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One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

581 Words3 Pages

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a classic film that was released in 1975 and is based on the novel of the same name by Ken Kesey. The film tells the story of Randle Patrick McMurphy, a free-spirited and rebellious man who feigns insanity to serve his prison sentence in a mental institution instead of a work farm. This film is a perfect example of how various elements of plot come together to create a powerful and thought-provoking story. The exposition of the film takes place when Randle Patrick McMurphy is transferred from a prison to a mental institution. This serves as the background for the story and sets the stage for the events that will take place. The audience is introduced to the setting of the mental institution, the patients, and the staff, including the strict and oppressive nurse, Ratched. The exposition sets the tone for the story and provides the audience with the necessary information to …show more content…

He quickly becomes a hero to the patients, who have been oppressed and controlled by Nurse Ratched for a long time. This leads to a series of conflicts between the two characters and sets the stage for the climax of the story. The rising action of the film is characterized by a growing tension between Randle Patrick McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, as well as the patients' growing excitement and hope for change The climax of the film occurs when Randle Patrick McMurphy, in a fit of anger, attacks Nurse Ratched, causing her to lose her authority and control over the patients. This marks the turning point of the story and is the most dramatic moment of the film. The climax is a powerful and emotional moment that highlights the struggle between the individual and the establishment. It is also a moment that showcases the bravery and determination of Randle Patrick McMurphy and the

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693 Words | 3 Pages

Many of the men in the ward suffer from low self-esteem and self-respect. The orderlies constantly breakdown the patients and demote their individualty through many different ways. Nurse Ratched taking advantage of their vulnerability “‘you men in this hospital’ she would say like she was repeating it for the hundreth time, ‘because of your proven inability to adjust to society’”(Kesey 167) Nurse Ratched repeatedly destructs the patients on the ward and manipulates them to belive they are incapable of ever being able to function as a part of society. This displays the amount of control the orderlies have on the patients and the amount they take advantage of that, as well. This example ties into the self-doubt and uncertainty the men in the book have in

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828 Words | 4 Pages

The gift of Nurse Ratched’s tremendous authority in the early stages of the novel is introduced as a desirable power, as it establishes a sense of order and stability within the institution. Nurse Ratched’s authority initially serves her well as it acts as a potent deterrent against one of her rebellious patients, McMurphy, who repeatedly tends to challenge her power. Because of this, McMurphy describes her reputation to the patients as the “wolf of the ward” and themselves as submissive rabbits. This metaphorical scene paints a vivid picture of Nurse Ratched’s power dynamics at play, allowing her to instill a palpable sense of caution within the patient to maintain her high position. Additionally, this cautious environment serves Nurse Ratched well, as it ensures that her directives are followed and disruptions are minimized to reinforce her dominant role within the institution.

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987 Words | 4 Pages

Kesey provides the characterization of our narrator, Chief Bromden, and the other ward patients to intimately display the pain Ratched’s institution causes behind the scenes. When it comes to Bromden, there is no doubt that he is an “unreliable narrator” (Zubizarreta). Regardless of the accuracy of his retellings, Bromden’s account still holds emotional weight, as the events and characteristics of McMurphy and Ratched would still shine through, despite possible inaccuracy in smaller details. One main contributor to his unreliability is “the fog”, which clouded his perceptions during times of stress. As the story progressed, the frequency of “the fog” decreased, due to the actions of McMurphy, as did many other insecure characteristics possessed

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798 Words | 4 Pages

    Nurse Ratched displays her power over the ward by using the electroshock therapies and lobotomies as punishment. She uses the patients as examples of power because this scares the ward’s members into conforming to her rules and regulations. At the end of the novel, Ratched makes McMurphy go through a

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1425 Words | 6 Pages

The film’s decision to exclude Pete’s monologue softened the contrast between the moods when McMurphy narrated the world series. Moreover, in the scene of McMurphy’s narration of the World Series, Nurse Ratched has a calm tone to her voice compared to the novel version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In the scene, the diegetic sound of Nurse Ratched is calm as she tries to scold the patients. An attempt to portray Nurse Ratched’s rage is shown in the movie as Nurse Ratched scolds the patients. In the novel, Nurse Ratched’s screams established the emotional aspect of Nurse Ratched, which creates the mood in the novel.

