Mental Illness In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

In the novel, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey, many of the patients in the ward have lack of self-respect and dignity. The lack of dignity and self-respect causes many people to become depressed, and even mentally ill. The three patients that lack the most self-respect and dignity are Billy Bibbit, Chief, and Harding. These three characters have had tragic past experience that causes them to lose their dignity, or "man hood". Billy Bibbit lost his dignity by "flubbing" the proposal to the woman he loves, Chief lost his self-respect by being ignored in the past, and Harding lost his man-hood because he can not satisfy his wife. All of these patients suffer from their lost pride and dignity, and all of them became mentally ill from the lack of
Harding's description is fairly normal, but he is uncomfortable about one thing. He is uncomfortable by his hands. "...it bothers him that he's got pretty hands"(23). His lack of self-respect is shown by his actions when his hands flail around, and he quickly shoves them in between his knees. Not only does Harding lack self-respect because of his appearance, but also he loses his "man hood" when it comes to the subject of his wife he has a big bosom and that everyone stares. He is not only mad about her appearance, but he also obviously can not pleasure her enough. One can tell that he does not give her what she needs by the flirtation between her and McMurphy. She does not like being called Mrs. Harding, and she prefers to be called by just her first name. Harding loves his wife, but his "man hood" is destroyed when he can not give her the satisfaction that she desires. He hates himself for not being able to satisfy his wife, and he becomes distraught when men talk about her. Because of his past with his wife, the loss of his "man hood" from her flirtatious behavior and non-satisfactions, it causes his mental