“People don't want other people to get high, because if you get high, you might see the falsity of the fabric of the society we live in.” This quote by Ken Kesey embodies his view of society in the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest. He depicts the modern society through Nurse Ratched, a strong authoritarian figure, who embellishes the nature of society. She is notorious in her endeavors to control the men and pressures them to conform to society that is challenged by McMurphy, who brings the men out of the fog. Through the Combine and the Nurse, Kesey’s highlights several major ideas about society. He illustrates the repressive nature of society that causes men to conform to boundaries. Furthermore, he depicts how society rejects those …show more content…
who are deemed defective in the system. Lastly, he also illustrates how society is a major cause of shame and indignity. Thus, Kesey delineates the nature of society as being repressive, selective, and a cause of diffidence. To begin, Kesey portrays society’s repressive nature that makes individuals on the ward conform to certain standards. For example, Chief Bromden describes the great force of society: “The pressures of the different beams and frequencies coming from all directions, working to push and bend you one way or another” (Kesey 239). This is also depicted when the Chief recalls the Combine working on his father when he says, “if you don’t watch it [society] will force you one way or the other, into doing what they think you should do” (Kesey 210). In both of these quotes they display the great pressure society has on individuals. In other words, Kesey depicts society’s significant force as a tool of conformity that is able to shape the men. When the Chief talks about the “frequencies coming in all directions”, he is describing how society’s compulsion targets men who are unable to fit into society’s borders. Similarly, in the next quote it elaborates how society enforces its boundaries by eroding the human spirit to conform. Both these quotes show the great extent in which society is able to bend individuals to certain standards. In addition, this repressive nature of society is also seen when the Chief discusses McMurphy, he hadn’t “let the Combine mill him into fitting where they wanted him to fit” (Kesey 162). The Combine is depicted as a mechanized extension of society, that works to force individuals to fit perfectly in the machine. Kesey is portraying how society categorizes people and is increasingly mechanized in nature by trying to tame human behavior. By trying to “mill him”, society greatly suppresses McMurphy and his individual freedom. In doing so, society is essentially striping what makes him different from the other men so he can conform to the boundaries of society. Thus, one aspect of society is its repressive nature, forcing men to conform to certain standards that are considered normal. Another aspect of society is how it rejects those deemed defective in the system.
For instance, when Harding talks to McMurphy about the Combine he explains why the men are in the ward: “All of us in here are rabbits of varying ages and degrees… we’re all in here because we can’t adjust to our rabbithood” (Kesey 64). Describing the nature of society when he says “we can’t adjust to our rabbithood”, Harding explains how society rejects those termed ill or defective. The men are in the ward since they are unable to adjust to society and accept their roles as rabbits. Society has locked these individuals up in the ward to reset them into the “correct” behavior. This quote depicts altogether how society designates roles to men and rejects those who can’t adjust. Likewise, this is also demonstrated when Nurse Ratched states powerfully, “many of you are in here because you could not adjust to the rules of society in the Outside World” (Kesey 199). As demonstrated through this quote, it delineates the nature of society in how it works to reshape the men. This illustrates how society at large, a giant force, exists to oppress people within the system. The Combine is adept at this by coercing individuals to fit into the system by helping them readjust. Ratched, who represents society, works to help the men fit comfortably into society. This essentially means that within the ward, Nurse Ratched rewires the men to help them be able to live in the outside world again. Thus, one aspect …show more content…
of society is how it rejects individuals who are not able to adjust to society. Lastly, a final component that Kesey depicts is the great force society holds that causes immense shame in regards to individuals who are not bold enough to live in the outside world.
This is seen throughout the novel with the men being pecked at for their attributes that make them different. Harding is unable to live in society and he explains his situation by saying, “Guilt. Shame. Fear. Self-belittlement. I discovered at an early age that… I indulged in certain practices that our society regards as shameful” (Kesey 307). Through this quote Harding is so ashamed of his homosexuality that he chooses to lock himself up to escape the critical nature of society. It is very clear that Harding holds himself back from living freely by his fear of how society will perceive him. This shows the great social pressure along with the shame that follows with being in the outside world. The fear of judgment by society causes him to hide from it rather than live in its rejection. Furthermore, this ignominy from society is also seen when Harding talks about the pressure from society, “the great, deadly, pointing forefinger of society was pointing at me - and the great voice of millions chanting, Shame. Shame. Shame.” (Kesey 310). This quote embodies the huge judgment that society constitutes what is normal or abnormal behavior. By this mass “forefinger” Harding propounds how society is a great cause of individual degradation, making the men feel embarrassed. For most of the men on the
ward they cannot cope with society since they are not bold enough to face disapproval. Society has corroded these men by making them fail to see their own self worth and internal dignity. Thus, Kesey shows society’s harsh treatment of individuals who are different that causes great humiliation. In conclusion, Kesey’s depiction of society is very accurate. He highlights how the pressure of society negatively affects those who are unable to conform. To say that society is a tool of conformity is feasible. Society is depicted as repressive, discriminatory, and toxic by causing the men on the ward to hide from the harsh judgments of society. This can open the eyes of society to accept all no matter what background or color. Society needs to change to no longer pierce individuals with their eyes when they see someone different. Colorful individuals like McMurphy need to be accepted in the colorless nature of society. Fixing this problem society is plagued with will not be easy, but can be achieved when society begins to understand that everyone is born to be different not perfect. Once society embodies this crucial concept, it can begin to address the problems that beset equality and acceptance for all.
