...The majority of individuals in society are often deceived by fallacious beliefs on those suffering with a psychological illness. The novel, One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, written by Ken Kesey, educates readers on the prominence of proper education on mental health, as well as, the severity of the treacherous treatments directed towards the predominantly oppressed group. The renowned tale is narrated by Chief Bromden, who is described as a “deaf and dumb” Native- American, inhabiting the Oregon Psychiatric Institution. Conversely, the protagonist of the novel, Randel McMurphy, is introduced as a polar opposite to the majority of the ward’s patients. McMurphy, distinguished as an American of Irish decent, proclaims to be a well-known gambler,...
Words: 353 - Pages: 2
...In the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey perfectly constructs every aspect of the story from the characters to the plot to the setting of the story to show the injustice that disadvantaged people face in society. By having the story centered around patients in a mental asylum, Kesey is able to show not what the disadvantaged suffer through every day because of their existing, but also how societies’ “normal” people treat and view people less fortunate than themselves. The book makes you wonder, who truly is the one that needs the help. The disadvantaged people, or the ones that choose to ignore their pleas and abuse them. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest features a wide variety of characters, each with their own unique...
Words: 1254 - Pages: 6
...control. In the story “The One Who Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” the constant theme of good vs evil is reminded throughout the story. Whether it be nurse Ratchet vs all who will oppose her authority or questioning if the punishment is justifiable. In the story nurse Ratchet (the antagonist) is epitomized as an evil tyrant, wanting every muscle movement to proceed in the manner that she wants you to do. "So [Nurse Ratched] really lets herself go and her painted smile twists, stretches to an...
Words: 611 - Pages: 3
...was born in 1935 in Colorado. In 1946, his family moved to Oregon, where he become champion in wrestling, both in high school and college (Ken Kesey Biography.” Encyclopedia of World Biography). He attended Stanford University and later in 1960 Kesey volunteered in the experiment organized by U.S army, in which he was using drugs such LSD, mescaline, psilocybin and then reporting on their effect. He also spent some time communicating with patients in the hospital's psychiatric ward. It was an experience which encouraged Ken Kesey to write his 1962 novel, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” (the book I’m reading right now), which examined the abuses of the system against the individuals and the theory that patients weren’t insane, but...
Words: 1787 - Pages: 8
...Throughout Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, one can see the book in many ways. He uses the book to express many of his believes, some of which are quite obviously drug induced. Kesey, like other authors at the time was looking at the world from the outside. He was part of the end of the beats movement. A common belief amongst beats movement writers was the idea of not conforming to the society that went against everything they believed. Ken Kesey hinted at his beats generation views all throughout One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by reversing gender and race roles inside the mental hospital the book takes place in. Kesey also exploits the idea of conforming to, and being controlled by society norms. Early and all through One Flew...
Words: 824 - Pages: 4
...When looking at a tragic hero, the first thing that comes to mind is a type of character that starts as a low key person, and then becomes relevant person within society. In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the mail McMurphy is a god like human in the minds of the other patients and gives them life as his time dwindles at the institution. Someone in my mind that reminds me of McMurphy is Barry Bonds. In his life, he started his career as a one of the most looked at players until he was tested positive for steriods. Randall McMurphy and Barry Bonds share the character traits of determination, arrogance, and isolation. To begin, the up forth of R.P McMurphy and Barry Bonds’s glory came to be from the determination they have to be the best at what they do. McMurphy, along the road for his rise amongst the patients at the home, could not have happened if it was not for the lack of enthusiasm he saw in the faces of the people he was with every day of his life at the institution. “Damn, what a sorry-looking outfit. You boys don’t look so crazy to me” (Kesey 19). McMurphy knows these men have been dragged down for being in the institution and believes in himself to help them. One way he gets them to see how his personality is, is by loosening them up and trying to me them feel better about themselves. In comparison to Barry Bonds, the way he went up in the ladder was by playing the game of baseball how every American loved to watch it be played, with lots of...
Words: 1061 - Pages: 5
...Judith Guest’s novel, Ordinary People, and movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, directed by Milos Forman, both share a number of traits that correlate with one another . Such traits include vulnerability, perfection, and emotional imbalance. Both Ordinary People and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest captivate the emotions of the audience by addressing these three traits through a point of view, setting, and imagery. Since Ordinary People has two perspectives of a father and son, the point of view in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest focuses on Nurse Ratched’s confrontation with Billy. Furthermore, the vulnerability that Con develops after the death of his brother also applies to Billy when Nurse Ratched humiliated him in front of the other...
Words: 1039 - Pages: 5
...nurse throughout One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey reveals Nurse Ratched’s authoritative demeanor she holds throughout the ward. The ward runs on a policy-based system that Nurse Ratched has created to ensure the floor works like a machine. But, now that McMurphy has become a part of the ward, he is determined to mess up, even the littlest bit, of Nurse Ratcheds system. Specifically, when Nurse Ratched walks into the ward she finds McMurphy standing in nothing but his towel with his toothbrush in his hand. Nurse Ratched is becoming “madder and more frustrated than ever” because she expected an aid to have “[issue] a change of greens” to McMurphy (89). Here, Kesey has brought...
Words: 432 - Pages: 2
...One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as a Tool for Awareness and Education As violence and diseases such as mental illness detrimentally affect individuals across the world, topics like these that occur in literature are censored, and children are shielded from these "harsh," yet unavoidable, realities. Both violence and mental health are reoccurring themes throughout the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kessey, which is why is it often challenged by parents of high school students. Although some concerned parents believe that the violent treatments within One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest are too disturbing and gruesome for adolescents, the book should be included in high school curriculums because it provides education and awareness...
