One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Analysis

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The movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, a Milos Forman film which is based off Ken Kesey’s novel,Big Nurse Ratched’s suffocating authority and power over the patients is the catalyst that triggers reactions and vents as she also uses non-verbal communication such as excessive eye contact and silence during group time so she isn’t the “bad guy”; she also demonstrates and verbally controls the men of the ward by enforcing a schedule that doesn’t let them have any control over their day. The movie is narrated by "Chief" Bromden, a schizophrenic Native American man who pretends to be deaf and dumb so that everybody ignores him. The movie starts out when a new admission Randle McMurphy, is introduced to an insane asylum where Chief is the longest-residing …show more content…

This shows a major theme of the movie, false diagnosis of insanity or mental condition. Mc Murphy is intelligent, and very observant. Immediately, he stirs up the ward by introducing friendly contention, rivalry, and gambling with cigarettes; furthermore he encourages the men to rebel against the petty rules created and enforced by Nurse Ratched. The movie progresses and McMurphy places a bet with the other men on the ward that he can break Nurse Ratched without getting sent to the Disturbed Ward, being treated with electroshock therapy, or being lobotomized. The electroshock therapy table is explicitly associated with crucifixion as it is shaped like a cross, with straps across the wrists and over the head. Moreover, the table performs a function similar to the public crucifixions of Roman times. Ellis, Ruckly, and Taber serve as public examples of what happens to those who rebel against the ruling powers. Ellis makes the reference explicit as he is actually nailed to the wall. This is foreshadowing that McMurphy, who is associated with Christ images throughout the movie, will be

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