle after battle and for defending her power the only solution for Big Nurse is his destruction. Although he is physically