One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Literary Analysis of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest The 1950s, the context of which One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a novel by Ken Kesey, was written, was called the Era of Conformity. During this time, the American social atmosphere was quiet conformed, in that everyone was expected to follow the same, set format of behavior in society, and the ones who stand out of being not the same would likely be “beaten down” by the social norms. In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey…

gender that they identify with over the other, and often put the two against each other. The common assumption is that children usually portray this bias behavior, and as they get older, they grow out of it. Although this is the stereotypical belief, this behavior does not always die off with childhood, instead sticking with some throughout their entire adulthood, leaving those to choose to act upon it, some through writing. The Bell Jar and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are two novels…

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a classic novel, written by Ken Kesey in 1962. Set in an Oregon psychiatric hospital, the novel tells of the barbaric, psychologically disrupting practices that Nurse Ratched, renowned tyrannical yet competent worker, uses against the patients within the institution for their rehabilitation. Daily procedures and mind-numbing medication plagued the Acute and Chronic patients, living life without substance and concord. One repetitious morning, a larger-than-life…

Girl, Interrupted- Analysis on Lisa’s Disorder Francis Lobo (14-PPL-26) Lisa Lisa is the most powerful personality on the ward. Her utter disregard for authority makes her a frustrating and entertaining figure in the eyes of the other girls. Whether engaging in complicated pranks or escaping from the hospital, Lisa ensures that the routine of the ward never goes uninterrupted for long. Lisa is proud of her diagnosis as a sociopath and revels in the attention her antics earn her. Lisa is a…

felt that felt that because he focused so much on the sexual aspect of the story, the protagonist of the book is somewhat inadequately developed. McMurtry himself told critics that his approach to the material in The Last Picture Show was too bitter. One part of the book that they hammered the hardest was the fact that certain characterizations approached stereotype (CLC 103:229). Critics did find strong points in McMurtry’s story that helped bring the story back to life. When he brought about…

Nurse Ratched epitomizes an authoritarian leader with her superiority, and inability to collaborate with the other members of the ward. In attempt to assert her control over McMurphy, Nurse Ratched reminds him that, “‘You're committed, you realize. You are... under the jurisdiction of me... the staff." She's holding up a fist, all those red-orange fingernails burning into her palm. "Under jurisdiction and control—" (125). When threatened by McMurphy, she forces him to “realize” that he is…

How the Ward is run is a clear clue to Kesey's questions of sanity, one reason is the Big Nurse Ratched who is the unofficial controller of the ward. Over the years, she manipulates and twists the patients against one another in group meetings that give little to no help to improve any mental illnesses they have. Her own abuse to her prowess shines throughout the novel such as, by the denial of fun activities that can improve the patients. Kesey shows a large symbol of irony as well with Nurse…

them. The political prisoners are conniving con artists whose strength is their strong bond and them being kept together. In the story the narrator describes the political prisoners claiming, “Span One was assertive and it was beyond the scope of white warders to handle assertive black men. Thus, Span One had got out of control. They were the best thieves and liars in the camp” (Head 127). Warders are intimidated by them because they are cunning and…

against them during group therapy sessions and belittling them in front of the other patients. Nurse Ratched is aware of the fact that she controls the power during the group “therapy” sessions, and she uses this time to exercise her dominance. During one of the sessions, she chooses to address Dale Harding and his troubles with his wife. He has been admitted into the hospital due to his feelings of inferiority and she uses this information against him in order to belittle him and make him feel…

stand at the pearly gates. It’s up to me to determine if your failure to follow residency rules will get you expelled from this floor. Mary managed the floor with crisp efficiently that earned her the nickname Mildred, after the nurse in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. None of the residents dared to refer to Mary directly as Mildred, only throwing the nickname about among the guffaw of snickers and sneers that followed in the wake of the dorm mistress when she patrolled the floor, liberally…