One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: An Analysis

Words: 596
Pages: 3
Open Document
McMurphy’s altruism demonstrates the importance of a savior when evil darkens life. Kesey’s religious imagery in his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, reflects the power of kindness in terms of escaping wickedness. McMurphy’s Christ-like characterization parallels the biblical story of Jesus. He entered the mental institution, taught the men a new way to live, and died for their sins. “He seems to do things without thinking of himself at all, as if he were a martyr or a saint” (222). Specifically, he fights the aides after they attempt to clean the patients with a mysterious disinfectant. In the confrontation, “[McMurphy] kept coming, taking ten blows for one“ (230). Kesey alludes to Christ by comparing physical punches to metaphorical punches. Jesus faced many temptations and …show more content…
Over time, however, goodness prevails. This fight causes McMurphy and Bromden to be sent to another ward. After being imprisoned on the Disturbed Ward, McMurphy was subjected to electroshock therapy. The treatment includes, “things like headphones, [a] crown of silver thorns over the graphite at [the] temples” (237). Here, Kesey suggests the implication of electroshock therapy is much like the crucifixion of Jesus. McMurphy did not deserve this punishment, as it has detrimental effects, but Nurse Ratched forced it upon him. This treatment mentally changes McMurphy because he realizes what will eventually happen to him. Nonetheless, McMurphy’s fight does not end with this treatment. He returns to the other patients and decides to have wild night before he leaves the hospital. As the men party, Kesey likens this gathering to the Last Supper. Importantly, as the night begins, McMurphy creates a makeshift communion. He takes the cough syrup “in paper medicine cups with the liquor and the port wine” and transforms it into an alcoholic beverage (253). By doing this, Kesey alludes to Christ and how he changed water into
Show More

Related Documents: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: An Analysis

Analysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Cuckoo’s Nest and Mental Institutes Milos Forman directed the 1975 film adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which was originally a novel written by Ken Kesey with the intention of highlighting the terrible conditions of mental hospitals at that time. In the 1960s when the novel was published mental institutes had come a long way in terms of actually treating patients with mental illness compared to 100 years earlier, but in terms of how these patients were treated horribly and inhumanely…

Words 805 - Pages 4

Analysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Ken Kesey wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1962, during this time mental institutions did not have very strict regulations or rules. In fact, many of the people who were in charge dictated the kind of treatment the patients received, even if the treatment was unnecessarily harsh, or it could hard the patient. Kesey wrote this story based on his experiences working in the psychiatric ward of a Veterans' Administration hospital. He does a masterful job exemplifying this unfairness for mentally…

Words 1590 - Pages 7

The One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Analysis

Ken Kesey’s, “The one Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is truly an original novel that will keep you on your toes. This novel is told by a man, Chief Bromden, who acts mute and deaf inside a mental hospital. Bromden is a very reliable narrator because he is very observant. Chief then goes on to describes the main nurse, nurse Ratched, as a lady who uses her power to take advantage among the patients. Bromden then introduces the novel's protagonist -- McMurphy. McMurphy is a rebel who enters the hospital…

Words 1160 - Pages 5

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Analysis

In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the fog that the patients and staff sees is as Chief claims “made” by Nurse Ratched. From Chief’s perspective it’s there to prevent the patients from realizing their current situations and from rising up in rebellion against Nurse Ratched. However, Chief is said to be schizophrenic so it can be inferred that the fog may be medicinally induced and is a fog of the mind rather than a literal fog. The characters are kept hidden away from the…

Words 158 - Pages 1

Analysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

However, the sister thinks otherwise, that the only flaw for herself is her sister with this horrific “curse” holding her back from marriage. ‘“Better one happy than both miserable,”’ said my grandmother, who had taken to sticking garlic cloves around my door frame” (Atwood 264). In old time remedies, garlic was known to ward off evil or keep bad things out, specifically vampires. “Dr. David H. Dolphin, a biochemist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, “’suggested porphyria…

Words 1538 - Pages 7

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: An Analysis

In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey utilizes Harding's metaphor of rabbits and wolves to uncover and accentuate the relationships in the Ward. Harding explains to McMurphy, “We must learn to accept it as a law of natural world. The rabbits accept their role in the ritual and recognize the wolf as the strong and most certainly doesn’t challenge the wolf to combat” (64). Mcmurphy questions Nurse Ratched’s authority after observing the degrading Therapeutic Community. Harding answers by exploring…

Words 201 - Pages 1

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Quote Analysis

I have read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest innumerable times and, despite my inclination to support McMurphy, I identify more with Nurse Ratched and her motivations. Though her methods might be considered unconventional and unethical in today’s society, she understands how to efficiently maintain control over the men in the ward. Similar to Nurse Ratched, I attempt to maintain harmony and order in my daily life. Organization and structure matter to me, not because I seek perfection, but because…

Words 226 - Pages 1

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Passage Analysis

is made in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In the passage on 240, Chief Bromden observes the uncanny similarity between people who are part of the “Combine” and their machine like tendencies. This continues an oft repeated theme present in the novel about the Combine’s ability to rob people of their individuality, and Kesey uses certain literary elements in the passage in order to further develop such a theme and to also develop character more intricately. One such literary element presented…

Words 599 - Pages 3

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Critical Analysis

and again, especially while growing up. In modern day society, the sanest people are the ones who conform and are normal. However, in the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey the idea that “Much madness is divinest sense” can be seen. This shows the idea that the sanest people are the people who are the most different and do not conform to society. Society portrays the “perfect” person as one who does everything the same as others, but when individuals stand up and do things their…

Words 854 - Pages 4

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Phoneme Analysis

In Chapter 1 of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest phonemes (sound) is frequent all over the text. For example, some phonemes present are d(og), f(og), follow by (mo)uth, (mo)p, and (mo)pping. Another, phonemes that stuck is to me is color and cold both begin with the same letter but it’s pronounce differently. BOOK ONE—The Romantic Egotist of This Side of Paradise has phonemes as well, for instance so and oh, the words sound alike but have entirely different meanings like whisper, thunder, former,…

Words 161 - Pages 1