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Themes In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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A fight of many against an unjust institution, such is the premise of Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In the novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest we are thrust into the perspective of a native American chief, Bromden, as he lives his life in a mental ward when a new inmate, McMurphy, changes the entire scene against the hellish life they live under the ward’s controller, Nurse Ratched. Milos Forman’s movie adaptation of the book portrays the story in a completely different way; one that included many differences that Ken Kesey would not have liked. Much of what Ken Kesey’s novel revolved around was the ever important theme of individuals vs. institution and by Milos Forman altering and removing parts of the story such as Chief …show more content…

Within the book, Chief Bromden holds the interesting perspective that the ward and essentially the world is a Combine sought to make people conform; however, this concept is lost within the movie. Bromden believes the Combine and the ward is a “huge organization that aims to adjust the Outside as well as she [Nurse Ratched] has the Inside…”(Part 1, Ch.4, 28). The greater emphasis and mentioning of the Combine through Chief Bromden within the book develops upon the institution that Kesey wanted to show to the readers. Kesey would be angered by losing the aspect of Chief Bromden’s view on the manipulative Combine in the movie as it takes away from driving force and perspective which explains why Chief Bromden and sometimes other patients act in defiance of being controlled. The Combine truly sheds light on the institution in the battle of the individuals vs. institution that Kesey sought to represent and is a paramount part of the story which was left out in the movie, thus Kesey would have disliked this difference. Furthermore, in regards to the individuals aspect of the individuals vs. institution theme that the movie dismisses, Chief Bromden remarks in reference to …show more content…

As Chief Bromden recalls in reference to Cheswick, “just as soon as we got to the pool, he said he did wish something mighta been done, thought, and dove into the water. And got his fingers stuck some way in the grate that’s over the drain at the bottom of the pool (…) and by the time they got a screwdriver and undid the grate and brought Cheswick up, with the grate still clutched by his chubby pink and blue fingers, he was drowned.” (Part 2, Ch.3, 175). As a result of not getting his cigarettes and the institution winning over, Cheswick decides to kill himself in the book which highlights the conflict that Kesey’s theme of individuals vs. institutions seeks to represent. Kesey would dislike the lack of this scene within the movie as with it gone, we lose a sense of how controlling the institution is and how much unfair treatment the individuals are subject to under the institution and this is illustrated by Cheswick 's death. Furthermore, by removing the scene, the story also loses the concept of rebellion against the institution that Kesey intentionally established. As a result of the removal of the scene within the movie, Kesey’s important theme of individuals vs. institution is

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The Origins of Madness in One Who Flew Off The Cuckoo's Nest The book, One who Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey, is an eccentric story on the cruel treatment of patients within psychiatric wards in the 1960s. It is told from the narration of an indigenous man, named Chief Bromden, a character who is deeply conflicted and wounded inside, as he narrates the story of another patient McMurphy. McMurphy is not like Chief, nor any of the other patients for that matter, for he is a man who refuses to follow the wards rules and does whatever it takes in the book to strip the head nurse, Miss Ratched, of her power, in a fight for the patients, sovereignty within the ward. His rebellious attitude unfolds and the consequences begin unveiling

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In novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, a leader organizes a group of mental patients and rebels against the figurehead of the broken institutional system of the mental hospital. McMurphy pushes The institutions rules of order, bringing out the evil in the situation. Bromden, due to his bias narration, misconstrues Nurse Ratched as the antagonist where, in truth, she falsifies this by trying to maintain order and by ultimately seeking the best for her patients. Kesey chooses Bromden as the narrator, by doing this, he introduces an element of skepticism for the audience as Brombden opposes the institution.

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Ken Kesey’s comic novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, takes place in an all-male psychiatric ward. The head of the ward, Big Nurse Ratched, is female. Kesey explores the power-struggle that takes place when the characters challenge gender dynamics in this environment. One newly-arrived patient, McMurphy, leads the men against the Big Nurse. The story is told through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a patient who learns from McMurphy and fights for his freedom.

