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.
In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the ward is run by a couple of guards, Nurse Pilbow, and Nurse Ratchet. From the beginning of the movie, it is obvious who is in charge. Nurse Ratchet and the staff are the only ones allowed behind the nurse’s station. This is an example of Status Hierarchy. When McMurphy walks behind the desk at the beginning of the movie and once again towards the end, this shows that he does not respect those in authority there. He proves this once more when he smashes the glass to give Cheswick the cigarettes. The cigarettes, in addition, can also be seen as status hierarchy. In most prisons, and in this movie, cigarettes are used for bartering. Nurse Ratchet rations the cigarettes to keep that power hold against the men. Overtime, she has developed almost a leash against them. During group therapy, if she says to
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The doctors treat the patients as a collective group, to be medicated and sent on their way. Often times, they will skim over the patient’s problems, rather than getting to the root of the issue. Status hierarchy, Depersonalization, Adjustment, and Institutionalization are all real issues in the medical field. This movie uses humor and sometimes shocking scenes to provide a perspective into total