Similarities Between Dead Poets Society And One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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Recommended: Theory on conformity

The struggle for independence is part of the human experience; from childhood, we attempt to disengage ourselves from oppressive systems to cultivate our identities. Peter Weir and Ken Kesey tackle this theme through the lens of institutions in Dead Poets Society and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Each author navigates the concept of independence in relation to each character and their institution, questioning if independence and growth of one person are worth the sacrifice of others and the collapse of the institution. Ideas about conformity and freedom are conveyed to the reader through the use of symbolism, characterisation, and juxtaposition. The struggle for independence begins in the resistance against the system and its rules; Kesey uses characterisation of McMurphy and his gang to show this shift in power and the fight for freedom, while Weir utilises the symbolism of the Dead Poets Society. McMurphy's arrival to the ward muddles the Big Nurse's "outfit from running like a smooth , accurate, precision-made machine" (p. 25). McMurphy encourages the other patients to support his revolt against Nurse Ratched and her "modern matriarchy" (p. 67). By the end of the novel, Kesey develops his characters to be able to even "to pop and snort to keep from laughing" (p. 296) in "a place where the men won't let themselves loose and laugh" (p. 45) to express the development of their revolt. Weir, …show more content…

At these meetings, the boys would smoke, read poems, look at

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