Analysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest - 2178 Words

Alex Farkas Mr. Kendrick AP English Literature June 10, 2017 The Theme of Power in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest In Ken Kesey’s â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest†, he uses the concept of power as a theme that is laced throughout his novel in many different forms, most of which are abstract and some of which are tangible objeacts. Kesey uses the arrival of McMurphy as the catalyst for all the events that follow. McMurphy’s clash with Nurse Ratched is a classic example of a power struggle with a few twists. McMurphy gains his followers through a cleansing corruption process that returns them to their status as individual men and not just prisoners of Nurse Ratched’s will. From the first time he steps into the hospital, every man knows†¦show more content†¦Before McMurphy’s arrival, nobody ever dares let loose and laugh. The whole staff d be in with notebooks and a lot of questions (19), just to please Nurse Ratched. As McMurphy becomes ingratiated and he takes over the group with his dominant attitude and rumbling laugh, the Chief becomes his old self and gains back all of the confidence that he lost over the many years. Chief Bromden feels safe in his misty world where he can hide behind the fog and be forgotten by the whole outside world, as bad as it is [he] can slip back into it and feel safe (114), and McMurphy slowly and steadily pulls him out of his seclusion. He does this by building up the Chief’s confidence and speaking to him as though he can hear and talk back just like any other man on the street and telling him just how big he is. In his mind, the Chief measures the â€Å"size† of people by their attitudes and actions. Though he is a towering figure, the Chief feels like he has shrunk to the size of a fly on the wall that watches and hears but says nothing in return. The Chief finally feels as big as he looks at the end of the novel when he escapes to his freedom; a freedom that he could not have achieved without the help of one Mr. Randal Patrick McMurphy, his closest friend, confidant, and the man who gave him his power and life back. All the men she oversees in the ward hate Nurse Ratched. FromShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest1179 Words   |  5 PagesOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Essay: Power Dynamics In The Cuckoo’s Nest â€Å"She aint honest †¦ She likes a rigged game† (Forman One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Film). Power can be used as a source of evil or heroism. It has the capacity to control and manipulate people. However, it also has the capability to champion freedom and rights for others. In the novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Nurse Ratchet’s controlling power came from her ability to emasculate the male patients and maintain a sexlessRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 1038 Words   |  5 PagesChief Bromden is the main character in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Chief Bromden, also know as â€Å"Chief Broom† is mentally ill in a mental ward. Chief suffers from Schizophrenia, lack of identity, and oppression. Chief Bromden changes throughout the novel by coming out of his fog, becoming aware of his surroundings, and even leaving the mental ward with the help of his friend Mcmurphy. Chief bromden has a large quantity of schizophrenic episodes throughout the book. He suffers fromRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 1734 Words   |  7 PagesAbigail Dempsey HAP 315 October 29, 14 Shaw-Sutherland One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest In this book written by Ken Kesey, the main character is a man named R.P. McMurphy who tricks people into thinking that he is a psychopath. To McMurphy, the asylum is a get out of jail free card, which quickly turns out to be something else entirely. However, one vital aspect of this book is the way in which it addresses and provides insight upon several contemporary issues relating to the American healthcareRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest970 Words   |  4 Pages Major Assignment #2 Psychological Disorders The Movies Movie Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest PSY 2100 Introductory Psychology Student Name: Caijuan Xu Student No. 040785683 Algonquin College 2015.11.19 â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest† is a famous USA movie at November 19, 1975. This movie talks about when Randle Patrick McMurphy was transferred from prison farm to a mental institution, a group people who were diagnosed with mental illness lived here. McMurphy was dynamicRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 1306 Words   |  6 PagesBenjamin Wiki - Conformity Intro â€Å"Conformity is behaviour in accordance with socially accepted conventions.† - One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest The novel is set in the 1960’s inside a mental institution told by a patient, Big Chief Bromden and can be seen as a miniature mirror of society. The wards society is presented as a machine, called the Combine, that makes everyone conform to its strict rules and timetables. All individuality is taken away from the patients, and the happy feelings areRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 943 Words   |  4 PagesThe Subversion of Gender Roles in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest In today s society, as well as in the past, men are typically placed in a position of power over women. Although gender equality is increasing, a more patriarchal society is considered to be the norm. However, in certain situations the gender roles that are played by men and women are reversed, and women hold most, if not all of the power. Such as in Ken Kesey s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest, in this instance the ward is aRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 1750 Words   |  7 PagesCaulfield As one is experiencing a life of alienation and loneliness, they may being to act uncontrollable while rebelling against their surroundings, one loses themselves as they feel different than everyone present. Alienation can force an individual to spiral into an abyss of nothingness, nonetheless if one allows others to reach out and inspire than it is possible to break away from the alienation and loneliness. Chief Bromden from the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, written by KenRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 845 Words   |  4 PagesOne Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is about a mental ward, its patients, and the head nurse, Nurse Ratched, a sadistic woman who overpowers her patients by making them feel small, incompetent, and incapable of belonging to society in a normal manner. Two of the patients, Billy Bibbit, a shy and fearful man with a bad stutter, and R. P. McMurphy, a very smart and outspoken man, each play a big part in the movie. T hey are both examples of wrongful treatment within the institution. In the end, Billy commitsRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 2935 Words   |  12 PagesKesey highlights two distinctions between the roles of women in his novel ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’. He places women in two categories, the ‘Ballcutters’ and ‘Whores’ . The ‘Ballcutters’ are presented to have a dominant role over the men within the ‘Combine’ and challenges their masculinity, resulting in them being personified as machines. This is demonstrated when Bromden describes the ‘tip of each finger the same colour as her lips. Funny orange. Like the tip of a soldering iron’ of NurseRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 3755 Words   |  16 Pagestheir gender, suggesting the two are intrinsically linked. In ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’, the patients in the asylum are emasculated by the presence of a powerful woman who controls their fate. These men are not celebrated for their madness as they would have been during the renaissance (Foucault) but rather they are dominated by the â€Å"ball breaker’’ Nurse Ratched. Hence gender and identity in Kesey’s ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ is the premise for conflict within the asylum and the eventual