The movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a legendary comedy-drama film in 1975, and the story revolves around a group of inmates in a mental institution, where the majority of scene happened inside the institution. Through this two-hour-long film, we can observe quite a few unique characteristic of the place, which after all reflects a lot of general characteristics of total institution. According to Goffman, total institutions can be divided into five categories: institution caring for the harmless and incapable one, institution caring for those incapable to look after themselves, institution to protect the community, institution to pursue work task and institution retreats from the world. With all the characteristics observed in the film, …show more content…
I have questioned: does the scenarios in the mental hospital in the film really reflect the characteristics of all kinds of total institution as whole?
Or is it just a unique phenomenon that only happens in mental institution, or even more, just a vilified portray of the mental institution itself? However, after down to earth comparing them, it is realized that, perhaps some of the characteristics have been over-exaggerated; however, it is true that many of the scene happened in the film does reflect the real scenario of many other total institutions. First of all, people within a total institution are always clearly divided into two batches, the inmates and the authority. In the movie, the patients with mental illnesses are the inmates, where their life is totally trapped inside the walls of the institution and are restricted from the outside world; on the other side, the doctors, nurses, attendants, and all other staffs are the authority, where they …show more content…
have control over the inmates and have normal contact with the outside world. The two groups of people have their very distinctive role and characteristics within the institution. The inmates have their life “totally” inside the institution, with everything “totally” under watch of the authority, where they have to follow the rules “totally” and are “totally” separated from the outside world; this is what the term “total” institution defines. On the other side, it is clearly observes that, Nurse Ratched, who is the major representation of authority in the movie, are the ruler of the total institution. She set rules, overlooks the patients’ lives and has full control over them. Looking at the two groups of people in the institution, it is easy to see that the inmates, not just referring to those in the movie but generally all inmates in a total institution, are often the inferior ones, who have to obey the superiors’ rules. For example, in boarding schools or jails, the students and prisoners are demanded to obey the rules of the teachers and jailers. Inmates who try to question or challenge the authority, such as McMurphy in the film, are often said to be rebellious and mistaken, and are often punished. Meanwhile, the authorities are often the superior ones; they are often considered righteous. One of the most significant characteristics of total institutions is that the inmates will spend their entire life inside the cage of the institution, separating from the outside world. Their life revolves around the same batch of people, which are the other inmates in the institution and the staffs working in it. Once in a while, inmates may get permission from the authority to leave the institutions for specific purposes, but they usually are not allow to stay for a long period of time. Unlike for the inmates, total institution is not the place where Nurse Ratched, and other authorities, lives in. To them, the total institution is not where their life happens, but only a work place. Most staffs leave their workplace, which is the total institution, at evening, and is back to work in the morning another day. In between those times, they have at least twelve hours, which is half a day, outside the institution. During those periods outside the walls, they have normal social life and contact with the outside world. In real life examples, some authorities in total institutions may live inside the institution as well, such as boarding school teachers; yet, they have the freedom to come and leave the place anytime freely. In general, total institutions usually cause isolation of the inmates from the outside world; though sometimes in a smaller extend than in the film. Another characteristic of total institutions is that things happened very routinely and orderly, the inmates have to follow the same schedule planned by the authority and usually do everything batch by batch.
In the film, the inmates have scheduled medication time, where everyone line to take their medication; they also have specific schedule for group therapy and recreation time. The schedule helps the authority to gain control over the inmates more easily, and make them get used to following the rules. In other total institution, such as hospitals or boarding schools, the authorities often have planned schedule for their inmates as well; for example, hospitals have regular time for measuring body temperature of patients, and boarding schools have regular light out time as
well. There is often distinctive identification for the two groups of people in total institution, which the difference not just in terms of their status, but also reflected on the outside physically. Most of the times, the inmates are required to wear a “uniform” to signify their identity of an inmate; occasionally, the authority will have specific dress code to differentiate their role too. In the movie, all patients are required to wear a white “uniform”; and the staffs have their unique “uniform” for their own position as well, for example, a white nurse dress uniform for the nurses. It is very common for total institutions to use uniform or other types of accessories to categorize the inmates and the authorities. For examples, students in schools and prisoners from jails are asked to wear uniforms; in other places, such as army barrack, even the soldiers and commanders may have the same military uniform, they are usually distinguished by other accessories such as badges. The uniforms and accessories are labels of their identity as “inmates” or “authority” in a total institution. Trapping in such an oppressive environment, it seems to be normal to expect resistance from the inmate; yet, that is not the case in total institutions. Everyone in the movie has his or her own moral career, and have their own way of responding to issues; however, we