School, asylums, and prisons all have one general thing in common; they’re all institutions. However, in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the characters view any and all institutions in a completely negative light, which differs from the common viewpoint of these establishments. Throughout the entirety of the book the battle between institutions and individuals rages on. On one side, there’s what Chief Bromden-- the narrator-- refers to as “the Combine”, which includes Nurse Ratched and the rest of the hospital staff, while the other side is composed of the patients. The Chief supports the side of individuals and despises the mechanical nature of institutions, seemingly printing out copies of everything from people to houses so …show more content…
In Part 4, a fight in the showers ensues between McMurphy and the Chief against the orderlies. As a result, they are sent up to Disturbed (the ward above theirs where the unruly or aggressive patients are sent), and given electroshock “treatments” upon their refusal to apologize and return to the ward, attempting to make both patients conform to the desires of the institution while they continue to resist. The Chief is sent back down while McMurphy stays, receiving multiple treatments. While that continues, the Nurse realizes that the patients are beginning to place McMurphy upon an even higher pedestal, due to the rumors circulating about his response to the “treatments” he has been receiving. She makes the decision to bring him down to the original ward, but he ends up seeming fine and then attempts to expose her chest and strangle her. That results in him being sent away again, and in the time he is gone “everything is changing. Sefelt and Fredrickson signed out together Against Medical Advice, and two days later another three Acutes left, and six transferred to a different ward,” (page 319). Things seem to be improving for the patients; in a way, they’re winning! But then, after the only main characters remaining are the Chief, …show more content…
Additionally, the symbolism of the fight between institutions and individuals is quite apparent. If any such reader gives some thought, they can come up with an instance where this main battle rages on, even if it may be subtle at times. This book only provides a fictional example of the divide between certain groups, specifically those in general society and those not, or those going through their societal roles and those who rebel against the very same roles. Furthermore, there are real-world applications of this ideological conflict, including the origin of the United States. What is now America was an English territory, but the inhabitants became fed up with the inordinate amount of taxes on goods from tea to paper that they decided to revolt. Although it wasn’t an individual revolting against an institution, it was a group of people banding together, similar to the patients on the ward, and protesting against certain injustices and grievances created by England, similar to McMurphy’s attempts against the Big
Ken Kesey’s, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, is a novel containing the theme of emotions being played with in order to confine and change people. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is about a mental institution where a Nurse named Miss Ratched has total control over its patients. She uses her knowledge of the patients to strike fear in their minds. Chief Bromden a chronic who suffers from schizophrenia and pretends to be deaf and mute narrates the novel. From his perspective we see the rise and fall of a newly admitted patient, RP McMurphy. McMurphy used his knowledge and courage to bring changes in the ward. During his time period in the ward he sought to end the reign of the dictatorship of Nurse Ratched, also to bring the patients back on their feet. McMurphy issue with the ward and the patients on the ward can be better understood when you look at this novel through a psychoanalytic lens. By applying Daniel Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence to McMurphy’s views, it is can be seen that his ideas can bring change in the patients and they can use their
Gary B. Nash argues that the American Revolution portrayed “radicalism” in the sense on how the American colonies and its protesters wanted to accommodate their own government. Generally what Gary B. Nash is trying to inform the reader is to discuss the different conditions made by the real people who were actually fighting for their freedom. In his argument he makes it clear that throughout the revolution people showed “radicalism” in the result of extreme riots against the Stamp Act merchants, but as well against the British policies that were implemented. He discusses the urgency of the Americans when it came to declaring their issues against the British on how many slaves became militants and went up against their masters in the fight
The novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey tells a story of Nurse Ratched, the head nurse of a mental institution, and the way her patients respond to her harsh treatment. The story is told from the perspective of a large, Native-American patient named Bromden; he immediately introduces Randle McMurphy, a recently admitted patient, who is disturbed by the controlling and abusive way Ratched runs her ward. Through these feelings, McMurphy makes it his goal to undermine Ratched’s authority, while convincing the other patients to do the same. McMurphy becomes a symbol of rebellion through talking behind Ratched’s back, illegally playing cards, calling for votes, and leaving the ward for a fishing trip. His shenanigans cause his identity to be completely stolen through a lobotomy that puts him in a vegetative state. Bromden sees McMurphy in this condition and decides that the patients need to remember him as a symbol of individuality, not as a husk of a man destroyed by the
Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest explores the dysfunctions and struggles of life for the patients in a matriarch ruled mental hospital. As told by a schizophrenic Native American named Chief Bromden, the novel focuses primarily on Randle McMurphy, a boisterous new patient introduced into the ward, and his constant war with the Big Nurse Ratched, the emasculating authoritarian ruler of the ward. Constricted by the austere ward policy and the callous Big Nurse, the patients are intimidated into passivity. Feeling less like patients and more like inmates of a prison, the men surrender themselves to a life of submissiveness-- until McMurphy arrives. With his defiant, fearless and humorous presence, he instills a certain sense of rebellion within all of the other patients. Before long, McMurphy has the majority of the Acutes on the ward following him and looking to him as though he is a hero. His reputation quickly escalates into something Christ-like as he challenges the nurse repeatedly, showing the other men through his battle and his humor that one must never be afraid to go against an authority that favors conformity and efficiency over individual people and their needs. McMurphy’s ruthless behavior and seemingly unwavering will to protest ward policy and exhaust Nurse Ratched’s placidity not only serves to inspire other characters in the novel, but also brings the Kesey’s central theme into focus: the struggle of the individual against the manipulation of authoritarian conformists. The asylum itself is but a microcosm of society in 1950’s America, therefore the patients represent the individuals within a conformist nation and the Big Nurse is a symbol of the authority and the force of the Combine she represents--all...
