Power In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

During his time spent, he is at constant war with her either he losing advantage or gaining. When McMurphy first arrives to the ward, he seems different compared to other admissions. Chief Bromden the narrator of the story mentions “ I don’t hear him slide scared along the wall, and when they tell him about the shower he don’t just submit with a weak little yes, he tells them right in a loud brassy voice that he’s already damn clean, thank you.(Kesey Pg.9)”. This means compared to the other admissions McMurphy does not submit like the rest he seems strong and takes charge of the situation he is. McMurphy is a man who confident, strong, and rowdy and despite his big and muscular appearance as mentioned by the narrator, Chief Bromden observations of him. In one section of the novel, Chief Bromden mentions during the recollections of his past he mentions of his father mentioning to him about conformity based on appearance “Papa said if you don’t watch it people will force you one way or the other into doing what they think you should do”. Therefore, even though McMurphy is a tall, broad across the jaw and shoulders and chest.

Throughout time ancient civilizations have almost always imposed certain guidelines upon people under their control. Very few people are able to be the spark or catalyst to change everything around. Only a man who stands up for his personal ideals and refuses to walk in line with others, can overcome the imposed beliefs and will be able to obtain freedom from the shackles of society’s imposed ideals. Throughout history men and women have tested societal boundaries and challenged authority even inspiring others to follow and turning them into freedom fighters. Ken Kesey examines how a single person can impact the repressed in society with his critically acclaimed “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.” The novel is a story of a battle for power between a mischievous yet intelligent leader and a crooked head nurse. This battle infinitely changes the patients of a mental hospital. In his novel, Ken Kesey uses religious imagery to show that when a superior force implements behaviors on those within its power, it can motivate a revolution, which often results in change.

All humans crave one thing: Power. Power is directly defined as “the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.” This theme is shown throughout the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. However, there are different forms of power. Different forms of power can be seen throughout the book, and even in many short stories and poems. These different forms of power can be either good or bad, depending on how the power is used. Power can come from fear, wealth, or leadership and trust.

Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain or wrong doer is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing, showcased in Animal Farm as Utopian ideals but with failed practices.

Power is defined as “the possession of control or command over others; authority...” (Dictionary.com), and all people have power, whether they notice it or not. Though some employ their power for respectable reasons, often times power is not used in honorable ways. The matter of abuse of authority is prevalent in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck illustrates that those who have power abuse it exceedingly often, as shown by Curley attacking countless others, including Lennie, a mentally disabled man, Curley’s wife mistreating the men of the ranch, and Curley’s wife making demeaning comments about Crooks, the African American stable buck.

Ken Kesey uses motifs of machinery to portray that abuse of power is detrimental, it forces one to conform, and causes a loss of individuality in society.

Nurse Ratched, though average-sized, is described as “big as a tractor”, due to her manipulation and control of the patients. On the other hand, Chief Bromden (who describes himself as small), stands at six feet seven inches tall. Bromden told McMurphy that he used to be large, but he wasn’t anymore. His father was implied to have been the same, stemming from his marriage to a domineering white woman. By the end of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Bromden has mental size, not just physical – he increases, with McMurphy’s help, his self-esteem and confidence, and breaks out of the

As a reader, one becomes so caught up with the patients being caged up, that one almost forgets about the role and character of Taber. Although, he does not appear as much as the others, he does enhance the novel. His existence in the book gives insight to the reader about what is to come in the strict, gloomy world Nurse Ratched has created. In Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Maxwell Taber’s characterization as a parallel and foreshadowing figure to McMurphy contributes to the themes of power and authority.

During McMurphy’s first group meeting, Bromden mentally describes how society affects a person and what it does to social outcasts “How a guy has to learn to get along with a group before he’ll be able to function in a normal society; how society is what decides who is sane and who isn’t so you got to measure up.”(Kesey 49) To be accepted by society it is necessary to understand and be able to socialize or work with a smaller group before going into society. The purpose of the combine is to change people and teach them that being their own person is wrong and won't’ be accepted by others. The combine is defined by Bromden as an organization that works to fix people and decide who is sane, or who satisfies the expectations. Kesey expresses his nonconformist views about how society treats outcasts. During the staff meeting, Nurse Ratched listens to what her staff members have to say and then interrupts them when she felt appropriate. The staff members tried to guess what ideas would satisfy her need for power. As the staff meeting was going on she interrupts and takes her time explaining her solution and takes a sip of her coffee “I stare at the rim of the cup in spite of myself; she couldn’t be wearing lipstick that color. “(Kesey 157) The tone of Bromden’s thought process is surprised and in disbelief because he did not see Nurse Ratched’s feminine side. The lipstick represents the femininity that opposes the representation of the combine. Kesey uses the lipstick and Bromden's reaction to seeing the lipstick to express the combine is considered a masculine strong type of power. Because Nurse Ratched is caught using lipstick, the combine is showing what they consider to be weakness, this would further elaborate to Kesey’s nonconformist views that could change what society thinks of it's determined outcasts. The

In modern day society, individuals are influenced by strong superiority figures their whose dominance stems from internal power. Authority can often lead subordinates to rebel and seize control; therefore ability to obtain power is exceptionally difficult. A rivalry for rigid power is seen in the literary piece, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The limited dominance is shifted fluidly between Nurse Ratched and Randle McMurphy, and finally designated to Chief Bromden. Although Nurse Ratched exercises initial control over her ward, Randle McMurphy attempts to disobey her authority through defiance, and ultimately the power shifts into Chief Bromden’s final control in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Throughout the beginning of the book, the struggle to obtain and maintain power was displayed by both McMurphy and Nurse Ratched through their actions. McMurphy and Nurse Ratched battled to maintain control of the ward and did whatever it took to influence the patients’ opinions. Whether their goal was to transmit fear or to transmit hope onto the patients, both refused to stop under any circumstances. Based on the actions of McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, Ken Kesey revealed that individuals in pursuit of power will intimidate, exercise their control, and manipulate their peers’ actions by doing whatever it takes to eliminate anyone who threatens their pursuit.

was also the one who enabled the patients to use the tub room for card games,

Bromden has been undergoing changes since McMurphy has arrived to the ward. For many years, Bromden has been hiding, posing as deaf and dumb person so he can ignore and be ignored. However, McMurphy’s arrival in the ward awaken Bromden’s senses, almost forcing Bromden to reconnect with reality.

He rejects authority and ‘keeps them on their toes'. The Chief sees McMurphy, like the Big Nurse, as ‘big'. McMurphy teaches the men to gain control over themselves by questioning their compliance and apathy towards their own lives.

In the same conversation, Chief Bromden and McMurphy are talking about they way McMurphy had quit a job he had when he was younger. He turned all of the adults against each other, then called them out. He then asks Chief Bromden if that’s his plan. When Chief Brodman says no, McMurphy asks why.