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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 4 page essay that argues that Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1973) presents a manifesto that basically summarizes the attitude of the 1960s toward authoritarian institutions and the value of non-conformity. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khnoncuc.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
non-conformity. Keseys protagonist, Randle Patrick McMurphy, is the quintessential non-conformist and Kesey associates him and non-conformist behavior with valuing the individual and living freely. This contrasts against Keseys portrayal of
the authoritarian forces that serve to dehumanize individuals by requiring uniform, subservient behavior. In this manner, Cuckoos Nest can be seen as mirroring Keseys conception of society as a whole,
which is envisioned as a fight between the non-conformist to keep his individuality and the "establishment," which is represented by Nurse Ratched. Cuckoos Nest is narrated from the viewpoint
of half-Native American "Chief" Bromden, who is a long-term patient in the mental hospital where almost all of the action takes place. Prior to McMurphys arrival, Bromden never spoke and
all of the men complied passively to the regimentation of Nurse Ratched, the "Big Nurse." McMurphy immediately perceived Nurse Ratched as a dehumanizing force and that continued dominance over
these men is her top priority. McMurphy is incapable of conforming to this environment, as to do so would be to abandon his own conception of who he is and
how he conceives reality. It is because McMurphy remains non-conformist that he is able to reach Bromden, who begins talking. Bromden expresses the relationship between non-conformity and society in
terns of physical size. He explains to McMurphy, who is in reality shorter than Bromden, that he sees McMurphy as bigger than himself. "I used to be big, but not
no more. Youre twice the size of me" (Kesey 17). In other words, Kesey creates an elaborate analogy in which the forces of society that require conformity and capitulation are
perceived as "wearing" people down and Bromden sees this as a literal shrinkage in size. For instance, Bromden recounts to McMurphy how his father was worn down, first, by his
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