People often find themselves as part of a collective, following society's norms and may find oneself in places where feeling constrained by the rules and will act out to be unconstrained, as a result people are branded as nuisances or troublemakers. In the novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, the author Ken Kesey conveys the attempt McMurphy makes to live unconstrained by the authority of Nurse Ratched. The story is very one sided and helps create an understanding for those troublemakers who are look down on in hopes of shifting ingrained ideals. The Significance of McMurphy's struggles lies in the importance placed on individuality and liberty. If McMurphy had not opposed fear and autocratic authority of Nurse Ratched nothing would have gotten better on the ward the men would still feel fear. and unnerved by a possibility of freedom. “...Then, just as she's rolling along at her biggest and meanest, McMurphy steps out of the latrine ... holding that towel around his hips-stops her dead! ” In the novel McMurphy shows little signs like this to combat thee Nurse. His defiance of her system included
From the moment McMurphy enters the ward it is clear to all that he is different and hard to control. He’s seen as a figure the rest of the patients can look up to and he raises their hopes in taking back power from the big nurse. The other patients identify McMurphy as a leader when he first stands up to the nurse at her group therapy, saying that she has manipulated them all to become “a bunch of chickens at a pecking party”(Kesey 55). He tells the patients that they do not have to listen to Nurse Ratched and he confronts her tactics and motives. The patients see him as a leader at this point, but McMurphy does not see the need for him to be leading alone. McMurphy is a strong willed and opinionated man, so when he arrives at the ward he fails to comprehend why the men live in fear, until Harding explains it to him by
In Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the reader has the experience to understand what it was like to live in an insane asylum during the 1960’s. Kesey shows the reader the world within the asylum of Portland Oregon and all the relationships and social standings that happen within it. The three major characters’ groups, Nurse Ratched, the Black Boys, and McMurphy show how their level of power effects how they are treated in the asylum. Nurse Ratched is the head of the ward and controls everything that goes on in it, as she has the highest authority in the ward and sabotages the patients with her daily rules and rituals. These rituals include her servants, the Black Boys, doing anything she tells them to do with the patients.
When norms of society are unfair and seem set in stone, rebellion is bound to occur, ultimately bringing about change in the community. Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest demonstrates the conflict of individuals who have to survive in an environment where they are pressured to cooperate. The hospital's atmosphere suppresses the patients' individuality through authority figures that mold the patients into their visions of perfection. The ward staff's ability to overpower the patients' free will is not questioned until a man named Randal McMurphy is committed to the mental institute. He rebels against what he perceives as a rigid, dehumanizing, and uncompassionate environment. His exposure of the flaws in the hospital's perfunctory rituals permits the other patients to form opinions and consequently their personalities surface. The patient's new behavior clashes with the medical personnel's main goal-to turn them into 'perfect' robots, creating havoc on the ward.
