Witherspoon-Hands

Ken Kesey uses hands within the novel to portray the inner sensitivities, conflicts and characteristics of many characters, but in particular Harding and McMurphy. The hands of the patients in the ward are given close attention to in the novel so as to display the symbolism of the individual hands, and hands in general. Hands are a vital part of a persons body and can tell much about ones personality. They are not only a vital part of someones outward appearance, but they can act as a portal into others inner conflicts. For example, hands with bitten fingernails can shown someones inner nerves or anxiety, while someones well kept, manicured nails can display someones obsession with outward appearance. Although hands typically are not a noticable trait of someones physical features, Chief Bromden unusually pays particular attention to the hands of fellow ward members. From Hardings, skinny beautiful woman-like hands, to McMurphy's tough hands that paint beatufiul pictures and words, the readers are introduced to the conflicts and personalalities of the patients as we begin to understand them and their mental conflicts. As Chief Bromden describes Hardings hands in particular detail, the reader is able to grasp that these beautiful hands represent Harding's weakness in his mentality that he is not man enough for his wife, and her oversize breasts. Even though Harding attempts to hide his hands, they completly take over his body and are unusually one of the first things others notice. This characteristic of his hands is imortant as it symbolizes Hardings own personality, in that although he believes he is weak and unmanly, in reality he is pscyhing himself out and supressing his own overpowering traits, making him seem like less of a man than he actually should me .
In the case of McMurphy, he too has overpowering hands, however the physical appearance of his hands are the exact opposite of Harding's. These large rough hands show that McMurphy is strong, and overpowering in both his appearance and his personality. However, when Bromden explains what he does with his hands it shows a different side to McMurphy. Bromden says " I'd seen him do things that didn't fit with his face or hands, things like painting a picure at QT with real paints on a blank paper.....or like writing letters to somebody in a beautiful flowing hand" (pg. 153). This description of McMurphy's hands gives the reader a glimpse of the less hardened and macho man side of McMurphy as we see he is able to balance out his angry, con-man physical appearance with more beautiful and calming outlets. This side of McMurphy only shown through his hands, also shows the reader the possibility that McMurphy is not a phsycopath since (unlike Harding who has obvious problems, with his lack of manliness) McMurphy does not try to supress his personality and emotions, however creates a balance,a happiness and an acceptance with his place in society. Overall, Kesey describes and details the appearance of Hands to create a portal between the conflciting inner and outer characterstics of the patients, so the readers can compare and contrast the two characters, and the symbols which hands represent in general.