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

In modern society, sexism is not thought of as big of an issue as it was in the past. Still, according to “9 Facts That Prove Women Are Not Equal to Men” by Caitlin Abber on May 8, 2015, in the United States, women make just 78 cents to the dollar of what men make, there are more CEOs with the name John than all women CEOs combined, and women are not provided paid maternity leave. Sexism is still a problem in today’s society. Elizabeth McMahan, an English professor at Illinois State University, analyzes Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as sexist in her criticism “A Sexist Novel.” While the novel does show sexism to women, it does have positively viewed females, too.

McMahan examines the sexism throughout the novel. In particular,

Some of the many devilish women referred to in the novel are Nurse Ratched and Mrs. Harding. Nurse Ratched is viewed as the wicked witch of the novel. According to “Big Nurse As Combine Boss,” Ratched in Nurse Ratched’s name refers to a ratchet—“…a mechanism that engages the teeth of a wheel permitting motion in one direction only” (McMahan, 80). Nurse Ratched is known in the Ward for having her own way of doing things. Her name as a metaphor works perfectly for the story. After McMurphy causes chaos in the Ward, Nurse Ratched is determined to get her hospital back in her order and keep McMurphy rather than send him to the Disturbed Ward like the other hospital officials suggested. Ratched strong-mindedly tried to prove how McMurphy was a regular man, not a superhuman, to the others in the Ward. One way Nurse Ratched tries to do so is by reading McMurphy’s file to the patients in their daily meeting, but

The nurse on the Disturbed Ward actually is thought of as a villain by Mr. McMurphy and Chief when they are sent to Disturbed after getting into a fight with the black boys, instead she is viewed as “an angel of mercy by virtue of ethnic origin…” (McMahan, 82). The thoughtful nurse unlike wretched Nurse Ratched remembered McMurphy’s and Chief Bromden’s favorite treats: “a cigarette and…a stick of gum” (Kesey, 278). Unlike other women in the novel, the nurse on the Disturbed Ward is calm and peaceful. She genuinely cares for patients and is on their side, unlike Nurse Ratched. Other favorable women, but not as ideal as the nurse from the Disturbed Ward, are “Candy [who is] the [prostitute] with a heart of gold, and her friend Sandy [who] is equally charitable with her body” (McMahan, 82). Candy and Sandy are able to control the men by weakening them through their sexuality. The girls are devoted to pleasuring men and doing what they are told. Although Candy and Sandy are not role model women, they truly do care about the men in the Ward and make sure that they have a good time when they are with them. When both Candy and Sandy came to the Ward in the night, they wanted the men have some fun and enjoy themselves. The boys were finally able to loosen up and have a great time, thanks to Candy and Sandy. The Disturbed Ward nurse and Candy and Sandy are women who did not fall into Kesey’s sexist trap like