Cuckoo's Nest Discussion Questions

1. Does McMurphy represent a Christ-like figure?
       I think he somewhat does. I believe that Kesey portrayed him as a Christ figure because he entered the ward and acted as sort of a 'savior' and ultimately gave his life for the good of the patients. His intentions may have been skewed toward himself at times, but in the big picture McMurphy plays a Christ role in the book.
2. Is Chief a reliable narrator?
       I think so because even though he is trapped by the 'fog' and his hallucinations at times, he still conveys information well. He is biased toward McMurphy and looks up to him, but the reader is able to recognize these biases and is able to see all that is happening without skewing the meaning of the book.
3. Is McMurphy a hero or an antihero?
       While McMurphy is certainly some sort of a hero, he doesn't always act in a way that is beneficial for anyone but himself (like the gambling). He doesn't always have the right motives, but in the end he does the ultimate sacrifice. McMurphy, controversies and all, takes his life for the team and their future benefit, and that classifies him as an antihero.
4. Why does Chief finally decide to speak?
       I think Chief speaks, toward the end of the book, because he is finally getting better. Less of the fog is coming on, and I believe this is because of McMurphy, who helps the Chief realize his sense of rebellion and lost spirit. It is because of his recovery, a by-product of McMurphy, that Chief decides to speak.

Cuckoo's Nest 2

At this point in the story, it isn't hard to tell that the rivalry between Big Nurse and McMurphy is really heating up. I believe that both sides are giving each other a run for the money, if you will, but that McMurphy is getting the best of Big Nurse. A huge argument to watch the World Series takes place during a majority of this section, and after the initial refusal by Big Nurse, McMurphy seems mad and threatens to, "bust out of [the ward]" (103). However, when we think McMurphy has 'lost', he comes back and gets the patients to pretend like they are watching the game even after Big Nurse has shut it off. Soon, "Cheswick goes and gets him a chair, and then Billy Bibbit goes, and then Scanlon and then Fredrickson and Sefelt, and then we all put down our mops and brooms and scouring rags and we all go pull us chairs up...and we're all sitting there lined up in front of that blanked-out TV set, watching the gray screen just like we could see the baseball game clear as day, and she's ranting and screaming behind us." This causes Big Nurse to kind of lose her cool, and it seems like McMurphy has gotten under her skin.

It seems that Bromden has started to sway towards McMurphy. This is because of a sort of adoration he has for McMurphy, and you can tell that Bromden likes him. He is still a reliable narrator though, as evidenced by his clear-cut memories of specific events and conversations. The fact that he is viewed as a mute and not being able to understand has worked to his advantage in terms of narration. The only bad thing about Bromden is the fog, which he seems to go under at certain times. Also, I am rooting for McMurphy. I do not like the Big Nurse and I hope McMurphy gets under her skin enough to change things around the ward.

Cuckoo's Nest 1

In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, he seems to have painted a clear picture of villain, hero, and antihero within the first few chapters (if you can call them that). The Big Nurse is a blatant villain. She is rude and somewhat mean to the patients, and "gets real put out if anything keeps her outfit from running smoothly" (37). The outfit is symbolized as the mental ward, described by Bromden, and if anything goes awry in the ward then the Big Nurse is unhappy and takes it out on the patients. This is part of her controlling and dominating personality that makes her such a villain.
Randle Patrick McMurphy enters the book and immediately the audience is taken to him. He is loud and boisterous and insists on being the "bull goose looney" around the ward (19). Yet, the think that is likable about him is that he is funny and upbeat, but also that he is against the villain of Big Nurse. He plans to conspire against her and that is what makes him such a hero-- the fact that he is directly opposing the villain.
Chief Bromden is the antihero for the sake of no other category that fits him better. He is a supposed mute Chronic who people think "mine me like a baby", showing that he doesn't speak or show signs of recognition but he picks up on things others don't (3). The audience doesn't really feel any sort of attachment to him, and he isn't doing anything to question the reign of Big Nurse, so he fits under the umbrella of antihero.

The Great Gatsby 3

1. What do the last three chapters reveal about Daisy?
A lot of action comes in the last three chapters, and although much of this focuses on Gatsby, Daisy is highlighted as well. We find out that Daisy's key characteristic flaw is that she is indecisive. She loves Gatsby and always has, but when confronted with it in the hotel room, she flip flops on what she says: "I never loved him," and then says, "I loved him once," speaking of Tom (132). Ultimately, her indecision gets her in trouble when the fiasco with Myrtle occurs, and unknowingly to many, it is her fault. Her indecisive nature is a major weakness and is exploited in these final chapter.
2. Why does Tom show sympathy for Wilson?

