Cuckoo's Nest Hierarchy

The common cuckoo can be recognized by its soft, two-note call: “cuc-koo, cuc-koo.” This gentle song may make the bird seem innocent. However, the cuckoo is guilty of using a few cunning schemes to advance its own interests. Specifically, cuckoo birds employ a technique known as mimicry. This means that they copy the physical, and behavioral patterns of other animals to improve their own chances at survival. Thanks to these wily tricks, common cuckoos have managed to thrive in many parts of the world.

Ken Kesey’s figurative language in his novel, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, suggests that broken individuals can connect and make each other whole again. The traumatic events that occur when the patients are younger still affect them in their current state. For example, throughout his life, Bromden has always been assumed to be deaf and dumb. When he spoke to people their “machinery dispose[d] of the words like they weren’t even spoken” (181). Kesey’s metaphor represents how Bromden feels that the Combine influences him. When Bromden speaks, the words do not “fit” in the listener’s brain and they ignore him (181). Being a large Native American man, Bromden does not fit into the mold that is set by the Combine (societal expectations), so

The 1960’s was a period of great dissatisfaction from people who felt their rights were being violated. Millions of Americans, young and old, black and white, came together to fight against racial discrimination and protest the Vietnam War. The government suppressed the southern black population the right to vote, while sponsoring a war in Vietnam that was widely unpopular. Reflecting the anti-establishment movements of the 1960’s, Ken Kesey wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It has since become an American classic for its themes of rebellion and nonconformity against an over controlling authority that does not respect individualism and humanity.

In the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the lead protagonist, Randle McMurphy, changes over the course of the novel because of the characters that he meets and the effects they have on him. Originally, McMurphy was selfish, disrespectful, and inconsiderate, but then he forms closer bonds with the other characters and they change him and the way he views other people. The characters in the mental hospital struggle with conforming to the dictator in the ward, Nurse Ratched. McMurphy comes into the hospital as a way out of a prison sentence and tries to teach the patients that they need to stand up for themselves and do what they believe is right.

In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, the climax occurs when Nurse Ratched, the antagonist, forces the men who return from the boating trip to shower, causing a violent melee that leads to the book’s resolution. McMurphy, one of the protagonists in the story, arranges a special boating trip to let the other men in the ward have a sense of happiness and independence. As Nurse Ratched discovers that the men interact with a prostitute, she furiously demands the men to cleanse their bodies. George expresses his disapproval of the nurse’s demand due to his phobia of cleanliness, and McMurphy and Chief Bromden physically fight the nurses as a part of their protest. In the end McMurphy and Chief Bromden relocate to the Disturbed Ward for their extreme behavior: “They kept talking like that, to cheer us up and make us feel better, about what a fight, what a victory—as the Big Nurse helped the aides from Disturbed adjust those soft leather cuffs to fit our arms” (234). The main theme of the novel, the overthrowing of authority comes to a close, and Nurse Ratched finally captures McMurphy, the man who encourages the rest of the patients to resist her oppression. This climatic scene contributes to the resolution: the weaker party, or the patients, win by proving their point of intolerance towards authority, yet Nurse Ratched remains the ultimate person in control. Shortly after the incident, Nurse Ratched metaphorically and literally sucks the life out of McMurphy with

“One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey tells a story of a psychiatric ward full of unfair treatment brought to justice by a savior, Randle McMurphy. Throughout the novel biblical allusions are used to shine light on the evil in the ward. Some biblical allusions Kesey uses in “ One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” are the savior in McMurphy and the crucifixion of Jesus (McMurphy) in the form of the shock shop. Randle McMurphy is a reflection of Jesus as his teachings, just like Jesus’, impacted the patients. Since the moment McMurphy arrived he challenged the rules of the ward and encourages both the Acutes and Chronics to do so as well.

Motives are the most common source of an outcome, leading individuals to every action that occurs. Every decision made by an individual is influenced by some sort of motive, whether it is physiological, social, or personal. Ken Kesey presents to the reader the inspiration behind the characters course of action in the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, resulting in the change of heart from Dr.Spivey and Randle McMurphy. The impact from other individuals often alters the reasoning for an action. Doctor Spivey originally supported Nurse Ratched’s actions, but Mcmurphy influenced him to make decisions based on the needs and wants of the patients. Mcmurphy inspires the men to voice their opinion and builds their confidence up, so that they can take on the Nurse. Nurse Ratched does not agree with the men, so she does everything in her power to eliminate the men's masculinity in order for her to keep the ward running like she desires.

