Manipulation In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Manipulation is a great way to make sure that control is maintained over a period of time. This is evident in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, when Nurse Ratched and Randle McMurphy battle for power. Ken Kesey, the author of the novel, worked in a psychiatric ward during the 1960’s. These experiences affected him and led to him writing this novel. The events that happened in the novel can be related to how Hitler maintained power throughout the same decade that the novel was written. Hitler would be best compared to Nurse Ratched because they both maintained power over a group of people through the use of force. Both of them manipulated the people around them so they could control the situation. The protagonist, Randle McMurphy, and the antagonist, Nurse Ratched, are in a constant battle for power throughout the entirety of the novel. McMurphy continually tries to push Nurse Ratched to the edge to see when she will break. He does this because he is trying to gain more power little by little. A specific example is at the beginning of the novel when McMurphy bets with the other men that he will …show more content…
This can be contrasted with how Hitler maintained power over a whole country. Nurse Ratched would point out each patients flaws until the other mentally ill people noticed and took advantage of it. She did this to belittle them and showcase how she was always in power. Also, she would send them to get treatment when they acted out to maintain control. Hitler had similar strategies on how to keep reigning over a large about of people. Ken Kesey grew up in the 1960’s when Hitler was in power, therefore, some of his ideas might have come from the time period. Also, he worked in a psychiatric ward where he saw first-hand how the patients were being treated. Overall, the use of manipulation and force to retain power is very useful and can be very