can see a general trend of inmates being submissive to the authority’s strict rules. With Chief Bromden pretending to be deaf and mute to protect himself, Dale Harding being especially obedient and follow the rules, and most other passively follow the what Nurse Ratched said; it is clear that even the inmates have different moral career in the institutions, they all end up choose to compromise with the ruling of Nurse Ratched regardless if they like it or not. This is not just a general trend observed in the movie, but also in most other total institutions and even occasionally seen in our society, such as in large corporations or in schools. While many people feeling discontented or uncomfortable with the rules by the authority, most usually remain submissive and carry on; occasionally, few people may stand up and confront the unreasonable rule of the authority, but these people are often considered rebellious and rarely succeed. Most people choose to be “normal” and follow the rules, and satisfy the authority to avoid getting themselves in any trouble. As we observed in the movie, though the patients would like to watch the ball game of the World Series and want TV set turned on; most of them resist to vote for their wills but decide to fulfill the authority’s wants instead. They tend to satisfy the authority instead of going with their wants, so they will not get punish. It is also perceived that, many patients in the movie choose to follow the rules blindly and be secured, rather then trying to fulfill the real aim of getting in a mental institution, which is to cure their mental illnesses. None of the characters really thought about curing themselves and get back to society; all they want is to be safe and follow the rules. This trend is also found in other total institution, where students may just study to get high marks in order to fulfill the expectation of the authority, instead of really trying to learn things to make themselves useful in the society in the future. This submissive situation has remained for a long period of time, until the rebellious McMurphy kicks in to challenge the authority. McMurphy’s confrontation to the unfair rule of Nurse Ratched slowly influences the other inmates, making them more willing to stand up against the rule of the authority. From the earlier stage, where most inmates remain submissive and unwilling to support McMurphy, until later in the movie, where most of them view McMurphy as a leader to confront against Nurse Ratched; we can observe a huge transformation in the inmates moral career upon McMurphy’s arrival. Bit by bit, the inmates become more courageous to stand up against the Nurse Ratched; starting from Cheswick and Taber, being the first to support McMurphy in the first vote for the ball game, to later where many more are influenced by them and have the courage to vote in the second time. Among all, the Chief have shown the most significant transformation in his moral career. From the very beginning, he pretend to be a deaf-mute, isolating himself from everyone else to avoid any trouble and protect himself, to later he is willing to participate with the basketball game and even beat up the attendants to help McMurphy out, and in the end he got encouraged by McMurphy, and eventually be the first one to really take the step to escape the place. We can see step-by-step he is walking out his shell, and get the courage to do what he really crave for; and this all thanks to the influence of McMurphy. This reflects on the situation in other institutions, though people often tend to restrain their wants and follow the rules, once there is a first person who are willing to stand up against the authority, it’s much easier for others to follow his or her footsteps and confront.
The author Ken Kesey was born in La Junta, Colorado and went to Stanford University. He volunteered to be used for an experiment in the hospital because he would get paid. In the book “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, Kesey brings up the past memories to show how Bromden is trying to be more confident by using those thoughts to make him be himself. He uses Bromden’s hallucinations, Nurse Ratched’s authority, and symbolism to reveal how he’s weak, but he builds up more courage after each memory.
The traditional approach to the care of the mentally ill during the last 200 years was custodial, rather than therapeutic. This approach to “Psychiatric Care Delivery System” was introduced in India from Britain . Mental hospitals were established in isolated areas, often on the outskirts with the object of segregating the patient as troublesome and dangerous to their neighbors. The overriding concern was to protect the citizens without regard for appropriate care and cure of the ailing patients. As a consequence of this objective of the mental hospitals, the quality of care in such hospitals had been very poor. The inmates were subjected to indignity and humiliation for an indefinite period, and once admitted never recovered, or rehabilitated back in their family, but doomed to the inevitable end. The stigma of mental illness thus prevailed.
In other words, the patient was sick because of his or her time in the institution. I find this interesting because without a more human telling of the story by Grob, it is hard to gauge if the psychosis of patients deteriorated in general with the length of stay in the institution and if because of this, did that impact the policies or methods of practice? I believe it would be similar to what they are finding now with the orphans of Romania in the 1980’s who were raised in institutions with only basic and minimal human contact and now are mostly homeless and unable to function in society or inmates in prison who have spent years behind bars and then are let go into the general population. History has proven that people struggle with trying to acclimate back into the general population. As a result of this by the 1980’s one-third of the homeless population in the United States were said to be seriously mentally ill. (PBS, "Timeline: Treatments for Mental
This essay will be exploring the text One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest by Ken Kesey and the film Dead poet’s society written by Tom Schulman. The essay will show how the authors use over exaggerated wildcard characters such as McMurphy and Keating. The use of different settings such as an insane asylum and an all-boys institution. And Lastly the use of fore shading to show how the authors can use different texts to present similar ideas in different ways.
