ipl-logo

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: A Character Analysis

1347 Words6 Pages

Beyond how Amir interacts with other people, actions that he intentionally has to carry out himself also have a considerable impact on his development, as well as how that development is formed based on what he’s learned from Baba. One such action is when he forces himself to toughen up and go after Sohrab, despite finding out from Rahim Khan that he’s been lied to his entire life. Shortly after refusing vehemently to get Hassan’s son, Amir changes his mind, saying “then I told him I was going to Kabul,” demonstrating Amir’s decision to make himself better, and more like how Baba tried to raise him to be (Hosseini, 227). Even though it’s likely one of the most frightening tasks Amir has had to undertake to date, he knows this is the type of …show more content…

Where McMurphy functions as a father figure to the men on the ward, and especially to Chief Bromden, Baba functions as a literal father for Amir. Bromden starts out timid, and stays that way for most of the story, despite having the potential to be stronger than McMurphy himself. Such is also seen in Amir, who tends to back down from every altercation he comes across, despite being raised by someone like Baba, who pushes for him to be the exact opposite. The constant influence of McMurphy’s power eventually takes its toll on Bromden, who learns throughout the story how to be more outspoken, both literally and figuratively, as well as how to generally be more confident in himself, going so far as to break out of the ward and run for freedom at the end of the story. Despite his ultimate success, Bromden could never have completely reached his potential and broken out had it not been for McMurphy, the symbol of power in the ward, being taken down by another force, the nurse. Again, Amir finds himself in a strikingly similar situation, as he does eventually find it in himself to break from his daily routine and gain the courage to face his past. Although it takes a greater force than the man who raised him to bring that man down, this major loss for Amir reminds him that cowardice isn’t a thing to retain, and helps Amir return to Rahim Khan and repent for his past mistakes, both as a child and

Show More
Related
1929 Words | 8 Pages

For the character McMurphy for example, he was unable to find his place in society due to his criminal behaviour and actions, which made him be viewed as mad. Although he was only wrongly accused of his actions, such as seen with his conviction of statutory rape, and his rebellious nature made it a challenge for him to be accepted within his society . It can further be seen within the character Billy Bibbit, who price for being unable to live up to the expectations his mother put upon him, was his own life, and resulted in him having a hard time coping with all the unfortunate circumstances in his life. These unfortunately were brought upon by this pressure and rejection of those around him, that has not driven him mad, however has only pushed him to his limitations and caused others to only perceive he is truly mad. Lastly, this was seen within the character Chief Bromden, whose Native American background is repressed by society, thus causing the Chief a tremendous amount of pain, anger and grief, that made him be looked upon as crazy and pushed even further

Read More
931 Words | 4 Pages

SETTING One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest takes place in Oregon during the late 1950’s or early 1960’s in a mental hospital. We know this because the memory of World War II is fresh in Bromden’s and McMurphy’s minds. The environment is very grey, dull, confining, and machine-like. There is very little warmth before McMurphy’s arrival.

Read More
1449 Words | 6 Pages

After Amir meets with Rahim Khan and knows the fact that Hassan’s son, Sohrab, was in the orphanage, it is time for him to seek redemption. Amir decision of bring Sohrab to Pakistan is because of not only Rahim Khan’s request but also a way to be good again. It is his first active step he takes towards atoning for his past and it demonstrates Amir’s first conscious decision to think of another before himself, even it means risking everything he has, including his life and the welfare of his family. Amir now understands that he can endeavour to gain redemption by sacrificing himself to rescue Sohrab. As Amir continues to find Sohrab and tries to save him from Assef, he is willing to sacrifice himself for a chance to get Sohrab back.

Read More
723 Words | 3 Pages

Even now, after all of this time and enduring through his guilt, Amir still wasn’t sure what man he wanted to be when given the clear choice between a coward and a hero. Instead, Rahim Khan had to almost force the specific events of his past into his face to remind him what type of person he would be if he failed to

Read More
1061 Words | 5 Pages

Yet Amir is initially too afraid and too consumed by his guilt from a childhood mistake to make the easy decision of going to kabul. This is a direct example of how Amir’s past reflects the theme that fear can change lives. Amir is also driven by the fear of disappointing his father. After Amir pleaded to Rahim khan that he can't go to kabul because of the dangers, Rahim khan remembererd a conversation he had with Baba when Amir was young.

