Arel Lorenzo Hernandez

11/22/24

At the very beginning of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” we are placed within Chief Broom’s day to day. He describes seeing the black nurses through his chicken wire window that is small, but is also big enough to see on the outside. A couple of pages after the introduction of “Nurse Ratched”. She instructs the black nurses to

”get a good head start on the week by shaving poor Mr. Broom first this morning—and see if we can avoid some of the—ah—disturbance he tends to cause, don’t you think?” (Pg.6)

Chief Broom hears this while mopping the floor of the ward and ducks back into the mop closet, he closes the door and holds his breath. He talks about how shaving before breakfast is the worst thing that can happen since he hasn’t eaten anything. Broom tells the reader that he’s always selected to shave at 6:30 in the morning. He describes the process of being shaved as being ”In a room all white walls and white basins, and long tube lights in the ceiling making sure there aren’t any shadows and faces all round you trapped screaming behind the mirrors.” (Pg.6) As Broom lurks within the darkness of the mop closet, he describes his heart beating in the dark in fear of being found, Trying to combat the fear that is coursing through his body he resort to trying to

“Think back and remember things about the village and the big colorado river, think about ah one time Papa and I were hunting birds in a stand of cedar trees near The Dallas.” (Pg.6) The result of fear caused Broom to look back and reminisce in the moments in which he found himself happy and at peace. Fear is a motivator that can either be used to seek comfort or for self security. Fear is the feeling of not wanting to confront/face an object, person, or event that may cause you pain, sadness, or anger. Fear is often related to negative feelings that most people hate facing. Although Broom may find comfort in the memories of his father, his comfort doesn’t last for long

“But like always when I try to place my thoughts in the past and hide there, the fear close at hand seeps in through the memory. I can feel that least black boy out there coming up the hall, smelling out my fear—He’s smelling me now and he’s hunting around—The least black boy and one of the bigger ones catch me before I get ten steps out of the mop closet, and drag me into the shaving room.” (Pg.6-7)

When fear seeks through the mind, it is inevitable for it to take you out of your state of comfort and bring you back to reality. Broom experienced this through the black nurses looking for him as he was hiding within the mop closet. In the face of fear our bodies react in ways that we can’t control such as rapid heart beat, a much quicker train of thought towards finding a way to get out of the state of fear, impulsive decision, and lack of calmness.
One of the symptoms that I stated was “a much quicker train of thought towards finding a way to get out of the state of fear” but let’s just call it “Impulsive Problem Solver” When in fear our minds want to experience the quickest and the least amount of pain possible in order to get out of the state of fear. As a kid I would be in fear of going to my doctor’s appointment, because everytime I went I would get my flu shots. It is normal that as kids you fear the thought of a sharp needle going through your left or right shoulder, and when it was time for me to get my shot, I ran away from the doctors room. I ran, and ran, and ran, until I found a bathroom to hide in. The fear of getting my shot caused my body to panic, cry, and try to find a way to leave the hospital without getting caught. Now I’m not saying that my suffering was the same as Broom’s but the feeling of being in fear is mutual. Not wanting to face an event that will cause you pain is something that not many of us can do. The feeling of fear is shared with everyone around the world, it just depends on what you’re facing.

Artist’s Statement:

My artwork, titled Under His Eye, depicts Commander Fred casting a large shadow on the wall behind him. The shadow, however, is not the same silhouette that the commander would normally project. The looming shadow on the wall has large angel-like wings, with a large piercing eye in the center, resembling the symbol of Gilead, the symbol of the soul scrolls, and the Eyes.

Throughout the story, the commander has become more and more humanized as the reader learns more and more about him. However, this humanization comes with the realization that the Commander played an integral role in bringing about the Republic of Gilead. It can be easy to forget how dangerous he is, how influential he is, and how much he is to blame for the current state of the world. Him casting Gilead’s shadow represents his involvement and role in upholding the oppressive regime. The wings on the commander could also make him look like an angel. This plays into the way Gilead views itself. Like many governments and people in power, Gilead is very religious and believes it is carrying out God’s will. The commanders are the saviors, the angels, to guide the people to a better way of life.

The eye is also there to represent the unknown danger of the Eyes. The reader knows the commander has to keep his law breaking a secret, but they still do not know who he is hiding it from. He is afraid of being caught by someone, but so far the only authority that the reader has been introduced to that could possibly be above such a high ranking commander is the mysterious Eyes. A higher ranking class than the commanders would change the way the reader views the current government, as well

The color of the eye in the middle of the shadow is brown. One of the most oppressive parts of the Republic of Gilead is the way it forces the individuality out of someone, and forces you to become nothing more than the role you are assigned. The handmaidens are not supposed to talk to anyone, look at anyone, dress how they want, and more. It is only fitting that the eye symbolizing this government would be the least unique possible.

The piece is titled Under His Eye for multiple reasons, and offers multiple interpretations. One of which is that the “He” refers to God. This is perhaps the more obvious one, as Gilead is a Christian government, but it carries an important message of fear and control. The other interpretation is that “He” refers to the commander. This is more applicable to the story, as Offred constantly has to tiptoe around Commander Fred and be careful that she isn’t being watched. The “He” could also be an Eye, as we have only ever heard Offred speculate on men being Eyes, never women. Throughout all three examples, the title represents the natural fear of authority and control that Gilead instills in all of the people being oppressed by it.