Narration, Metaphors, Images and Symbols in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
In 1962, when One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (the Nest), was published, America was at the start of decade that would be characterized by turmoil. Involvement in Vietnam was increasing, civil rights marches were taking place in the south and a new era of sexual promiscuity and drug use was about to come into full swing. Young Americans formed a subgroup in American society that historians termed the “counterculture”. The Nest is a product of time when it was written. It is anti-authoritarian and tells the tale of a man's rebelling against the establishment. Kesey used metaphor to make a social commentary on the America of the sixties. In this paper I will
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It is with this paranoid rambling that the reader meets Bromden. As the first chapter progresses we witness more instances of his troubled mind and his way of describing people as part machine, part human. Nurse Ratched is the called "the Big Nurse," by Bromden. His description of her is an example of his ability to link people with machines. "She slides through the door with a gust of cold...(the) tip of each finger the same color as her lips. Funny orange. Like the tip of a soldering iron. Color so hot or so cold if she touches you with it you can't tell which." (Pg. 4 Kesey). She has the ability, in Bromden's mind, to increase her size. She, "blows up bigger and bigger, big as a tractor, so big you can smell the machinery inside the way you smell a motor pulling too big a load." (Pg 5 Kesey). These descriptions of humans who are made part machine, part human allow the reader to get a clearer understanding of Bromden's illness. This, I believe, is a positive aspect of the novel, however there would seem to be, at least one, negative aspect to Kesey's choice of narrators.
This choice of narrators for Kesey, in my opinion, may be considered troublesome. He seems to ask the reader to trust the voice of a madman. This seems to do anything but create a narrator who is trustworthy. Upon rereading the Nest, I found myself doubting the narrator because he seems to be inconsistent. In the first section of the
Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is a unique fiction novel about oppression and rebellion in an American 1950's Mental Hospital. In this highly distinctive novel, setting definitely refers to the interior, the interiors of the Institution. It also refers to the period this novel this was set in, the 50's, 60's where McCarthyism was dominant. Furthermore, it has great symbolic value, representing issues such as the American struggle of freedom and conformity. This essay shall discuss the setting' & its significance towards Ken Kesey's "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest".
Allusion is a powerful tool many authors use to elicit emotions of the reader by relating two texts. This is one of the many tools Ken Kesey uses in his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Throughout the novel, Keses alludes to the most popular text of all time, the bible. Kesey uses the allusion to create depth in the characters and elicit the emotional connection that many feel with the text of the bible. Kesey’s allusion to Jesus is found in the struggle of Mcmurphy against Nurse Ratched. In the process of their struggles, both heroes become martyrs and are immortalized into legend. By using an allusion to a religious text Kesey is able to bring to the surface powerful emotions and feelings creating a connection between the text and the
Early on in the novel, Kesey provides the reader with short glimpses into Bromden’s mentality through parenthetical digressions and the use of the fog. Initially, the author creates one of these brief glances in an analogy where a hound is “running scared and lost”
The 1960s are commonly known as an age of sex, drugs, and rock and roll: a significant contrast from the former proper, devoted family of the 1950s. During the 1960s, in contrast to the 1950s, the emphasis on religion wasn’t as noteworthy as before. As Ken Kesey, born in 1935, experienced these changes while maturing, he had the opportunity to touch upon old religious ideas in many of his novels. More specifically, Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest constantly alludes to the Bible, with references to Hell and its machine-like dwellers, as well as numerous Christ-like figures, in order to further establish his meaning.
Bibbit, Billy's mother, has on him. Even when he is not directly in contact with her he lives in fear of her. Because of this influence Mrs. Bibbit prevents her son from becoming a full functioning adult and thus even at the age of thirty-one Billy appears to be no more than a kid to Nurse Ratched and the other patients of the ward. When Billy asks his mother to treat him like and adult she asks "Sweetheart, do I look like the mother of a middle-aged man?"(Kesey 247). When Nurse Ratched catches Billy sleeping with a prostitute even mentioning to Billy that she will tell his mother drives Billy to kill himself. The power that Mrs. Bibbit has over her son is an excellent example of how Ken Kesey was able to reverse gender roles in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is a unique fiction novel about oppression and rebellion in an American 1950’s Mental Hospital. In this highly distinctive novel, setting definitely refers to the interior, the interiors of the Institution. It also refers to the period this novel this was set in, the 50’s, 60’s where McCarthyism was dominant. Furthermore, it has great symbolic value, representing issues such as the American struggle of freedom and conformity. This essay shall discuss the ‘setting’ & its significance towards Ken Kesey’s “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”.