Gibson and Mika Haritos-Fatouros, they inform readers about psychologist Stanley Milgram’s studies. “Milgram proposed that the reasons people obey or disobey authority fall into three categories. The first is personal history family or school backgrounds that encourage obedience or defiance. The second, which he called “binding,” is made up of ongoing experiences that make people feel comfortable when they obey authority. Strain, the third category, consists of bad feelings from unpleasant experiences connected with obedience,” ( Milgram 247). Although the nurse isn’t harmful the patients still feel obligated to respect and obey her. The complication begins when McMurphy joins the group. First of all, Randle McMurphy is not disturbed, he’s not crazy. He’s just a rebellious man who doesn’t follow any orders. He had the group steal a bus and steal a boat to go fishing and so he could spend time with his old friend Candy. He doesn’t respect Nurse Ratched and always seems to have a problem with her. He causes everyone to speak up, which isn’t a bad thing but causes disorder and the patients act up. For example, the scene where Cheswick starts yelling at the nurse and disobeys her orders doesn’t sit down and pouts about not getting his cigarettes back. From the start of the movie to the middle it seems that they were gaining a new authority figure, McMurphy himself. “The Greek example illustrates how the ability to torture can be taught. Training that increases binding and reduces strain can cause decent people to commit acts, often over long periods of time, that otherwise would be unthinkable for them” (Gibson, Haritos-Fatouros 249). The rebellious Mac has an influence on the rest of the ward to think it is okay to be against the rules. The quote “You bargained your freedom for the comfort of discipline,” (Jones Gibson, Haritos-Fatouros 247) has a similar meaning to McMurphy's actions. Mac gets a bit out of
Fred Wright, Lauren's instructor for EN 132 (Life, Language, Literature), comments, "English 132 is an introduction to English studies, in which students learn about various areas in the discipline from linguistics to the study of popular culture. For the literature and literary criticism section of the course, students read a canonical work of literature and what scholars have said about the work over the years. This year, students read One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey, a classic of American literature which dates from the 1960s counterculture. Popularized in a film version starring Jack Nicholson, which the class also watched in order to discuss film studies and adaptation, the novel became notable for its sympathetic portrayal of the mentally ill. For an essay about the novel, students were asked to choose a critical approach (such as feminist, formalist, psychological, and so forth) and interpret the novel using that approach, while also considering how their interpretation fit into the ongoing scholarly dialogue about the work. Lauren chose the challenge of applying a Marxist approach to One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. Not only did she learn about critical approaches and how to apply one to a text, she wrote an excellent essay, which will help other readers understand the text better. In fact, if John Clark Pratt or another editor ever want to update the 1996 Viking Critical Library edition of the novel, then he or she might want to include Lauren's essay in the next edition!"
He also learns that Chief is perfectly fine and has no illness. McMurphy’s plan is to sneak two women, Candy and Rose, into the ward and bribe the night guard. Instead of quickly escaping, he decides to throw a small party but it actually turns into a horrific party. It soons turns into daytime and McMurphy nor the Chief has not escaped the ward but instead caused a mess. Nurse Ratched has arrived and finds the whole ward out of place. She is furious and demands an explanation from everyone; the only one able to give an explanation is Billy but he ends up confessing that it was McMurphy’s idea. She sends Billy to the doctor’s office but discovers that he committed suicide. McMurphy sees his friend Billy dead and quickly becomes anger at Nurse Ratched so he decided to strangle
Due to Nurse Ratched’s complete dominance and perfunctory routine, the patients exhibit inhumane behaviors and act like animals who get “sight of a spot of blood on some chicken and they all go to peckin’ at it... till they rip the chicken to shreds’ (Kesey 57). However, McMurphy’s decision attempt to lift the control panel gives the other patients in the ward the courage to attempt the impossible. In the novel, McMurphy wants other patients to participate in a vote that will allow them access to the tv to watch the World Series. When he demands a revote from Nurse Ratched, the McMurphy is able to help the patients stand up for themselves by going “into the fog... dragging them blinking into the open” (Kesey 140). By trying to lift the control panel even when he knows he cannot, McMurphy inspires the other patients in the ward to take risks. He is also able to connect the patients back to their humanity and courage, which allows them to recognize that they deserve proper treatment in order to get better. McMurphy shows the patients that they have the power to fight and make their own
In 1960s America, the national fear of communist infiltration into the highest levels of the US fueled the Red Scare, which led to one of the most unstable periods in American history. The paranoia, forced conformity, and suppression of individual liberties which characterized the Cold War era during the 1950s and 1960s. In his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey presents the consequences of the suppression of liberty and individuality in a world obsessed with conformity. Like all great literature, Kesey reflected society. Through McMurphy, Ratched, and the rest of the chronics and acutes living in the combine, Kesey exposes America’s treatment of the mentally ill in a system constructed on the profit of the suppression of individuality
In Ken Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, the author refers to the many struggles people individually face in life. Through the conflict between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy, the novel explores the themes of individuality and rebellion against conformity. With these themes, Kesey makes various points which help us understand which situations of repression can lead an individual to insanity. These points include: the effects of sexual repression, woman as castrators, and the pressures we face from society to conform. Through these points, Kesey encourages the reader to consider that people react differently in the face of repression, and makes the reader realize the value of alternative states of perception, rather than simply writing them off as "crazy."
Unable to see McMurphy imprisoned in a body that will go on living (under Nurse Ratched’s control) even though his spirit is gone, Chief smothers him to death that night. Then he escapes the hospital and leaves for Canada and a new life. We begin to see the different situations in which the patients struggle to overcome. Whether insane or not, the hospital is undeniably in control of the fates of its