Character Analysis: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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“The ritual of our existence is based on the strong getting stronger by devouring the weak” (Kesey 60). This quote from Ken Kesey’s (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) illustrates that the weak are simply prey to be eaten and used by those with more power; the weak are used as a stepping stool for the strong to gain more control. In this novel the patients are the weaklings, whereas the staff of the mental hospital are the strong who are preying on the weak. Randle McMurphy, a boisterous rebel, turns the hospital upside down by convincing the other patients that Nurse Ratched is brainwashing them. Kesey is known for bringing his characters to life, by incorporating many realistic scenarios to show the audience just how their life works. Kesey …show more content…
They all begin to question the ward policies, such as the television time. In this scene McMurphy wants to change the cleaning time so he can watch the World Series. When McMurphy tries to vote on it, the patients do not raise their hands during the vote because they do not want to get on The Big Nurse’s bad side over a game. This is an example of the control Nurse Ratched has over the patients, for instance, the men could not stand up for themselves and vote due to fear of Nurse Ratched. After the meeting McMurphy is upset with the patients because they did not vote, so he has a revote on watching the TV in the afternoon. The patients begin to raise their hands out of the fog, but instead of raising their hands for the World Series they raise their hands against The Big Nurse. There were twenty patients that raised their hands and The Big Nurse ruled the vote invalid because a majority vote was needed and there are forty patients in the ward and only twenty voted. When the meeting came to an end, McMurphy and the patients sat in front of the TV, even though it was off and pretended the game was on. The Big Nurse was furious that they were rebelling against her and that she could not do anything. This proves to show that McMurphy’s behavior is causing the patients to rebel against The Big Nurse and that they are coming out of their shells. “Yet McMurphy’s rebelliousness has roused many of the other patients from psychotic apathy” (Moynahan
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