During the movie One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, there were several instances of status hierarchy, Adjustment, depersonalization, and Institutionalization. A Status hierarchy symbol is the nurses station and a fall of status hierarchy was when Nurse Ratchet got her nurses cap back dirty at the end of the movie. They show adjustment in the movie with the lack of letting them watch the world series. Some of the ways ward depersonalized the patients was by rationing out the cigarettes after Mac's gambling stint, wearing the same clothes, taking medication at a set time, and the extreme of Mac's Lobotomy. Institutionalization is shown where Mac finds out that a lot of the ward is in their because of free will.

Written during a turbulent time of change, Kesey’s novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is a critique of American society during the sixties, particularly the inhumane and degrading way the mentally ill were treated. Kesey’s utilization of setting, characterisation and symbolism depict how the characters give into conformity, which ultimately robs them of their identities and tortures their souls. The text is a representation of American Society during the sixties, as the characters are confronted with a crisis of conscience to either stand painfully still with their eyes closed, or to spread their wings and fly out of the cuckoo’s next.

As a reflection of the sixties and seventies, Dazed and Confused itself is a representation of the experience that many teenagers had during this time period. In the specific scene that this artifact covers, is the carefree spirit that is so commonly associated with the people of this time when looking back today. This mentality can be attributed to a couple of crucial factors. Incidents such as the anti-war protests led to the start of the Hippie Movement, introducing one of the major icons of the decade, the hippie that revolted against events such as the Vietnam War. During this period, the hippie countered what they felt were deceitful actions in the United States government, forcing those of their own population into

To keep the social norms in One Flew Over a Cuckoo's Nest they used punishments to keep people in line. They didn't really use many rewards or positive consequences. They also used a status hierarchy, a status Hierarchy is essential in Internalization it lets people know who they are supposed to obey. Depersonalization is also an important part in internalization depersonalization strips you of who you really are and makes you less likely to rebel. Another equally important part is having a strict schedule. This takes away your right to choose. The last but most crucial part of this is institutionalization. Institutionalization means that people are unable to function in the real world because of this they can never leave.

In Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey portrays Randle Patrick McMurphy as a hero and a Christ figure throughout the story. As the story ensues, McMurphy becomes the patients’ voice, performs “miracles”, and gives them hope and courage, eventually sacrificing himself for the others in the end.

The first character introduced was Peter Holmes. Holmes is a Lieutenant- Commander of the Royal Australian Navy. Peter married to his wife, Mary, six months before the war. Peter comes across as a family-oriented character. He continues to not only make decision that benefited him, but he always keeps his family in his thought. The impending deployment of Peter shifted the Holmes household. Instead, Mary would retrieve the milk and keep the family running. On one of his last trips, Peter sets up with the farmer the future transaction. Peter set down a plan and told the farmer what to expect. While in his interview, Peter makes sure he pick the job right for his family. He aches for a seagoing job, but also recognizes Mary needs a change as

Kesey wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest after spending time as a subject in the studies of various drugs, including LSD, mescaline and later working as an attendant in a psychiatric ward. These experiences eventually led to the writing of this novel (Kesey, 1). By combining the influences of the counterculture with the effect of the ward on Kesey, and one can find the essence of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. These influences, put together, creates the essential question of the novel, “does being a productive citizen of society require conformity?” while the theme of the novel serves as the answer, “Yes, but it is time to rebel against authority and conformity.”

Hierarchy, a system that ranks social status. Do you live in a place where hierarchy is used? Chances are you do. Hierarchy is a universal system, which was also utilized, in the Elizabethan era. The habitants of the Elizabethan era believed in a hierarchy system called, The Chain of Being. Not only was this system used to rank social status, but it was also used as a boundary in social life. If the boundaries were broken or encroached, chaos would ensue. In the play Macbeth, we see that disruption of The Great Chain of Being can result in numerous consequences on various aspects of life. We see three aspects of life that are implicated negatively by Macbeth’s actions, as his actions disrupted the natural hierarchy. The three aspects that become chaotic due to Macbeth’s actions are environmental/nature, civil order and mental.