One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Essay One downfall to marriage for a man can be a loss of freedom. But in any situation, including being in an insane asylum, men will seek openness and the thrill of being free. Being committed in a relationship or a ward will bear down on you, but the venturing out is still wanted. In One flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Randall McMurphy and every man in the institution with him want to escape. A man’s drive for independence is very strong, but fear and being committed can bear down on the self-determination before he succeeds.
Ken Kesey, the author of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest uses stylistic features such as characterisation, religious symbolism and narrative voice to explore the idea that ‘when systems are unjust people of conscience must act.’ One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is narrated by the main character Chief Bromden, a chronic in a very controlled, unjust, authority driven mental asylum. That is until Randall McMurphy a new admission enters the hospital ward causing havoc for the enforcers of the unjust system, standing up on behalf of the patients. Nurse Ratched ‘the big nurse’ and her ‘black boys’ who abuse their power creating an unequitable system. In One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey uses characterisation to depict the struggle of McMurphy against the unjust system of ‘the Combine.’ Nurse Ratched, the big nurse, is portrayed as a powerful mechanical being ‘big as a tractor’ with a large amount of power along with her ‘black boys’ who maintain the injustice of the system. Kesey uses Bromden’s narration to depict these characters as ‘humming hate and death’ further emphasising the lack of compassion in the hospital.
Randle is a Korean War hero with a dishonorable discharge and he was also a con man admitted from the ward in prison form. But he pretends that he is insane, diagnosed himself as a psychotic just to get out of prison time. Randle is a rebel, influencing the other patients at the hospital and always challenging the dictatorship of nurse Racthed. He’s the protagonist of this story. Bringing fun to the hospital, trying to get the others outside and see the world, and also, trying to get the other patients to conquer their fear.
A hero can be a role model for people and be loved by everyone. A hero's abilities must be employed for a good cause, usually the protection of the weak. Ray Bradbury’s novel entitled Fahrenheit 451 (1953) challenges the reader to rethink what it means to be a hero: even though Montag promotes and continues his thoughts and freewill and to make people to remember the past. Sometimes Montag behaves irrationally and even commits murder to achieve his goal. Unconventional hero through the character Guy Montag with following events Montage’s act very unorthodox.
Introduction (1 525 words) The ground breaking novel ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” written by Ken Kesey, the Pied Piper of the psychedelic era, was published in 1962 and is a story set in a mental institution which is narrated by the gigantic but docile half-Native American inmate "Chief" Bromden. It focuses on the antics of the rebellious Randle Patrick McMurphy, who faked insanity to serve out his prison sentence, for statutory rape, in the hospital. The head administrative nurse, Mildred Ratched, rules the ward with an iron fist and emasculates the male patients by prying on their weaknesses. Kesey's use of symbolism in the novel created a critical and allegorical tone; the hospital is presented as metaphor for the oppressive society of the late 1960s and the Beatnik era that saw many rebel against the strict social constructs. The characters in the novel challenge the social norms of gender as the Nurse epitomises the expression of sexual dominance as the ultimate goal and denounces repression through instilling fear in others, that ultimately sees the emergence of Randle McMurphy as the antihero as he embodies the nature of a rebel and opposes social constructs of the 1960’s.
In part one of the novel, he explains that the ward is “for fixing up mistakes in the neighborhoods…” As much as this is correct, it is still a weird way to look at the mental hospital. Another part of the book that shows that the ward has molded their minds to thin differently and slowly become insane is when McMurphy challenges the other patients to stand up for themselves with Nurse Ratchet, after the first group meeting in part one. It explains that the patients are “Even scared to open up and laugh.” While he explains that the patients need to laugh more he says “When you lose your laugh you lose your footing.” This
Because McMurphy was loud, chased after girls, gambled, and liked to have fun, he was considered different. There was no obvious sign that he was mentally unstable so why exactly was he sent to reside in a mental asylum? The answer is because McMurphy was unlike everyone else. He enjoyed life and he made many attempts to continue enjoying it. He was not a selfish guy
Chief begins to notice McMurphy’s vulnerabilities when he states, “How could a man who looked like him paint pictures or write letters to people or be upset and worried like I saw him once when I saw him get a letter back?” (Kesey162). Throughout his profound 2 use of symbolism, Kesey demonstrates how people view McMurphy based on the image he portrays and his true self is shocking to others. Nurse Ratched tries to subjugate 4 the patients and McMurphy’s novel 5 idea to diminish 6 her power shows how tough he real is. McMurphy’s relentlessness weakens Nurse Ratched’s stringent 7 rules. The patients venerate 8 McMurphy because of the toughness he has toward Nurse Ratched.
There are many art forms that represent the universal theme of good vs. evil. In many of these expressions there is a savior or hero who takes on the elements of evil to save the general population of the world. In the book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the character Randle McMurphy tries to portray a hero. McMurphy enters an evil world that is void of personal choice; his character makes it his mission to free the enslaved sprits of the inmates. McMurphy comes to the ward and helps and hurts the boys that live there.
Mason Kochanski 20th Century Literature Nepper-7th 11/24/08 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest #2 The combine, the machine, the man; these are but a few of the many names disgruntled populaces have applied to their perceived oppressors. Warring against the powers that be is portrayed as ultimately hopeless yet undeniably necessary. McMurphy is one such champion of the people, forcibly rousing those around him to leave their apathy behind. The main target of his endeavors is Chief Bromden whom McMurphy pulls out of the fog time and time again. In the beginning, McMurphy is forced to drag the chief out against his will, “that’s what McMurphy can’t understand, us wanting to be safe.