Literary Analysis Essay On One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Independent Reading Essay: One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey follows the experiences of Chief Bromden, a patient in a psychiatric hospital who befriends newcomer, Randle McMurphy, who upsets the balance of the ward. In a well written essay, analyze the impact of McMurphy's arrival on Chief Bromden, Nurse Ratched, and Billy Bibbit, as well as whether or not McMurphy was good for their mental health.

In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, author Ken Kesey follows the lives of those living and working in a psychiatric hospital, as well as the changes in their mentality. The novel is narrated by Chief Bromden, a patient who keeps to himself and is hardly noticed until the arrival of Randle McMurphy, a new

Nurse Ratched, known for her strict rules and manipulation to get what she wants, eventually plays into McMurphy’s games which ultimately have a negative effect on her and blind her decisions later on. After Chief and McMurphy get in a scuffle with an orderly, Nurse Ratched suggests electroshock therapy, but gives McMurphy an opportunity to avoid the treatment by “admitting he was wrong” (242). McMurphy arrogantly declines, frustrating Nurse Ratched to the point where she shocks him continually until it’s not safe to do so. By letting Mcmurphy get the best of her emotions, Nurse Ratched’s conscience is blurred by her frustration, a negative impact brought upon by McMurphy’s arrival. However, Nurse Ratched’s sudden distaste for McMurphy didn;t always directly happen to him. Previous to his arrival, Nurse Ratched would scold and lecture patients acting out of line, but after the discovery of the ward party, Nurse Ratched grills into Billy Bibbit about sleeping with a prostitute and then comforts the frantic Billy, the whole time Chief describes she “glares at us as she spoke.” (272). This action, intended to draw guilt in McMurphy, exemplifies Nurse Ratched’s poor judgement choice since McMurphy’s arrival. The Nurse Ratched pre-McMurphy would’ve appropriately taken care of the Billy issue, but now upset and angry at McMurphy for the party he’s thrown, her judgement is impaired by trying to make McMurphy feel guilty, which ultimately leads to Billy’s suicide. In general, McMurphy’s arrival and antics played a very negative role in Nurse Ratched’s mental health, which can be seen declining throughout the