One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest from Multiple Critical Perspectives

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Multiple Critical Perspectives ™ Teaching Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest from Multiple Critical Perspectives by Jill Clare ™ Multiple Critical Perspectives One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest General Introduction to the Work Introduction to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest O ne Flew Over the CuCkOO’s nest, published in 1962, is a classic work of the countercultural movement, containing themes of individuality, societal oppression, and the ambiguity of sanity and insanity. Author Ken Kesey was inspired by experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs like LSD, as well as by his time serving on the psychiatric ward of a veterans’ hospital. However, although parts of the text were inspired by Kesey’s life, the novel is, nonetheless, a work of fiction. McMurphy’s development through the story and his ultimate sacrifice are archetypal themes found throughout literature. The novel also contains elements of contemporary tragedy: McMurphy emerges as a tragic hero due to his rebellious nature and ultimate demise. Despite his flaws, McMurphy has a redeeming influence on Chief Bromden and the other patients. Chief Bromden’s role as first-person narrator allows the reader a glimpse into the inner workings of the hospital in a way that a more traditional, sane narrator could never do. In the beginning of the novel, Bromden is undoubtedly depicted as insane, being prone to hallucinations and paranoid thoughts. His hallucinations are full of fantastic images of machinery, wires, and other devices that the nurse uses to control the patients on the ward. He also sees people literally change in size; as the nurse’s power and influence grows, Bromden sees her grow physically as well. As the Chief develops into a more autonomous, sane character, he imagines himself growing from a diminutive size to a fully grown individual at the end of the novel. All of his

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