...Cynthia K. Nessmith Professor Shawana Stanford American Literature 2130 14 April 2013 Film adaptation of the American novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest novel was written by Ken Kesey in 1962. The film adaptation version was directed by Czech Milos Forman in 1975. My goal in this paper is not only to compare the film adaptation to the Novel but to also explain what I think the symbols represent, critic’s analysis, themes presented in this film, and the significance of the Novel. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest film’s setting begins with a police car driving down the road to people sleeping in bunk beds, ending with a glimpse of a drawing taped to the wall with a crazy face centered in it. A nurse enters a locked down facility, while another prepares medicine for the patients. The police car arrives at the facility with a prisoner in handcuffs that is released to the hospital staff. The characters in this film are as follows: Randall P. McMurphy played by Jack Nicholson, a rebellious convict with a loud mouth and a set of sexual playing cards. He’s courageous and challenges the staff/system of the mental hospital. Nurse Ratched played by Louise Fletcher is a calm, cold, well mannered, and soft spoken head nurse of the mental hospital that plays McMurphy’s enemy. Chief Bromdon played by Will Sampson is a big and tall Indian who is described as “deaf and dumb” (according to the character Billy). Billy Bibbit played by Brad Dourif is a young...
Words: 1717 - Pages: 7
...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
...different races change over time. Although I feel that the media makes a more conscious effort to remove degrading racial stereotypes from films, the acknowledgement of the existence of these stereotypes confirms that they are still present. After watching a movie from three different time periods, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Stand and Deliver (1988), and Our Family Wedding (2010), I have found that representation of race in film has largely remained the same, while the acknowledgement of existing stereotypes has become more obvious. The 1960’s-1970’s was a time characterized by Irish Mob Wars (Durney 2000), Hollywood conservative backlash films, and the ongoing misrepresentation of American Indians in film (Larson 2006). One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a movie is about a criminal who pretends to be crazy so that he can serve his sentence in the relatively comfortable confines of an insane asylum rather than a prison. We see the results of the historical events represented in characters from this movie such as Randle Patrick McMurphy, Mr. Turkle, the ward’s guards, and Chief Bromden. The Irish have been infamous for their mafia and organized crime, especially in the Cleveland area. Perhaps their most publicly recognized contribution to the media’s fascination with violence is the Mob Wars of the mid-1970’s (Durney 2000). These huge displays of violence prepped the audience of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to easily accept the character of McMurphy, an Irish American...
Words: 2080 - Pages: 9
... “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” By: Eric Sawyer Option #1 We live in a world with many different types of institutions. Some might care for mental problems, not being able to care for yourself or being at age when you cannot. There are also institutions that are organized to protect the community to so called intentional dangers. Some of the concepts we have discussed in class go hand and hand with the social context of Goffman’s total institutions. I will discuss the concepts of how institutions might hurt or help and the different concepts we have discussed in class relating to Coffman’s “Characteristics of Total Institutions”. Something that I analyzed in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo Nest” is the false diagnosis of insanity. Mcmurphy’s sanity is symbolized through free spirit, positive laughter and just an over all around positive out look on life. In Coffman’s “Total Institutions”, it goes into “Adaption Alignments” and how this is a mortifying process of how inmates must adapt to the conditions that an institution might have such as privileges and consequences. Mcmurphy falls under the rebellious line, the characteristics that fall under this is how the inmate intentionally challenges institution by refusing to cooperate with staff in almost any way. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest, Mcmurphy demonstrates this in many ways, in the part were he broke two young ladies in the institution, or manipulating the Mr. Turkle to have the nighttime ward party. Mcmurphy always...
Words: 1153 - Pages: 5
...April 26, 2016 Critique of 1950 America’s Society in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest In Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the author obvious intention can be easily seen in analogies the author draws. For example, he makes an analogy between the mental institution in the story and a small society, which is the very epitome of that period. He makes an analogy between the patients in the mental institution and the common people in 1950s American society. He also makes an analogy between the nurses and the authorities in mid-twentieth century of America. The rules in the hospital are same as the dogma and law in American society. The common people have to strictly follow the dogmatic rules and the autocracy; freedom does not exist. The patients in the book are like machines. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, using the analogy of a mental institution, suggests that 1950s American society is not free and that people need to rise up to try to change it. Firstly, the Big Nurse’s manipulation and subtle cruelty cannot give enough freedom for the patients. Secondly, the main elements of control are self-inflicted; the fear that holds them down is internal. Thirdly, McMurphy is a messianic figure, and his doom is inevitable. He brings liberation to others, and this is the true meaning to his own life. First, Nurse Ratched’s manipulation and subtle cruelty mirrors discrimination of the era. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the chief Bromden and the patients who are there are...
Words: 2451 - Pages: 10
...“The Cuckoo’s Nest” Many individuals may find themselves in a cuckoo’s nest. Not everyone merely is normal or abnormal, sane or insane, but live their everyday lives estranged by society. The society’s environment is constantly changing. Take a look at the economy; observe the wealthy and poor, evolving relationships, some who desire change, and those who don’t. These differences produce cultural abnormality and no-one knows where to fit in. The world is a cuckoo’s nest with revolving doors. The article Rosenhan exemplifies how no-one knows how to fit in. For instance, there were prestigious people selected to take part in an experiment to determine whether they were insane or abnormal. Unfortunately they were labeled schizophrenics in remission, unable to remove this title. These people were unsure of the rules; for instance, not knowing how long their visit was going to be, to act accordingly to their environment or remain absolutely different from their peers. Unlike the movie “One flew over the cuckoo’s nest,” people couldn’t leave on their own terms. However, in the movie, there were test individuals who would come and go as they please, and attend group therapy. These people had to adjust to a set schedule, try to fit in, prove their normality or insanity. What is insane or abnormal? Either act as a violation of societal norms or an irrational hatred, and contempt for someone. Many people will discount someone as “insane or abnormal,” if they...
Words: 1103 - Pages: 5
...Gender Roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest The 1950’s was a decade characterized by traditional gender roles of women as homemakers downgraded to the domestic sphere and men as economic providers. With the arrival of the 1960’s, however, stereotypical gender roles were challenged and the American society underwent a variety of social transformations. American writers, such as Ken Kesey, responded to the change through writing. Kesey’s response to the times was his 1962 novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which is not only a social commentary about mental illness, but also a response to changing gender roles. By demonizing powerful women and uplifting powerful men, his novel promotes sexism and ultimately holds the misogynistic stance that powerful women must be subjugated. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the female characters can be divided into two extreme categories: "ball-cutters" and whores. The negative portrayal of powerful women can be seen in the problematic relationships that the male patients have with their mothers. Bromden, the half Native-American narrator, has a mother who constantly undermines his father, the chief of the Columbia Gorge tribe and a once-powerful man. Bromden’s mother dominates her husband and her son by acting in non-traditional ways, such as using her maiden name for the family’s last name rather than using her husband’s, which convinces Bromden’s father that he is weak and helpless. Because she herself is white, she is ashamed...
Words: 1394 - Pages: 6
...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
...the release of the movies: Cool Hand Luke (1967) and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). In Cool Hand Luke, Lucas Jackson is placed at a southern prison where as in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, R.P. (Randle) McMurphy was placed in a mental institution. They were the rebellious and Christ-like figures that were chained into a restricted society. One will see through the many similarities between the two movies’ including the characters, conflict, symbolism, and theme. The similarities between the...
Words: 1081 - Pages: 5
...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 Harding for the position...
Words: 556 - Pages: 3
...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
...One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Literary analysis How could the text be read and interpreted differently by two different readers? One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is a book that deals with the struggles of mental illness and conformity. Randle Patrick McMurphy also known as McMurphy has just been out into a hospital for the mentally ill, where he intends to take over and make the head nurse, Nurse Ratched crack under pressure from his shenanigans and wild antics. Next is Chief, Chief has been at the hospital the longest, the story his told through his eyes and schizophrenic thoughts. Though Chief is in the story he can be unreliable because of the schizophrenia and possible ptsd from being in world war two causing hallucinations throughout...
Words: 814 - Pages: 4
...Jordan Begley 1-21-14 The Individual and The System One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Many social issues and problems are explored in Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Perhaps the most obvious complaint against society is the treatment of the individual. This problem of the individual versus the system is a very controversial topic that has provoked great questioning of the government and the methods used to treat people who are unable to conform to the government's standards. McMurphy is an individual who is challenging and rebelling against the system's rules and practices. He eventually teaches this practice of rebellion to the other patients who begin to realize that their lives are being controlled unfairly by the mental institution. When McMurphy first arrives at the institution, all of the other patients are afraid to express their thoughts to the Big Nurse. They are afraid to exercise their thoughts freely, and they believe that the Big Nurse will punish them if they question her authority. One patient, Harding, says, "All of us in here are rabbits of varying ages and degrees...We need a good strong wolf like the nurse to teach us our place" (Kesey 62). This novel has a very strong theme of government rejecting those who are considered nonconformists in modern society. The government then places these nonconformists in mental...
Words: 488 - Pages: 2
...Character: Chief Bromden (Chief Broom) is the narrator of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Attending for over ten years, he is the longest patient to stay the psychiatric hospital in Oregon. Bromden’s hallucinations brought him into the ward, in which he also gets paranoid and bullied. Because of these hallucinations, he must be medicated. In the beginning of the novel, Bromden reveals how the other patients believe he is deaf and cannot speak, however he is not. In the first chapter, Bromden writes, “They don’t bother not talking out loud about their hate secrets when I’m nearby because they think I’m deaf and dumb. Everybody thinks so. I’m cagey enough to fool them that much” (Kesey 3). Bromden himself does not know if what he is seeing is true or not and lies to his inmates about his disabilities, proving how he is an unreliable narrator....
Words: 541 - Pages: 3
...In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, author Ken Kesey focuses on how modern society oppresses those who do not fit into the mold of what is considered normal. In the mental ward that the book takes place in, Randle McMurphy continually rebels against the tyrannical Nurse Ratched, who symbolizes modern society in Kesey’s book. McMurphy, although unaware in the beginning of the horrible experiences the patients go through at the hands of Nurse Ratched, starts an uprising against Nurse Ratched and ends up sacrificing himself so his fellow patients can gain their freedom. Initially entering the asylum, McMurphy was not insane. He chose to go to the hospital instead of serving a six month sentence at a work camp because he thought it would be easier. In the beginning, McMurphy is immediately labeled as different; unlike the other patients who have been forced to repress their emotions due to Nurse Ratched, McMurphy is described as a big, vulgar, sexual, funny man whose loud laugh shocks the patients. This shows two things; one, McMurphy does not truly understand the pain or suffering that comes from being oppressed by a society yet, which leads to the second point. Because McMurphy is both not oppressed and still has his...
Words: 556 - Pages: 3