Kesey through changing the structure of power in a society showed the similarity between the oppressed and the oppressor. This was a demonstration of the corruption of power, and a push back to the era. It symbolized an era of radical thinking of changing the power structure, but he advocated making all equal. In addition it exemplified the communist views of the era and the oppressive regime of those with absolute control. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest advocates the quest for equality in a time where disparity in power was great.
In my opinion the main theme of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is conformity. The patients at this mental institution, or at least the one in the Big Nurse’s ward, find themselves on a rough situation where not following standards costs them many privileges being taken away. The standards that the Combine sets are what makes the patients so afraid of a change and simply conform hopelessly to what they have since anything out of the ordinary would get them in trouble. Such conformity is what Mc Murphy can not stand and makes him bring life back to the ward by fighting Miss Ratched and creating a new environment for the patients. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest represents a rebellion against the conformity implied in today’s society.
Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest explores the dysfunctions and struggles of life for the patients in a matriarch ruled mental hospital. As told by a schizophrenic Native American named Chief Bromden, the novel focuses primarily on Randle McMurphy, a boisterous new patient introduced into the ward, and his constant war with the Big Nurse Ratched, the emasculating authoritarian ruler of the ward. Constricted by the austere ward policy and the callous Big Nurse, the patients are intimidated into passivity. Feeling less like patients and more like inmates of a prison, the men surrender themselves to a life of submissiveness-- until McMurphy arrives. With his defiant, fearless and humorous presence, he instills a certain sense of rebellion within all of the other patients. Before long, McMurphy has the majority of the Acutes on the ward following him and looking to him as though he is a hero. His reputation quickly escalates into something Christ-like as he challenges the nurse repeatedly, showing the other men through his battle and his humor that one must never be afraid to go against an authority that favors conformity and efficiency over individual people and their needs. McMurphy’s ruthless behavior and seemingly unwavering will to protest ward policy and exhaust Nurse Ratched’s placidity not only serves to inspire other characters in the novel, but also brings the Kesey’s central theme into focus: the struggle of the individual against the manipulation of authoritarian conformists. The asylum itself is but a microcosm of society in 1950’s America, therefore the patients represent the individuals within a conformist nation and the Big Nurse is a symbol of the authority and the force of the Combine she represents--all...
People often find themselves as part of a collective, following society's norms and may find oneself in places where feeling constrained by the rules and will act out to be unconstrained, as a result people are branded as nuisances or troublemakers. In the novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, the author Ken Kesey conveys the attempt McMurphy makes to live unconstrained by the authority of Nurse Ratched. The story is very one sided and helps create an understanding for those troublemakers who are look down on in hopes of shifting ingrained ideals. The Significance of McMurphy's struggles lies in the importance placed on individuality and liberty. If McMurphy had not opposed fear and autocratic authority of Nurse Ratched nothing would have gotten better on the ward the men would still feel fear. and unnerved by a possibility of freedom. “...Then, just as she's rolling along at her biggest and meanest, McMurphy steps out of the latrine ... holding that towel around his hips-stops her dead! ” In the novel McMurphy shows little signs like this to combat thee Nurse. His defiance of her system included
In the book One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey the use of Christ imagery is overall effective. One of the first images was the fishing trip planned by McMurphy because only twelve people went and Jesus took twelve disciples with him on a fishing trip. Billy Bibbits turning on McMurphy near the end by admitting that he was involved in McMurphys plan was like Judas admitting he participated with Jesus. Towards the end of the story McMurphy is a martyr just like Jesus because the patients aren’t free until he dies. Those are a few examples of how Kesey uses Christ imagery in his book.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest takes place in a mental institution in the Pacific Northwest. The narrator of the novel is Chief Bromden, also known as Chief Broom, a catatonic half-Indian man whom everybody thinks is deaf and dumb. He often suffers from hallucinations in which he feels that the room is filled with fog. The institution is dominated by Nurse Ratched (Big Nurse), a cold, precise woman with calculated gestures and a calm, mechanical manner. When the story begins, a new patient, Randall Patrick McMurphy, arrives at the ward. He is a self-professed 'gambling fool' who has just come from a work farm at Pendleton. He introduces himself to the other men on the ward, including Dale Harding, the president of the patient's council, and Billy Bibbit, a thirty-year old man who stutters and appears very young. Nurse Ratched immediately pegs McMurphy as a manipulator.
