In 1960, Ken Kesey volunteered as a paid, experimental subject for the U.S. Army, in which he used psychedelic drugs and wrote about his experience. His experience was said to have lead an era of psychedelic drugs in the 1960s; Kesey was the leader of the hippies. America began to be a liberal society, though racism was still an existing issue, there was substantial drug usage, and The Vietnam War brought about a new, sick method of publicism. Kesey contributed literature to the Postmodern Era, more specifically, the Industrial Era, an era of modern technology. The era was a turmoil of chaos, a dark era, an era that is often overlooked. Kesey was an avid user of hallucinogenic drugs, loved writing with dark humor, and encouraged a movement in the recognition and legalization of psychedelic drugs. …show more content…
This experience heavily influenced his writing. Although his book was realistic fiction, there were aspects that resemble a hallucinogenic drug trip, events that could happen, but were rather out-of-the-ordinary. He was recognized by figures high in society, (no pun intended) such as President Woodrow Wilson, who awarded Kesey was awarded a National Fellowship Pin in 1958. His work was so recognized, it was made into a movie. However, Kesey despised the script so much that he refused to watch the movie. Kesey had authoritative beliefs, and proved that he’d stand by those beliefs. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was the Fifty Shades of Gray of the 20th century, being such a daring and edgy book, which lead to