Part I- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

In part one Patrick McMurphy is admitted into the facility. He is obnoxious and very outspoken. This is a very different personality that everyone has to get used to. The rest of the patients are reserved and tend to keep quiet. McMurphy is a different story because he likes to make noise and fuss, and just stand out. One thing that stood out to me in this section was when Chief had his flashback to when Old Pete said more than " I’m tired..." This flashback was brought on by McMurphy’s odd silence during group meeting one afternoon. Chief’s memory was that Old Pete did his usual fussing about being tired. But this time he decided to elaborate on why he was tired. He claimed he was born dead. The story is that the doctor that helped in his delivery, pulled him out using dulled ice tongs. They left dents in his head and affected his mental capacity. So he can’t remember much, and has to concentrate really hard to do task that a 6th grader can perform. Old Pete was ranting about how tired he was of trying. This caught my attention because Old Pete was said to have been a Chronic his whole life. The book states that the Chronic’s tend to be the quiet ones that sit and watch. For Old Pete to stand up and say that he was tired, and explain his complaint, I believe that was a cry for help. A cry for help that he wasn’t receiving. He wanted to warn the other patients that they have chances that he didn’t have. He was born a miscarriage and got tired of the insults. I believe that moment was Petes break through. But because he’s so old he tired himself out, physically and mentally. One thing I found interesting was that Pete was able to punch one of the attendants into the wall. That shows you that you can’t underestimate the strength of those who may not have the same mental ability as you.
Pete’s outburst was to quiet the other patients down. Nurse Ratchet had asked if anyone had done anything that they haven’t admitted to anyone. She wanted to get a discussion going so there wasn't alot of silence on the ward. Her question got all the patients to talking at the same time. They were shouting out all of their wrongs, and Pete just wanted them to know that they had a choice to do what they had done. But he didn't, he was born that way. I felt bad for Pete while reading this section. For him to say that he was born dead, was a very strong statement. He said that he has been dead for fifty-five years. Pete wasn't able to do half of the things that mentally stable people are able to do and that is sad. It makes you grateful for the things that you are able to do without much effort and tiring yourself out. I believe this is the reason that Pete decided to share his experience with the rest of the patients. After he said what he had to say he was tired and could no longer try. Pete was tired of trying, tired of fighting his mind, so he stopped fighting.