Ken Kesey presents his masterpiece, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, with popular culture symbolism of the 1960s. This strategy helps paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind. Music and cartoons of the times are often referred to in the novel. These help to exaggerate the characters and the state of the mental institution.
As medical advances are being made, it makes the treating of diseases easier and easier. Mental hospitals have changed the way the treat a patient’s illness considerably compared to the hospital described in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
In Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the reader has the experience to understand what it was like to live in an insane asylum during the 1960’s. Kesey shows the reader the world within the asylum of Portland Oregon and all the relationships and social standings that happen within it. The three major characters’ groups, Nurse Ratched, the Black Boys, and McMurphy show how their level of power effects how they are treated in the asylum. Nurse Ratched is the head of the ward and controls everything that goes on in it, as she has the highest authority in the ward and sabotages the patients with her daily rules and rituals. These rituals include her servants, the Black Boys, doing anything she tells them to do with the patients.
Ken Kesey in his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest question a lot of things that you think almost everyday. With this famous portrait of a mental institute its rebellious patients and domineering caretakers counter-culture icon Kesey is doing a whole lot more than just spinning a great yarn. He is asking us to stop and consider how what we call "normal" is forced upon each and every one of us. Stepping out of line, going against the grain, swimming upstream whatever your metaphor, there is a steep price to pay for that kind of behavior. The novel tells McMurphys tale, along with the tales of other inmates who suffer under the yoke of the authoritarian Nurse Ratched it is the story of any person who has felt suffocated and confined by our
In Ken Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, the author refers to the many struggles people individually face in life. Through the conflict between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy, the novel explores the themes of individuality and rebellion against conformity. With these themes, Kesey makes various points which help us understand which situations of repression can lead an individual to insanity. These points include: the effects of sexual repression, woman as castrators, and the pressures we face from society to conform. Through these points, Kesey encourages the reader to consider that people react differently in the face of repression, and makes the reader realize the value of alternative states of perception, rather than simply writing them off as "crazy."
In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey argued that this presumed model society was actually quite the opposite. Kesey argued this through the use of the characters in the novel. Nurse Ratched was a character who symbolized the communist rule in Russia, and she displayed absolute power over the patients in the ward. She was depicted as what was wrong with society, and the patients feared her as the Americans feared communists. Randle McMurphy retaliated against Nurse Ratched in order to challenge her control, just as the Americans fought against Communism in the Cold War. Although it seemed as though there were some positive aspects of domestic life in the 1950s, Ken Kesey argued that American society at the time was tainted due to the roles of fear, the rejection of those who were different, and t...
Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is a story about a band of patients in a mental ward who struggle to find their identity and get away from the wretched Nurse. As audiences read about the tale, many common events and items seen throughout the story actually represent symbols for the bigger themes of the story. Symbols like the fishing trip, Nurse, and electroshock therapy all emphasize the bigger themes of the story. The biggest theme of the story is oppression. Throughout the course of the story, patients are suppressed and fight to find who they really are.
An exceptionally tall, Native American, Chief Bromden, trapped in the Oregon psychiatric ward, suffers from the psychological condition of paranoid schizophrenia. This fictional character in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest struggles with extreme mental illness, but he also falls victim to the choking grasp of society, which worsens Bromden’s condition. Paranoid schizophrenia is a rare mental illness that leads to heavy delusions and hallucinations among other, less serious, symptoms. Through the love and compassion that Bromden’s inmate, Randle Patrick McMurphy, gives Chief Bromden, he is able to briefly overcome paranoid schizophrenia and escape the dehumanizing psychiatric ward that he is held prisoner in.
The oppression of masculinity and sexuality can make any man feel insecure and self-conscious about himself. However, in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the emasculated men are oppressed to feel insecure to the extreme point of seeming as though they may be insane and in need of therapeutic help. The novel is set during the 1950s in a mental institution located in Oregon, U.S.A. Narrated through the perspective of one of the patients, Chief Bromden, the majority of the men there are not necessarily mentally ill, however, dominate forces such as Nurse Ratched, with her carefully selected staff, control and are able to manipulate the men by depriving the men of their male identity, causing them to believe that they are undoubtedly