McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, the main characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, helped establish and embellish the plot and the other characters in the book. Kesey created these characters and used them as foils to bring about the characteristics of the other mental patients in the ward. ... His character gives hope for the patients and a desire for freedom. ... Kesey created McMurphy and Nurse Ratched's characters to enhance the novel and effectively used them as foils. Kesey used them to aid the advancement of the other characters in the novel. ...

• Word Count: 742
• Approx Pages: 3

The notion that society's influential pressures compel individuals to conform, forcing them to supress their individuality is explored by Ken Kesey, in the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. ... Kesey contrasts the characters of Chief Bromden and Randall McMurphy to achieve this. ... McMurphy's appearance is one aspect of his character, he has "red[hair] with long red sideburns". ... Decisively, Kesey shows that setting can restore an individual's own sense of freedom and safety, and that without the boundaries that society creates an individual is able to exp...

• Word Count: 1128
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate