One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest By Ken Kesey

577,000 citizens out of the 151,325,798 total population in 1950 were enlisted in Psych wards and diagnosed with mental illnesses. Along with the enlistment of thousands of citizens, the practices at the time were far from reasonable or backed up by a moral rationale. They were dark, disturbing places where some or most men and women lost themselves mentally to malpractice operations, including lobotomies and shock therapy. The 1950s was a frightening and uncertain time and we only know that through documentation, fiction or not, it still holds an insight into the world that it once was. Ken Kesey, a famous author of the 1960’s, did just that, documenting his life in the 1950s and 60s. For example, metaphorically portraying society as he saw through his own eyes with One who Flew over Cuckoo’s Nest. But this documentation and literature is viewed as wrong for the school education system to hear, due to its offensive material. With freedom of academic speech and voice being not the staple priority, adversity begins to plague politics

The story also shines light on the oppressive acts of Ms. Ratchet and society who controlled and felt a need to change those who did not conform to, or bend to the authorities of her ward or even the “combine,” the metaphor for the manipulative machine plaguing the air of free thinking in the story. However, one day a new patient came into the ward that changed everything. Randle Patrick Mcmurphy was a red-headed gambler that disturbed Ms. Ratchets power. McMurphy allowed the other patients of the ward to see the oppressive nature that they found themselves caught in. The acts put McMurphy into a one-way ticket for a lobotomy to “fix him.” There Mcmurphy was forced to give up the fight and his job was done. In the end, Mcmurphy’s sacrifice was not in vain. Ms. Ratchet lost all control she had over her patients, and they left