Examples Of Feminism In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest written by Ken Kesey, the novel explores aspects of feminism through one of the main characters, Nurse Ratched. In society, we see women pitted against men or each other and seen less than men. However, in the ward, Nurse Ratched, a woman, is above all the patients and seen as an authority figure and for this reason, most patients are scared of her. For example, patients are afraid she’ll bring them to Disturbed and they become uncomfortable when she is in a room as they are unaware of the powers she has over them and what extent they go to. In the visual, it shows someone breaking free from something that’s been limiting their abilities to be successful. This visual symbolizes the quote in …show more content…

I don’t agree that he should be sent up to Disturbed, which would simply be an easy way of passing our problem on to another ward, and I don’t agree that he is some kind of extraordinary being - some kind of “super psychopath.” She waits but nobody is about to disagree.” (Kesey 157). Nurse Ratched is the authoritative figure surrounded by men who are inferior due to their mental stability. This role reversal in the book is unusual, especially since the novel was written in 1962. For the most part, in the present day, we see more women being able to prove stereotypes wrong and break the glass ceiling. No one responding to Nurse Ratched’s statement because they fear her shows the mark she’s made in the hospital, proving she’s able to do something that she stereotypically cannot do. Although Nurse Ratched is seen as someone in power, the patients still sexualize her and comment on her curvaceous features. However, Nurse Ratched is able to ignore the names she’s called and the way she’s treated. The ropes in the visual shows how an individual was restricted to break free and be powerful and it represents everything that weighed Nurse Ratched down, such as the sexualization of her and others previously questioning her

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