Families of the Insane

During the extended weekend, I spent a lot of time reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  I found the part where Harding's wife Vera comes to visit the ward particularly interesting.  It made me think about whether I should pity Harding, the insane patient, or his lonely wife more, and furthermore made me contemplate the families of psychopathic patients.  I still seem indecisive but I thought a lot about both options.  Although married, their visit seems awkward and strained: "He and his wife haven't moved toward each other yet" (183).  Kesey's use of negative diction such as "haven't" creates an uncomfortable tone, and he also uses pathos to evoke sympathy from lonely family members of the mentally ill.  The stiff tone and pathos emphasize the stress families must deal with when a member lives in an insane asylum, especially during the 50s and 60s when society outcast the mentally ill.  After Vera asks her husband for a cigarette and he reaches in an empty pocket, she says, "'Oh Dale, you never do have enough, do you?'" (184).  Kesey's rhetorical question indirectly characterizes Vera as upset because of her obvious unsatisfaction in her marriage, as well as utilizing pathos to evoke sympathy from wives of the mentally ill.  The double connotation of her comment, and the pathos and indirect characterization enhance her loyalty for remaining in a difficult marriage.  Overall, I pity both Harding, for his suffering a mental illness, as well as his wife, for her apparent loneliness in the unhappy marriage.