Words: 1607 - Pages: 7
...Roles of Domineering and Passive Women Sometimes our expectation of what is good and what is evil can be surprisingly reversed. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey is an example of this. Prior to the women’s rights movement in the 1970’s, men considered women to have limited roles in society. Men felt that the woman’s place was in the home. Women in the workforce were often looked upon as threats to manhood because they could take jobs and promotions away from men, who were typically the main source of a family’s income. This sentiment is reflected in Kesey’s novel. The majority of women in the book hold positions of authority. These women are portrayed as dominating and abusive with the intent to emasculate the male patients. The only other role of women in the novel is that of prostitutes who are portrayed as good because they allow men to be masculine. The prostitutes help the male patients with “women in authority” issues overcome their anxieties. In his novel, Kesey portrays nurses as threats to male patients in order to illustrate that, in general, women in authority can only result in the emasculation of men, while passive women can help restore the confidence of manhood. The principle authority figure, Nurse Ratched, is ruthless in her mission to dominate and control her male patients. She has the power to intimidate the staff into complying with her demands. When patients do not comply, she manipulates the doctor into ordering shock treatments and even...
Words: 746 - Pages: 3
...like a high school curriculum. For Example, Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest should not be censored in high school curriculums. Critics argue that One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest should be censored because it encourages acts of violence. One of the main characters, McMurphy, is known for “fight[ing] too much” (Kesey 19) which shows on his knuckles that are “covered with scars and cuts, old and new” (Kesey 28). The cuts are proof of his violent nature which doesn’t change throughout the novel. Another cause for concern is when McMurphy shatters the nurses window for the third time, pins down Big Nurse, rips her blouse open, and pries his “heavy red fingers [into] the white flesh of her throat as if they were her neck bones” (Kesey 268). This almost kills Big Nurse and is a very violent act that critics don’t want children to imitate. However, the notion that reading about violent acts will make students want to commit violent acts is a faulty analytical assumption. McMurphy doesn’t attack Big Nurse simply to be violent; it was the other patients’ “need that was making him push himself slowly up from sitting” (Kesey 268) to commit the crime. McMurphy, a stable minded man in a mental institution, put himself on the line to help the other patients who were being manipulated by Big Nurse and her regime. Critics also argue that the novel is too sexual for a high school curriculum. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is riddled with sexual innuendo. As McMurphy challenges...
Words: 556 - Pages: 3
...A Christ Figure is a character whose presence and actions resemble that of Jesus Christ, a martyr who sacrifices himself for the betterment of those around him. The novels, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, and the movie, Cool Hand Luke, include Christ Figures who positively alter the setting where they once existed. Commonly, a Christ Figure intentionally takes on suffering, such as Luke in Cool Hand Luke and McMurphy in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Luke is a newly arrived inmate at a work prison who influences his fellow prisoners to fight against authority. Just like Luke, McMurphy is a newly admitted patient in a mental institute who influences the people around him to defy the authority...
Words: 1023 - Pages: 5
...One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest As a child, the adults in my neighborhood would always say “stop acting like a crazy person, or else people are going to think you’re really crazy”. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Randle McMurphy does exactly what the old people of my community said not to do; he pretends to be crazy. The reason he does this is to avoid the punishment of jail time, he pleads insanity and ends up in a mental institution. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was released in 1975, it was directed by Milos Forman. It starred Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy, Louise Fletcher as Nurse Rathced, and Danny Divito as Martini. Randle McMurphy is under the impression that he would rather serve time in a mental institution, than serve jail time, is admitted as a patient and attempts to play the role of an insane person. Immediately he realizes that the people who are his peers in the community have problems that go a lot deeper than his. He seems to be able to reach out to the clients and in the end; his demise is one person’s freedom. McMurphy teaches Chief, a Native American inmate how to fend for himself, and he encourages the other patients to rebel against the head nurse, Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched does not like her authority to be challenged, and a power struggle begins between she and McMurphy. McMurphy pulls many stunts during his stay at the hospital, but the one that sends her over the edge is when McMurphy throws party and brings prostitutes to the mental...
Words: 485 - Pages: 2
...With five Oscars any movie is bound to be a great movie and that is true for “One flew over the cuckoo's nest” aswell . In the movie R.P McMurphy is moved from prison to a mental instition despite the fact that he is completely sane, but what seems like a piece of cake turns out to be more challenging than he expects. The presence of McMurphy, who is impulsive and disobediant, affect the other patients who previously were always held back in an almost unnatural way. Starring several well-known actors, the movie is really held together by the acting performances. Especially Jack Nicholson's McMurphy and his interactions with nurse Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher, is what makes the story fascinating. McMurphy, as the only sane patient and...
Words: 311 - Pages: 2
...In the novel “One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” what sticks out to me the most is that the narrator is not the protagonist. You would think at first that Chief Bromden the one who is a “Chronic” would have a flawed mental state. However that is not the case because Bromden is adept at describing what he sees. He also sees the true intention of Nurse Ratched and pretends that he is deaf. What is surprising is that McMurphy the new admission is very happy to be in a hospital for the insane. I still don’t know whether it’s all a play to get on the other patient good side or part of his true character. He notices that Chief Bromden is not really deaf and winks to Bromden that he knows. This tells me that McMurphy is someone who is not easily fooled....
Words: 1225 - Pages: 5
