One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Research Paper

Although One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey focuses in on a group of men in a psychiatric ward, women are not severely absent from the storyline. Kesey places women carefully in the story line through relationships with the main characters. These relationships expresses sexism in the novel. Kesey reveals a bias against women in the sense that he emphasizes positive traits of men, such as bravery, and negative traits of women, such as overpowering. Women are interpreted as authoritative and aggresive figures who viviate and criticize men. This theme can be illustrated through the portrayal of the female characters, such as Nurse Ratchet, Candy, Sandy, Vera Harding, Mrs. Bibbitt, and Mrs. Bromden. On a broader spectrum, this novel represents the advocates of traditional gender roles characterized in the 1950s, when Kesey wrote the book. Women were delegated domestic work while men were led to be economic providers. The 1960s wave of feminism contested these traditional gender roles. Kesey responded to this change through creating social commentary about mental illness and gender roles. By diabolizing women and inspiring men, Kesey advocates sexism and

She encourages the men in the ward to confess other men’s secrets during Group Therapy. Nurse Ratchet arranges for the men to turn against each other in attempt to keep the ward under her control. She keeps the men apprehensive and needy under restraint, taking their pride of freedom. This quote describes how Nurse Ratchet liked to find the men’s weaknesses and use them against the men. She turned the men against each other. This furthers the idea that Kesey’s attitude towards women seems to be that they take advantage of men when they are at their weakest point. Since Nurse Ratchet holds top dog authority at the ward, Kesey sends the message about women that they prevent spontaneity and rebellion against societal repression from