One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nes

             One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
             Ken Kesey was a very bright student and was also athletic and charming. After graduating from Oregon State, he went to Stanford. While he was attending Stanford, he took a creative writing class and worked nights at psychiatric hospital. He volunteered to participate in experiments involving chemicals, which included psilocybin, mescaline and LSD. These mind altering drugs affected Kesey and affected his outlook on life. While working the night shift at the mental hospital and under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs he obtained his inspiration for writing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It was his first published piece of literature and probably the most famous for this great American novelist.
             The novel is set in the late 1950's at mental institution. One of the central themes in the novel deals with rebelling against the ruling powers. In the 50's and 60's there was a rise in protests against the government. These protests are just examples of a worldwide theme that has happened since the beginning of civilization. In most civilizations the ruling powers set guidelines for people to act and behave. There is always someone who does not believe in those guidelines and chooses not to follow the rest of the crowd, especially when that society is very domineering or oppressive. They set their own rules and show how they are different from the crowd and how they are individuals. The patients in the Kesey's novel have been controlled and dominated for so long by the leader of the ward that they have lost all sense of self worth. They do not know who they are or what they believe. One day a man comes into the hospital and leads the way in helping the patients find their individuality. Through the characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Kesey shows the struggle between the individuals need to find express themselves and a dominant. oppress...

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nes. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 09:54, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/14959.html