One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Suffering Analysis

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In what different ways do the authors of two texts present the idea that suffering can lead to growth? Suffering is often depicted in society as the gateway to growth, whether it be an individual, society, or nation. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey and Dead Poets Society directed by Peter Weir both engage this universal issue in contrasting ways to explore whether suffering does in fact lead to growth. The two texts utilise allusion, setting, and characterisation in different ways to explore the connection between growth and suffering. Kesey and Weir use allusion through characters in different ways to explore how the suffering of an individual may result in the growth of others. Kesey uses McMurphy as a mean of allusion, whereas, …show more content…

Weir, however, has Neil undergo emotional suffering as a result of continual conflict between Neil and his father about life choices. Neil wears a prop from a play atop his head before his suicide creating imagery of a crown …show more content…

Kesey illustrates this through the narrator, Bromdon, and the fog that clouds his mind, on the other hand, Weir makes meaning through the use of the lighting. Kesey issues Bromdon fog as a metaphor for his lack of metal growth which intensifies after treatment from drugs or the electroshock therapy to the point that Bromdon begins to feel that ‘you can slip back in it and feel safe’ (Page 121). Due to the rebellious nature of McMurphy the drugs and electroshock begin to have very little effect if at all on Bromdon’s mental state as his mind was ‘fogging a little, but [he] won’t slip off and hide in it.’ (Page 273), this being a sign that Bromdon has grown as a result. Weir creates dark atmospheres to compliment the gothic style of the movie. This choice, however, was made to express the growth of characters. Weir makes sure to have consistent darkness throughout the film. The only time the lighting seems to change is in the scene of Neil’s suicide where it occurs in the darkness of light. Kesey has made use of the fog to convey the growth of an individual. The clarity improves as the character progresses. However, Weir uses the consistent lighting of the film to show that like the setting, characters have not grown or changed. Kesey is encouraging us to see that through suffering growth follows, whereas, Weir provokes us to see the alternate opinion in that growth and

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