Read More
454 Words | 2 Pages

Bromden’s bias perspective, and Nurse Ratched’s caring intent prove that Kesey did not make her the antagonist of the story. Broaden turns to McMurphy for help and he brings more chaos than Nurse Ratched ever intended to endure. The nurse left after seeing her lack of control and order of the

Read More
987 Words | 4 Pages

Bromden views himself as miniscule, while viewing McMurphy as “twice the size” (Kesey, 219) of him. This reveals that Bromden’s comments on his size are based on confidence and will-power, which at the time of this comment he lacks. After hearing Bromden’s argument on his size, McMurphy offers Bromden a “free body-building course” (Kesey, 223), foreshadowing the empowering effect McMurphy will have on Bromden and the other patients. Ultimately, McMurphy proves successful in empowering the patients (what should have been the job of the corrupt institution they are subservient to), as Bromden grows mentally strong enough to lift the control panel and escape the confines of the combine. Also, like Ratched and McMurphy, Bromden and the patients are characterized in the nursery rhyme.

Read More
1144 Words | 5 Pages

Additionally, his ability to have full awareness triggers the newfound sense of confidence in himself that he uses to finally escape from the ward. One night when Bromden is lying awake in the ward, he describes, “I was seeing lots of things different. I figured the fog machine had broke down in the walls when they turned it up too high for that meeting on Friday... For the first time in years I was seeing people with none of that black outline they used to have, and one night I was even able to see out the window” (Kesey 162).

Read More
522 Words | 3 Pages

After rescuing Sohrab from Assef, Amir feels like he is making up for not being there for Hassan. Amir did something that was truly brave and noble. By saving Sohrab and giving him a better life in America, Amir was able to find a way to be good again. Just like Rahim Khan said he would over the phone. Amir will never be able to fully forgive himself for what happened in the winter of 1975, however, by working to become a better person, he can slowly redeem himself and move forward with his life.

Read More
170 Words | 1 Pages

The novel is written in first person in the point of view of Bromden who is an observer. There were no shifts in point of view during the novel. The effect Kesey achieved by selecting Bromden as the narrator instead of in McMurphy's, the protagonist, was to keep the narration as objective from McMurphy as possible, and seeing how Bromden has been at the mental hospital the longest and has fooled everyone into thinking he is blind and dumb it had given him the advantage of knowing everyone's secrets around the ward. The purpose of this is to figure out McMurphy's motives of helping the patients in the ward through Bromden and to keep the novel interesting. Kesey also seems to have wanted the point of view to be subjective and a bit unreliable

Read More
755 Words | 4 Pages

The question of sanity becomes apparent when McMurphy, a confident gambler, who might have faked psychosis in order to get out of the work farm, is assigned to the mental hospital. He quickly stirs up tension in the ward for Nurse Ratched by encouraging the men to have fun and rebel against her rules. Brodmen appears to be sane for the most part, despite his hallucinations of a fog, which seems to be the result of something both the ward and the world has done to him. He is able to think logically and though others believe him to be deaf and dumb, he uses this to his advantage. Chief states, “They don't bother not talking out loud about their hate secrets when I'm nearby because they think I'm deaf and dumb.

Read More
993 Words | 4 Pages

The author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey, presents the ideas about venerability and strength by using his characters and the way they interact with each other to establish whether they are a submissive or a dominant, tamed or leading, venerable or strong. Kesey uses strong personalities to show the drastic difference between someone who is vulnerable and someone who is strong. Nurse Ratchet is a perfect example of how Kasey presents the idea of strength over the venerability of others (the patients). Keys also exhibited vulnerability throughout characters such as Chief Bromden and his extensive habit of hiding himself in all means possible from Nurse Ratchet. Another idea presented by Kesey is a character’s false thought on what

Read More
1288 Words | 6 Pages

His rebellious and free mind makes the patients open their eyes and see how the have been suppressed. His appearance is a breath of fresh air and a look into the outside world for the patients. This clearly weakens Nurse Ratched’s powers, and she sees him as a large threat. One way or another, McMurphy tends to instigate changes of scenery. He manages to move everyone away from her music and watchful eye into the old tube room.

Read More
398 Words | 2 Pages

Adolescence can be a hazardous and perplexing time and for teens, girls especially, and they do not deserve to have their authority figures teach them that their bodies and their natural human desires are things that are shameful. No adult should teach a child that they should cover or hide their bodies in disgrace. For preteens and young adults, living in one 's own skin is already hard enough, the added disrespect is not at all necessary or helpful. Abstinence only curriculums often promote sexism and can leave young people, especially girls, with the impressions that doing something that is very natural somehow degrades them, lessens their worth, or makes them dirty. This is detrimental to not only the way women view themselves but also to the way that men perceive female sexuality.

Read More
1853 Words | 8 Pages

Amir is one character who shows that everything around him creates his identity for him rather than figuring it out for himself. Amir looks back at his childhood when he was just 12 years old living in Afghanistan. He reflects on the past alot because for him the past is not over yet. He believes that the past is a big part of who he is and no matter how much time passes by, the memories and events that took place in Afghanistan will always be with him.

Read More

More about One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: A Character Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document