Elements Of Conformity In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

There are different elements of conformity. In Ken Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, the male patients from the mental hospital are trying to break free from their authority figure, Nurse Ratched, and get back their individuality. Nurse Ratched is oppresses and dehumanizes the patients in order to maintain her control. When Randle McMurphy transfers to the mental hospital from a work farm, he and starts to defy Nurse Ratched’s rules once he sees how the patients are treated. Stephen Potts Author "Rebel, superman, bull goose loony: the hero as adolescent”, says what McMurphy’s role in the hospital is.“As a third stage rebel, McMurphy quickly assumes the role of bull goose loony after entering the ward and evolves from there to

McMurphy was able to defy authority and break down the ward’s structure. He knew that standing up to Nurse Ratched would help all of the patients. “She must be conquered before the men can evolve into psychologically healthy individuals. McMurphy, as the embodiment of the Hero, accomplishes that task for them, leading to the liberation of Chief Broom, Harding, and the other men who gain strength from his sacrifice and flee on the trail that McMurphy blazes for them. In his conquest of the Shadow, he has provided the men a rite of passage into personal power and individuation that they obviously skipped in the normal course of development. As the eternal adolescent, however, McMurphy must also eventually get out of the way, so that the Chief and his fellows may mature independently into functioning adults.” (Potts). In the end Nurse Ratched loses control over the ward. Since she doesn’t have power anymore, the patients transfer to other wards or check themselves out of the hospital. Bromden suffocates McMurphy so that he wouldn't be another example of Nurse Ratched’s power. Then Bromden escapes from the