Summary Of Randle Mcmurphy's The Big Nurse

The story takes place primarily in a mental hospital in Oregon. Based off of the use of shock therapy as treatment and brief mentions of the recent war (World War II,) readers can assume that the story takes place in the 1940’s or 1950’s. During this era, the knowledge of treatment for mental diseases was rather undeveloped as research concerning mental illnesses was still in early stages. Due to the lack of understanding of these diseases, mental hospitals created an atmosphere that is much different than that of mental hospitals in the modern world. Today, mental hospitals offer programs that focus on bettering individuals through use of therapy, social interaction, and some medicinal treatments if requested. The mental ward in the novel, however, created a much more strict atmosphere. …show more content…
The hospital workings were typically dull and monotonous -- it had a routine set of procedures which included waking patients up, feeding them, and allowing them for time in the community room all at specific times. However, the setting of the hospital evolves through the story as troubled patient Randle McMurphy begins to push for new policies. The new policies allow for a more loose atmosphere of the hospital which provides the patients for more freedom to pursue individual interests such as playing cards. To the disgust of the Big Nurse, the altered atmosphere of the hospital seems to entirely play into the new rebellious tendency of the