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals and mental asylums, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of serious psychiatric diseases, such as clinical depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialize only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients. Others may specialize in the temporary or permanent care of residents who, as a result of a psychological disorder, require routine assistance, treatment, or a specialized and controlled environment. Patients are often admitted on a voluntary basis, but people whom psychiatrists believe may pose a significant danger to themselves or others may be subject to involuntary commitment.
In the 1800’s people with mental illnesses were frowned upon and weren't treated like human beings. Mental illnesses were claimed to be “demonic possessions” people with mental illnesses were thrown into jail cells, chained to their beds,used for entertainment and even killed. Some were even slaves, they were starved and forced to work in cold or extremely hot weather with chains on their feet. Until 1851, the first state mental hospital was built and there was only one physician on staff responsible for the medical, moral and physical treatment of each inmate. Who had said "Violent hands shall never be laid on a patient, under any provocation.
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.
As all movies are created based on a book, there always seems to be changes and conflicting ideas. However, they still have the same main idea to the story line. The novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey and the movie directed by Miloš Forman deal with the main idea of society's control of natural impulses. The author/director want to prove that this control can be overcome. Although the movie and the book are very different from each other, they still have their similarities.
Movies and shows like, “Girl Interrupted” and “American Horror Story: Insane Asylum” portray hospitals in a way that has truth to it, however they portray the people in a negative way. It has become more known to society that the hospitals that the mentally ill are subjected to living in are not a good place to be. However, the stigma that mentally ill people are dangerous and cannot overcome their illness is still widely
“Women have been taught that, for us, the earth is flat, and that if we venture out, we will fall off the edge,” verbalizes Andrea Dworkin. Gender-roles have been ingrained in the every-day life of people all around the world since the beginnings of civilization. Both One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Hamlet portray typical female stereotypes in different time periods. Due to the representation of women in literature like Hamlet by William Shakespeare and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kessey, and pop-culture, evidence of classic gender-based stereotypes in a consistently patriarchal world are still blatantly obvious in today’s societies.
... of these wards that the term “insane asylum” has negative connotations. Mentally ill people did not get the proper treatment and care they needed, and to this day have not received the proper justice that they deserve.
Everybody wants to be accepted, yet society is not so forgiving. It bends you and changes you until you are like everyone else. Society depends on conformity and it forces it upon people. In Emerson's Self Reliance, he says "Society is a joint stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater." People are willing to sacrifice their own hopes and freedoms just to get the bread to survive. Although the society that we are living in is different than the one the Emerson's essay, the idea of fitting in still exists today. Although society and our minds make us think a certain way, we should always trust our better judgment instead of just conforming to society.
Throughout the sixties , America- involved in the Cold War at this time- suffered from extreme fear of communism. This caused numerous severe changes in society ranging from corrupt political oppression, to the twisted treatment of the minority. Published in 1962, Ken Kesey ’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest , manages to capture these changes in the variety of ways. Kesey’s novel incorporates some of the main issues that affected the United States during the early and mid 60s. The government had no limits and was cruel to those who did not fit into society, including the mentally ill. The wrongful treatment of the people caused an eruption of rebellion and protest- thus the Beatnik era was born. The novel, written during this movement, sheds light on Kesey’s personal opinion on this chaotic period in US history . The treatment of mentally ill patients, the oppressive government, and uprising in the 1960s inspired Kesey while writing his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Fred Wright, Lauren's instructor for EN 132 (Life, Language, Literature), comments, "English 132 is an introduction to English studies, in which students learn about various areas in the discipline from linguistics to the study of popular culture. For the literature and literary criticism section of the course, students read a canonical work of literature and what scholars have said about the work over the years. This year, students read One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey, a classic of American literature which dates from the 1960s counterculture. Popularized in a film version starring Jack Nicholson, which the class also watched in order to discuss film studies and adaptation, the novel became notable for its sympathetic portrayal of the mentally ill. For an essay about the novel, students were asked to choose a critical approach (such as feminist, formalist, psychological, and so forth) and interpret the novel using that approach, while also considering how their interpretation fit into the ongoing scholarly dialogue about the work. Lauren chose the challenge of applying a Marxist approach to One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. Not only did she learn about critical approaches and how to apply one to a text, she wrote an excellent essay, which will help other readers understand the text better. In fact, if John Clark Pratt or another editor ever want to update the 1996 Viking Critical Library edition of the novel, then he or she might want to include Lauren's essay in the next edition!"
The mentally ill were treated very inhumanly in the early insane asylums. Some of the treatment the patients had to undergo was extremely painful and evil. The asylums were really prisons and not centers for treatment. The inmates were chained and the rooms were dark and filthy dungeons. The patients were treated like animals, not humans (Gray).