Key themes in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
How and with what effect does Kesey introduce the central themes of 'One flew over the Cuckoo's nest' ? The central themes in 'One flew over the Cuckoo's nest' are individuality in a mass society, "the combine", machines, emasculation of the patients, McMurphy as an individual, diagnosis of insanity and the importance of laughter. Kesey manages to introduce each of these themes throughout the novel via dialogue, Chief Bromden's narrative and incidents which occur. Probably the biggest theme in the novel is individuality in a mass society. The themes of "the combine", machines and McMurphy as an individual are all linked to the idea of individuality in a mass society. The novel is set in a mental institution. Kesey uses this setting to put across this idea of individuality in a mass society or more importantly the lack of it. He uses the sterile, quiet ward with it's strict routine to indicate a lack of individuality by the patients. This can be related back to Kesey's life in the 1950s. At this point in time Kesey was a firm believer in "the grey flannel suit ethos". This phrase was a way of describing the type of life the majority of middle aged men lived in America during the 1950s. The phrase can basically be
Early in the novel a new patient arrives in the form of McMurphy. The effect it has on me as a reader is to make me think more closely about the characters and the lives they live but also about society nowadays and how much individuality I show in the mass society I live in today. 'Six -forty-five the shavers buzz and the Acutes line up in alphabetical order at the mirrors'Here is an example of part of the daily routine imposed upon the patients by Nurse Ratched. All of the characters in the play seem almost incapable of laughing. This fits in with the fact she has a strict daily routine for the patients as a machine needs to run exactly the same each time it is used. Kesey is expressing his views on individuality through McMurphy. 'This quotation from the Chief describes the Big Nurse as a machine which helps us to understand her role in the combine. He lived his life in a much more exciting manner and uses 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest' as a way to show the importance of being an individual in a society which discourages individuality. The Chief explains how he and all the other patients adhere to the routine and never question it or the Nurse Ratched's policies. However when McMurphy arrives he brings laughter into the ward. The phrase describes a time when the majority of men had a nine till five job, a wife who cooked the dinner and cleaned the house, a couple of kids, a nice house and a car. Following on from the theme of emasculation we come across a character and a theme the complete opposite. Kesey uses McMurphy to show the importance of being an individual. It shows the way in which the Big Nurse has turned them into weak men who show little or no masculinity.
Common topics in this essay:
Machines Chief,
Chief Bromden's,
Kesey McMurphy's,
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Miss Ratched,
Combine It's,
Nurse Chief,
Nurse Ratched,
McMurphy McMurphy,
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mass society,
individuality mass,
individuality mass society,
flew cuckoo's nest',
flew cuckoo's,
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'one flew,
throughout novel,
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themes novel,
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daily routine,
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Acceptance Essays