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a multi-layered story that includes an abundance of metaphors. The book was written by Ken Kesey with the intention of making it a metaphor of Beatnik behavior in a conformist, “prepackaged” American society. People who have read this book over the years have continued to pull more and more metaphors and symbolism from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. When thinking "outside-the-box," this story of a mental hospital is more than meets the eye. One metaphor (theme) that is abundantly clear throughout the book is one of civil rights. With patients being restricted inside of a mental hospital and African Americans being restricted in society during the mid-1900s, the connection is clear. The mental
The settings of the text are a way in which Kesey has prescribed the essence of conformity as the characters
The novel is shared through the viewpoint of Chief Bromden, who acts illiterate and deaf towards the other men and nurses in order to go unnoticed/as hidden as possible. The book is broken up into four sections, which can be interpreted as representing different stages of McMurphy’s mental instability. McMurphy is seen as the protagonist throughout the novel, he is certainly challenging the power of Nurse Ratched and quickly moves himself up to being a leader among the men. The book can be a comparison between the United States, inferring that Nurse Ratched is the books symbol for the United States government due to her actions being very authoritarian just similar to the United States during the 1960s. Chief Bromden gives insight into Nurse Ratched and her actions that make the reader draw on this comparison, “She stops and nods at some of the patients come to stand around and stare out of eyes all red and puffy with sleep. She nods once to each. Precise, automatic gesture. Her face is
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a story that has touched the lives of many people since the publishing of the novel by Ken Kesey in 1962 and the premier of the film (directed by Miloš Forman) in 1975. The story has remained timeless and continues to be a critical part of the educational curriculum. This is because the story-line continues to relate to current themes and issues our society is experiencing. One of these issues including the need for rebellion against a strict autocracy or governing body. It is evident throughout both the film and the novel rebellion is needed by those who are a minority, by individuals, and those within our society.
In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey takes place in a psychiatric hospital in Oregon. A man, who is intentionally trying to escape work from a prison farm acts insane to serve out his sentence without completing any work. This man, Randle McMurphy, introduces himself to other men in the ward and the nurses. He seems content with the hospital and views that nothing is wrong. In power of the whole ward, Nurse Ratched, who exercises abusive power over all the men and seeks for control in every aspect of the hospital, will soon have a significant clash with the new man, Randle McMurphy. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest being written in 1962, has extreme symbolism to the United States government, protests, and a culture change
In the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, it is clear that the author had many massages and interests for writing this book. Kesey wrote this book to point out how without a say, minorities can be easily controlled . Through my analysis, it is clear that Kesey’s use of mechanical imagery contributes to the novel as a whole by recognizing the broken people in society, and showing how people can be manipulated and changed by power of the nurse and the Combine . Kesey's use of mechanical imagery in respect to the patients in the ward suggest that they are broken machines that are being changed by the power of the nurse. We see Kesey’s first use of mechanical imagery is when Chief is describing Ruckley’s eyes being “all smoked
Ken Kesey was born in La Junta, Colorado in 1935. He and his family moved to Springfield, Oregon where he went to public school and then graduated from the University of Oregon. He competed in athletics and drama throughout his college career. As a champion wrestler, he almost scored a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Kesey then married Faye Haxy, his high school sweetheart, in 1956. They had three children together. Two years after their marriage, he began to study creative writing at Stanford University.
In many ways Nurse Ratched shames the men for their masculinity, although it is fairly standard male behavior. She makes them feel as if their virility is something to avoid and ultimately be ashamed of. The Nurse takes perfectly normal human behavior and twists it to be seen as something perverted and obscene. For example, when Billy Bibbit and Candy sleep together, the Nurse 's reaction when she realizes this fact causes him to feel extreme shame and embarrassment. “Oh, Billy Billy Billy-I’m so ashamed for you.” (Kesey 314)
Knowledge exists in various forms. A person can gain knowledge simply by watching someone’s actions. For example, witnessing a powerless person getting help, the witness learns the importance of aiding people, which is one's ability to think for oneself and others; thus, it is true power. In fact, in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the use of hands shows one’s ability to think and act for oneself and others as Chief Bromden can put his thoughts, and thus his resistance, into action that ultimately liberates himself from being trapped in the confined society. It is evident when Chief Bromden raises his hand against Nurse Ratched. As well, he fights the aides shows defiance and cares for others; Moreover, smothers McMurphy to free him physically and psychologically; finally, uses his hand to throw the control panel shows his desire to free himself.