The Big Manager

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has provided me with interesting insights about the importance and also the potential consequences of challenging authority. Throughout the book, McMurphy is seen as a rebellious con man, who is trying to disrupt the natural order of the ward for his own gain. While this might be true, McMurphy’s actions have also had a real positive effect on the ward. An example of this is when Bromden says, “In the group meetings there were gripes coming up that had been buried so long the thing being griped about had already changed. Now that McMurphy was around to back them up, the guys started letting fly at everything that had ever happened on the ward they didn’t like.” (144) While the patients’ sudden desire to address their issues with the ward could be interpreted as just annoying or a problem, I see it as a great thing. The ward is where the patients spend their lives and they have a right to make it as enjoyable a space as possible within reason. To me this shows the positive impact that one person’s challenges on authority can have for a group of people.

This idea of one person’s challenges on authority inspiring a group of people has a personal connection to me because of my job. The restaurant I work at has many issues, many of which are in some way affected by management. For example there are regularly too many people scheduled for each shift, and because the employees share tips, this means that no one makes as much money as they could and should. Whenever issues like this are brought up with our manager she often gets angry and tries to change the subject to things staff members should be doing differently or says that the way things are is how our owner wants them and is out of her control. Whether or not this is true, she clearly does not make any serious attempts to improve our situation. She is also generally disliked by the staff and yells at employees over minor things, disappears to her office while the restaurant is open and servers need her help and much like the big nurse, she acts as though any valid complaints from employees are personal attacks and gets angry. While some people are occasionally willing to bring up complaints to her, we generally feel forced to simply tolerate the issues with the restaurant. McMurphy’s actions in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” have made me think about what really standing up to her might do. If one person voiced their opinion it could inspire others to do the same and put pressure on our manager to make changes.

While One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest shows the potential positive impact of standing up to an authoritative figure, it also provides a warning about the potential consequences. After creating a stir in the ward, McMurphy seems to realize that the Big Nurse’s position of power allows her to do some serious harm to him. Bromden explains this to the reader and says, “They can understand as well as I can that the only way he’s (McMurphy’s) going to get the Big Nurse to lift his commitment is by acting like she wants.” (150) In the same way that the Big Nurse has the power to extend someone’s commitment, my manager at work has the power to fire people. Being fired from a restaurant may not be as serious as extended confinement in a mental hospital, but it is obviously something to consider, especially for those who are adults living off of the money they earn at my restaurant.

These similarities to the situation at my job have made me think more about our relationship with our manager. While I can’t say that One Flew Over the Cuckoos’ Nest will be the reason that I start arguing for change at my job, especially being the non confrontational person I am, I do think it is interesting to consider the potential outcomes of speaking up. The book also emphasizes for me just how little power those under the influence of an authoritative figure are. Like the patients in the ward, the degree to which some sort of real movement for change could succeed relies almost entirely on how far our manager would allow it to go. Just as the Big Nurse can send anyone to the Disturbed ward or extend someone’s commitment, our manager can fire as many people as she wants and still find replacements in the high turnover restaurant industry. The similarities between the situation at my restaurant and the ward in One Flew Over the Cukoos’ Nest have given me a new perspective on challenging authority in that sort of environment.