One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Is McMurphy sane or insane?

Kesey's 'Cuckoo's Nest' Still Flying At 50      Ken Kesey, the late author of 
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, in California in 1984. Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis        
"Fifty years ago — on Feb. 1, 1962 — a first novel appeared that would make its author a literary celebrity, inspire 
a movie that won the Best Picture Oscar, and help change the way we think about mental health institutions."

Vitale, Tom. "Kesey's 'Cuckoo's Nest' Still Flying at 50." All Things Considered. NPR. WBUR, Boston, MA, 1 Feb. 2012. Radio.

What is the Definition of Insanity?
In this article on the origins of the word insanity, writer Chris Opfer discusses popular beliefs related to this form of
human behavior as well as interesting facts such as the term refers to a legal rather than a medical condition. Illus-
trated with photographs based on famous court cases, the information covers different types of insanity and how they can be related to certain medical disorders. There isan historical overview of laws and rules used in the prosecution
and defense of criminal cases involving the insanity plea that mentions the influence of the Insanity Defense Reform
Act of 1984.
Topic: Insanity defense   Language: English   Lexile: 1300    http://science.howstuffworks.com

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and the Theme of Madness      
"Although most of the characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are considered mentally ill, the plot of the novel suggests that there’s a thin line between "normal" and "abnormal." Much of the difference between the normal and the abnormal consists of fear. As one of the patients in the asylum suggests, he could live in the Outside world if only he
had the guts. He doesn’t have the guts, so he finds safety in being institutionalized and considered "crazy.""

ASYLUM 
Source: Lawrence E. Tilley, via Wikimedia Commons

       "Until this point in life, McMurphy lives as a con artist, naturally looking out for himself.
       Something changes inside of him once he realizes how vulnerable the men are, that they
       cannot come to realize on their own power that they are worthy of a normal life." 
        

Still Cuckoo After All These Years by James Wolcott
"...McMurphy is a liberator, a nervy blast of air dispelling the pharmaceutical fog of malaise and tedium that has infantilized the mental patients and put them at the mercy of Mommie Meanest, Nurse Ratched. He restores to the
men the faces behind their neutral, institutional masks and restores the laughter they’ve suppressed in confinement.
“I forget sometimes what laughter can do,” muses Chief Bromden behind his stoic front." 

Wolcott, James. "Still Cuckoo After All These Years." Vanity Fair 30 Nov. 2011: n. pag. Web.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest movie trailer
Trailer for Milos Forman's film starring Jack Nicholson,Louise Fletcher,Will Sampson,Brad Dourif,Sydney Lassick,
William Redfield,Christopher Lloyd,Danny DeVito,Scatman Crothers,Vincent Schiavelli,Nathan George,Alonzo Brown