The real question is why does Tom, with the emotional range of cardboard, choose to help Wilson after he is so rude the rest of the book? Specifically, he is moved to console Wilson “with soothing gruffness” (140) because of a sense of guilt. Having cheated on his wife with Wilson’s wife, he feels guilty for Wilson when his wife dies. Interestingly, a sort of compassion is revealed here that seems otherwise lacking in Tom’s character.

3. What might the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg symbolize to various characters?

The eyes are mentioned more throughout this section, even stated blatantly that they are the eyes of God and always watching. The guess here is that it represents different things to different characters. When Tom and Daisy move away, it doesn't specifically mention it, but it seems as if they are out of the picture. Other than that, I don't know what the eyes mean.

4. Evaluate Daisy's love for Tom and Gatsby? Where does her heart stand with each?

Daisy clearly loves Gatsby. There is an undeniable connection between the two and no doubt that they could have spent their lives together. Yet, there is something between Tom and Daisy that throws a wrinkle in the plan. It says on page 145: "There was an unmistakable air of natural intimacy about the picture, and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together." This is curious because Tom is such a jerk and it seems that Daisy loves Gatsby. There must be something between both, and Daisy must be somewhat content to live with Tom as long as he has money.

The Great Gatsby 2

1. The purpose of Meyer Wolfsheim as a character is all about the characterization of Gatsby. It shows us that Gatsby has friends in the business world that are somewhat 'above' Nick and also the reader at this point in the story. It gives us a sense of his importance and his connections extend farther beyond than what Nick knows. This is shown, brilliantly, when Wolfsheim says to Nick, "I understand you're looking for a business gonnegtion," mistaking him for another of Gatsby's friends (70). Meyer Wolfsheim helps to add to the mysteriousness of Jay Gatsby.
2. Gatsby's and Daisy's history, told by Nick through the vantage point of Jordan, takes away from the mysteriousness added by Meyer Wolfsheim. Jordan tells that, "The officer looked at Daisy while she was speaking, in a way that every young girl wants to be looked at some time," showing that Gatsby has a personality and curious affinity previously unseen by the audience. We also come to understand that Daisy did not totally want to marry Tom, and that she may prefer someone else (Gatsby).
3. The rest of the story has a large impact on our impression of Gatsby. When Nick plans to have Daisy and Gatsby together for tea, Gatsby reverts back to almost childlike behavior. He is nervous, rude, and overall embarrassing in the way he treats Nick and Daisy. However, we see him change again when he somehow makes up with Daisy, and the two are thick as thieves again. He has now regained the Gatsby swagger, that pompous but gentle air that we came to know in the first three chapters.
4. Overall, the focus of these three chapters is on Gatsby. He, along with our impression of him, go through much change in this segment of the book. However, my overall impression of Gatsby stayed the same. He goes through a state of immaturity and has arrogant moments, but the fact is, Jay Gatsby is interesting. We are fascinated at the fact that he can be sweating bullets over meeting a past flame, but then turn in to the same cool cat in half an hour. His business ventures and his past, which we still don't know the full details of, make Gatsby sometimes hard to like and sometimes easy to love, but all the same he is very intriguing.

Jelly Roll Morton- "Black Bottom Stomp"

• I envision that this music would keep an upbeat feeling or air to Gatsby's parties. It would make people want to dance and drink and have a good time.
• The mood is upbeat and lively because the tempo is fast.
• I think people would be dancing and shaking some bootay to this music, having a good time.

The Great Gatsby 1

Through the first three chapters of The Great Gatsby, it seems we meet four important characters. These characters are Nick, Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby. Nick is the narrator, and he is the good guy. He is a kind and intelligent hero who isn't perfect, but is classified as "a rose, an absolute rose” by Daisy (14). He does the right thing, and mentions he tries to reserve all judgement, and based on his actions, I believe Nick to be a hero.
Tom is a jerk. He is a retired star football player who has endless money and absolutely no moral values. "'Now don't think my opinion on these matters is final,' he seemed to say, 'just because I'm stronger and more of a man than you are'" (7). Tom has a strong and cruel personality. He cheats on Daisy as if it were nothing, and acts as though he can do anything in the world because he is a former star. His actions and characterization leave the audience unimpressed and taken aback, so Tom is a villain.
We are not sure where Daisy fits into the story yet. She seems to have good intentions, and the audience is surely on her side when we find out she is being cheated on, but some of her actions and words are questionable. She tells Nick that she is "pretty cynical about everything" (16). If I had to classify her, she would fit mostly into the category of antihero.
Gatsby's role is foreshadowed greatly in this first section, making the audience believe he is a hero. He has a LOT of money, so much that he orders "five crates of oranges and lemons from a fruiterer in New York-every Monday these same oranges and lemons left his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves" (39). Despite rumors that he could have killed a man, Gatsby is written as a man of integrity and honor, classifying him as a hero.