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1462 Words | 6 Pages

She (6)garners everyone’s attention by educating them of his history, a usual tactic to get the patients in line. However, McMurphy deviates from her (7)conspicuous attempt of revenge by asserting his insanity, leaving everyone, especially Doctor Spivey, in tears of laughter. Nurse Ratched derails from this seemingly happy event and gives Doctor Spivey a chance to redeem himself by explaining the “theory of the Therapeutic Community” in which Chief Bromden perceptibly describes, “He tells how the goal of the Therapeutic Community is a democratic ward, run completely by the patients and their votes, working toward making worthwhile citizens to turn back Outside onto the street”(Kesey 49). Dr. Spivey explains his idea of what society is like in his

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442 Words | 2 Pages

Nurse Ratched is the epitome of an “impregnable” (73) authority whose power cannot be simply shaken by a few uprisings. The patients describe the Nurse to “always win” (73) and she has “all the power… behind her” (113) with her close relationship to the “supervisor” (63). Not only does Nurse Ratched have official authority due to her status but the patient’s fear and trust for “her craft”(41) to make them better. Harding tells McMurphy that he “need the nurse to make [him accept] his [differences]” (65). It’s not hard to see that the Nurse’s direct authority is absolute among the ward even though this power may not prove to be the most beneficial to the patient’s recovery.

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1459 Words | 6 Pages

Due to the structure in place by Nurse Ratched’s orders, all patients must participate in therapeutic meetings, where they have a group discussion with the nurse and Dr. Spivey. These discussions specifically target one patient where the others proceed to humiliate them. When Bromden narrates a meeting of this nature, Harding, another patient, is the one under harsh criticism, “The group is still tearing into Harding when when two o’clock rolls around” (Kesey 53). In the ward, the nurse has created an environment where the patients do not feel safe. She pits them against each other using methods such as the therapeutic meetings, which cause the patients to feel as though they cannot trust one another.

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1380 Words | 6 Pages

In the struggle between freedom and power, McMurphy’s sacrifice allows freedom to prevail. His leadership in a rising rebellion parallels many of the countercultures that arose during the 1960s. His rebellion fights against Nurse Ratched in the way that the countercultures fought against the government and society in the past to the present. The men in the asylum are unknowingly unhappy before the arrival of McMurphy. Through his antics, the men are saved from society in the form of Nurse Ratched’s regime.

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755 Words | 4 Pages

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, considers the qualities in which society determines sanity. The label of insanity is given when someone is different from the perceived norm. Conversely, a person is perceived as sane when their behavior is consistent with the beliefs of the majority. Although the characters of this novel are patients of a mental institution, they all show qualities of sanity. The book is narrated by Chief Brodmen, an observant chronic psychiatric patient, who many believe to be deaf and dumb.

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454 Words | 2 Pages

The movie opens with a man behind a desk questioning McMurphy about his mental state and it is clear the man behind the desk has power over him. From there McMurphy encounters Nurse Ratched who is always leading the group and telling them

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993 Words | 4 Pages

Kesey has used characterisation to get the idea that in this novel there are aspects of venerability and strength. In Nurse Ratched’s case, Kesey has made it so that she is shown with strength and power over the whole ward, including the black men in white, other nurses, and mainly the patients. An example of Nurse Ratched’s power over the patients is when she says to Billy Bibbit, “What worries me, Billy, ' she said- I could hear the change in her voice- 'is how your mother is going to take this.” This shows how one sentence was able to debilitate Billy into begging Nurse for forgiveness and restraint of telling his mother.

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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.

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1010 Words | 5 Pages

The movie was mostly focused on the feud between the warden/nurse Ms. Ratched and McMurphy. McMurphy tried to go against the hard-set plan set by the institution. More he tried to establish dominance and leadership within the group. This threatened the nurse’s ways of subduing patients, and they felt of less importance in their own institution. This led to a bitter rivalry and because of it the nurse tried to subdue, with same techniques as with other patients, McMurphy even after realizing that he was not a mentally unstable person.

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781 Words | 4 Pages

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a movie focused on the aspects of mental institutions and what goes on there. The main character, Mac McMurphy, is a patient until they determine his sanity. Unfortunately, like in many other hospitals, this institution is corrupted in the way that persuades the patients that they are unable to function outside of the hospital. They are also told that any disruptive behavior represents illness, and those who are ill get treated with electroshock therapy. The patients are controlled by an underlying, unspoken fear to disobey, which is illustrated in many forms throughout the hospital.

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