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This material contributes to the themes that Kesey portrays in

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The Beat Generation of the 1950’s and early 1960’s encouraged a new lifestyle for young Americans striving for individualism and freedom, which included rock and roll music, long hair, relaxed style attire, vegetarianism, and experimenting with drugs (“Beat Movement”). Many young Americans of this era wanted to experiment with new social and cultural concepts, rebelling against “normal” American life. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, written by Ken Kesey, portrays the gruesomeness of conformity through the lives of patients in one of the asylum’s wards. The novel shows how the patients are confined to strict rules and limited freedom because of Nurse Ratched’s power.

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In the novel, Kesey employs many characters, each with unique features. For example, Dale Harding, one of the protagonists in the story, was described as, “... a flat, nervous man ...” (Kesey 20) and in one of the group discussion lead by Nurse Ratched, he was reported of saying

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Throughout Ken Kesey’s, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the balance of power is challenged in the psychiatric ward. Out of the several leaders that appear in the novel, Nurse Ratched and McMurphy are the most prominent. During Nurse Ratched and McMurphy struggle for power, they share many of the same qualities. It is argued that: “McMurphy and Ratched are alike in intelligence, military service, distinctive (if opposite) clothing, and conventionally masculine qualities” (Evans). These small similarities; however, do not distract the characters from fighting for their individual beliefs.

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Forcing people to follow a societal norm is detrimental to the health of the mind and body. The struggle between conformers and non conformers creates a schism in society. In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey asserts the overarching importance of individuality through the use of a conflict between the patients and the nurse as a microcosm of society. In the novel, the delusions of the narrator create a surreal world that reveals a strong message on the nature of conformity.

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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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Because Kesey chose the work to be from the point of view of Bromden, who to the rest of the patients and staff is believed to both dumb and deaf, the readers are left with a story that relies heavily on Bromden’s own observations and perceptions of events. Though Bromden is actually neither dumb nor deaf, he does nothing to attempt to alleviate this facade, and instead, remains a mute spectator. Due to the observing nature of Bromden that Kesey writes, much of the story is comprised of imagery. The readers cannot rely on Bromden’s lack of conversation with others to grasp the story, so much of what Bromden recalls is based off of his senses. Bromden’s faux disability allows him to observe much more than that of other characters, such is portrayed

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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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“One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest” is a film directed by Miloš Forman, based on the novel by Ken Kesey. The Film was released in 1975. It is the story of a convicted man, trying to outsmart the American legal system by playing mentally ill. The film starts at the beginning when the main character, Randle McMurphy, enters the mental institution. It won 6 Golden Globes as well as 5 Oscars and many other nominations.

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest The film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, prompts very important aspect of the human condition. In the movie, the protagonist, Mac McMurphy, is deemed dangerous, so the mental institute tries to suppress him (Kesey). The film highlights various aspects of human conditions like psychology, sociology and philosophy. The mental institute tries to suppress the mentally challenged people rather than to try to communicate with them.

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Hearing the various different questions, and having to make a few questions myself, that connected the readings to the film helped me see more connections that weren’t initially there after only having watched the film. Having Connell’s definition of hegemonic masculinity helped me place the hegemonic characteristics the film describes but does not define, into the discussion in order to better focus on more specific theory rather than simply on broader ideas presented in the movie. This more defined definition helped me place the issues described in the film into theory that explains how these issues come about, and how we can better

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Ken Kesey uses his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, to describe the lives of patients in a mental institution, and their struggle to overcome the oppressive authority under which they are living. Told from the point of view of a supposedly mute schizophrenic, the novel also shines a light on the many disorders present in the patients, as well as how their illnesses affect their lives during a time when little known about these disorders, and when patients living with these illnesses were seen as an extreme threat. Chief Bromden, the narrator of the novel, has many mental illnesses, but he learns to accept himself and embrace his differences. Through the heroism introduced through Randle McMurphy, Chief becomes confident in himself, and is ultimately able to escape from the toxic environment Nurse Ratched has created on the ward. Chief has many disorders including schizophrenia, paranoia, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and, in addition to these illnesses, he pretends to be deaf and dumb.

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