Superego In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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Freud believed that our subconscious was divided into three sections. Our unconscious thoughts, urges and desires known as the id. Our preconscious thoughts and conscience which represents the knowledge we have learned about right and wrong, known as the superego. Finally, our conscious self which mediates the id and superego, known as the ego. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, written by Ken Kesey, is a story about a man who doctors can not decide whether he is insane or just pretending, so they send him to Oregon Psychiatric Hospital which is run by Nurse Ratched. When applying Freud's theory to this novel we are able to distinguish the different personality traits of the two main characters, R.P McMurphy and Nurse Ratched. Through their encounters …show more content…

In the novel, there is no effective ego, which is not a desirable situation to be in. With no ego to stabilize the opposing viewpoints of the id and superego, the two completely opposite, but also indistinguishable personalities, go head to head and it is certain that there will be a disastrous outcome. An example of this is when Billy Bibbit committed suicide because he couldn’t live with the thought of how disappointed his mother would be if she found out he had sexual relations with a woman he had only met once. All the nurses and patients were distraught after seeing his dead body being taken away. They were shouting and crying when Nurse Ratched, in a calm tone said, “Now calm down. The best thing we can do is go on with our daily routine.” This shows that, because she craves order, she is heartless and expects the people who spent nearly every day with him to forget he is dead and move on. McMurphy then lunged at Nurse Ratched and strangled her, not thinking about the consequences, McMurphy only wanted revenge. This shows us how the id and superego are unable to resolve conflicts rationally on their own. McMurphy wants to destroy everything Nurse Ratched has worked to create, and Nurse Ratched wants McMurphy to conform to her rules and make him compliant. In a battle between two unmatchable forces, there is only going to be one winner, and in this case, Nurse Ratched won. After McMurphy’s outburst, Nurse Ratched deemed him erratic and sent him to the doctors to be lobotomized. Nurse Ratched wanted so badly to restore order to her ward that she was willing to suppress McMurphy’s identity so that she could control him. This shows how dangerous our world would be if there were no ego to balance the id and superego. In society, people are forced to do

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