Another example of Bromden’s distortions is the perceived spectrum of colour which represents the wide spectrum of personalities in the ward. Ratched is described as a cold person, so the colour attached to her is blue as her hair is described as an “iron-blue knot.” This reflects her personality as she is perceived as frosty and machine like. The uniforms of the nurses and orderlies are starched white; this is ironic, as the connotations of virtue and purity are not present with in these individuals. When McMurphy arrives he has earth on his hands, and this is a clear example of his naturalism. The dirt marks him out as different from the other inmates, scrubbed clean by the orderlies and pale due to lack of outdoor activity in contrast to his “skin the colour of oxblood leather”. McMurphy also has red hair, a warning colour in nature and in the ward. McMurphy is the stereotype of the red haired and red-blooded Irish rogue, explaining his tempestuous naturalism and his status as an outsider that arrives on American soil and soon becomes part of the landscape. The pills dispensed to the patients are also red, symbolising their dangerous properties, but also their revolutionary associations as refusal to take medication is often part of uprisings against medical authority. McMurphy is the liberal, progressive treatment, trying to encourage the men to take control over their illness in contrast to the Combine’s drugs. These red capsules sedate the patients and allow the ‘Combine’ to control the patients’ illness instead of allowing them autonomy. The dog that Bromden imagines is described to have “cold sparks” which emphasizes the cold paralyzing effect that the ‘Combine’ has on people.
Another distortion used in a major way is Bromden’s perception of size. Despite Bromden being a “six-foot-eight sweeping machine”, he still thinks of himself as small. We assume Ratched is smaller, yet Bromden sees her as the “size of a tractor,” and when she’s angry her size increases. He believes this as he has been defeated, like his father, by his mother who was another powerful female figure. His mother is described as being “bigger than Papa and” Bromden together, “she grew bigger all the time,” whereas Bromden’s father “shrinks” into alcoholism.
Bromden has an unstable mental state, which leads to a series of dreams. When Bromden doesn’t take his medication he hallucinates a huge machine, representing the ‘Combine’. Bromden sees a workman drop “in his tracks” and tossed “into the furnace” which has “got its mouth open somewhere.” This shows that he perceives the Combine as a destroying mechanism, which takes the lives of non conforming members of society. This increases Bromden’s fear of the ‘Combine’ which affects him so much that it enters his nightmares. “One hand grabs the vegetable Blastic by the heel and lifts him up,” although Blastic didn’t die like this, it is true to say that he did expire. To this extent “it is the truth even if it didn’t happen.”
Bromden also imagines a “young, gangly mongrel” who is watching geese. This is a recurring image throughout the novel. The dog represents Bromden’s desire to escape from the ward; although he attempts to escape it ends in presumed destruction as he “watched the dog and the car making for the same spot of pavement.” Bromden sees the dog when he mentally escapes from the ward whilst receiving his treatment. The dog once again represents his freedom of the ward. Seeing the dog alive shows that escape doesn’t end in death.
In conclusion we see that as Mc Murphy appears on the scene and enlightens Bromden of the knowledge that he doesn’t have to conform to society’s ideas. After this realisation Bromden’s distortions and dreams decrease in intensity and eventually disappear, as he gains confidence and individuality. Even if these hallucinations are not necessarily true, they are to Bromden, this s a key point that Kesey puts across.
