From the fields of Yorktown to the bloody beaches of Normandy, American blood was shed in the name of freedom and liberty. America has used the ideas of liberating and bringing freedom to the oppressed as a casus belli to wage countless wars, but turned a blind eye to these problems domestically for decades. Native Americans for example were forced out of their lands into poor reservations to satisfy the needs of the ever expanding American Empire. The mentally and physically disabled were once barred from making public appearance in the name of stability and order. Ones that stood up against these injustices were met with violent resistance from both the authorities and society. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Billy and McMurphy’s struggle
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After convincing the members of the ward to allow the use of the tub room for recreational purposes, McMurphy tastes his first victory against the matriarch of the institution. During the aftermath of this event however, Chief Bromden expressed that the nurse “lost a little battle here today, but it’s a minor battle in a big war that she’s been winning...because she has all the power of the Combine behind her” (100). As one of the older resident in the ward, the Chief has seen other rebellious patients meet a cruel and cold end. His initial concern about McMurphy’s victory foreshadows the eventual demise against the metaphorical Combine that represents the overwhelming power behind social order. As predicted, McMurphy finally loses his war with the Nurse when he is taken away for violently attacking her. When he is wheeled out of the operation room into the general ward, there is a “chart at the bottom that said in heavy black letter, MCMURPHY, RANDLE P. POST-OPERATIVE...LOBOTOMY” (321). Like the emotionless writings on the chart, the end of his individuality ends in a cold and cruel manner, thus illustrating that any opposition to the metaphorical Combine is brutally crushed. The dominant culture acts not as a collective of people, but an iron fist to swiftly reject any opposition to its social
After convincing the members of the ward to allow the use of the tub room for recreational purposes, McMurphy tastes his first victory against the matriarch of the institution. During the aftermath of this event however, Chief Bromden expressed that the nurse “lost a little battle here today, but it’s a minor battle in a big war that she’s been winning...because she has all the power of the Combine behind her” (100). As one of the older resident in the ward, the Chief has seen other rebellious patients meet a cruel and cold end. His initial concern about McMurphy’s victory foreshadows the eventual demise against the metaphorical Combine that represents the overwhelming power behind social order. As predicted, McMurphy finally loses his war with the Nurse when he is taken away for violently attacking her. When he is wheeled out of the operation room into the general ward, there is a “chart at the bottom that said in heavy black letter, MCMURPHY, RANDLE P. POST-OPERATIVE...LOBOTOMY” (321). Like the emotionless writings on the chart, the end of his individuality ends in a cold and cruel manner, thus illustrating that any opposition to the metaphorical Combine is brutally crushed. The dominant culture acts not as a collective of people, but an iron fist to swiftly reject any opposition to its social