In The Eye Of The Beholder Analysis

In the Eye of the Beholder

Because the only reality we have is that which we see through a single pair of eyes, we are what we perceive ourselves to be. As for the Chief and as in reality, perception is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once we begin to see something a certain way, that particular view becomes our truth. What is true about that particular object is simply what we can conclude by our own observations and biases. Thus our perception of ourselves completely dictates how we evolve as people and individuals; it affects our self-esteem, what we deem ourselves to be capable of, how we carry ourselves, and how we relate with others. If you think yourself to be a certain way, then you are (or become) that way because it is often all
Many of the patients are in the ward because of how others’ views of them have affected them negatively throughout their lives. The Chief shows us characters such as Billy Bibbit and Harding, who explain to McMurphy that their “disabilities” and “mental illnesses” are simply the results of how society (Nurse Ratched included) has treated them, how this has affected the way they see themselves, and their reaction. Billy is hugely impacted by what he perceives others’ opinions of him to be, especially those close to him; the same goes for the Chief, whom the reader finds out has pretended to be deaf and dumb because he felt unheard. The Chief describes Billy’s explanation to McMurphy of why he is still in the ward, saying “you think I wuh-wuh-wuh-want to stay here?...But did you ever have people laughing at you?” (160). Even the thought of people laughing at Billy is enough for him to keep himself tucked away. That is the only thing he imagines will happen if he leaves, and it makes up the bulk of his scarring memories from living in the outside world. The Chief portrays Billy as a man whose perception of himself drains his self-esteem and leaves him feeling entirely incapable until McMurphy brings Candy into the ward. The morning after the party, Billy, feeling empowered,
In the beginning, his tone communicates powerlessness, and believes he is destined to simply “float off to someplace for good” (134). McMurphy changes this in the Chief. He demonstrates his willingness to attempt the impossible when trying to lift the control panel, something that “he knows he cant lift, something that everybody knows he can’t lift...but [he] tried” (125). McMuphy awakens the Chief out of the “fog” and gradually the Chief begins to believe in himself and the power of his will. When the Chief recounts how he raised his hand for the World Series vote, he tells the reader how he “lifted it [himself]” without having to be pulled out of the “fog” by McMurphy