(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

One Flew Over the Cuckoo

            Among the many themes and messages that are present in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest there is one that stands out to me as most important. It is the idea that there is growth through nonconformity. It's not until after the patients go against conformity that they begin to grow or "get better". Before continuing it is important to know what is representative of conformity in the film and what is representative of nonconformity.
             The main symbol of conformity in this case is Nurse Ratched. She likes everything done to procedure and is always very strict about the schedule. She refuses to turn the music down from its regular level, and disallows anyone to speak out of turn during meetings. Symbolizing nonconformity is R.P. McMurphy. From the moment he walks into the ward he stands out. His clothes are different, and he's much more outgoing than the others seem to be. Very early on he confronts Nurse Ratched about the music in the ward, and shortly after he tries to get the schedule changed so him and the other patients can watch the World Series.
             The World Series scenes are the ones that best show the influence of McMurphy's nonconforming ways. In the first vote there were only three people that voted in favor of the schedule, McMurphy, Cheswick, and Taber. They are afraid to break free from the routine because they've been convinced by Nurse Ratched that it's the best way to go about things. In the short amount of time McMurphy has been there Nurse Ratched has mentioned the schedule on many occasions, we can assume that this is what she's been telling the other patients for quite some time. In the next scene McMurphy isn't happy about what happened with the vote, but he insists that he will still be watching the game and tries to lift up the sink so he can use it to break out. He fails at this attempt, but says that at least he tried. The next day there is another vote; however it's Cheswick that brings it up, not McMurphy.


Essays Related to One Flew Over the Cuckoo

1. One Flew Over The CooCoo's Nest

ONE FLEW OVER THE COO-COO?S NEST One Flew over the Coo-Coo's nest is about a man (Jack Nicholson) who is committed to a Mental Hospital after being transported from a jail for breaking the law. ... One flew over the Coo Coo's Nest is a 1975 film portraying life inside a mental hospital. ... Ken Kesey's use of symbolism in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest transforms the novel and the hospital within the novel a microcosm of society, a battle between the sane and insane, the conformist and the non-conformist. ... Despite the sad ending, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest...

  • Word Count: 467
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Notes on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Title of Work: One Flew Over the Cuckoo' Nest Author: Ken Kesey Date of Publication: 1962 Genre: Physcological, character, fictional Writing Style: Stream of consciousness, innovative, descriptive Point of View: Chief Bromden, observance is key, combine, foggy Setting/Atmosphere: Oregon, psych hospital, post-war era, 1950's Plot Development: Part 1- Chief Broom, combine, longest residing patient, new admission McMurphy, M brings trouble to ward, fields...

  • Word Count: 970
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Imagery in One Flew Over the Cuckoo

In One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest Kesey uses three different kinds of imagery to develop the story and creates vivid Pictures in the mind of the reader. In One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Chief Bromden's fantasies are dominated by images of machines, and these images occur throughout the novel. ... In One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, there are numerous examples of animal imagery. ... In another part of the poem it says, "One flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo's nest". ... There are also numerous examples of cartoon imagery In Ken Kesey's One F...

  • Word Count: 1280
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

4. One Flew Over the Cuckoo

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Essay In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, there are many different themes seen throughout the story. ... In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the most dominant themes are obedience, prejudice and the question of true insanity. ... (pg. 47) Another theme seen in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is obedience or higher power. ... However, there is one patient in the ward that thoroughly enjoys causing a ruckus. ... The main themes in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest are prejudice, obedience and the question of McMurphy&...

  • Word Count: 987
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

The paper that I am writing about is on the movie One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest with Jack Nicholson. ... In the movie One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest the patients were removed from society and, the Head Nurse made them change the way that they went upon everything they did in life. ... Most patients were willing to give up their freedom and adapted to life in the institution.3 Some of the coercive that took place in the movie included the physical domination over the patients by the hospital guards, the various threats issued by Nurse Ratchett (loss privileges by telling Tom...

  • Word Count: 610
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

6. 1984 and one flew over the cuckoos nest

In the books 1984 by George Orwell, and One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey, there were similarity's such as theme and authors style. ... I thought that the passage on page 5 of 1984, and the passage on pages 4 and 5 of One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, brought out some of both the similarities and differences of the books. ... The passage from One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest is filled with diction as well. ... I think the major difference between these passages was each ones purpose. ...

  • Word Count: 325
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

7. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: McMurphy One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with its meaningful message of individualism, was an extremely influential novel during the 1960's. ... Ken Kesey had many significant experiences that enabled him to create One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. ... Kesey's experiences at the hospital were his first step towards writing Cuckoo's Nest. ... From these things, Kesey obtained exceptional insight for writing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. ... One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest takes place in a mental hospital in which the...

  • Word Count: 1986
  • Approx Pages: 8

8. As You Like It and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Both Shakespeare's comedic play As You Like It and Ken Kesey's post-modernist novel, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," portrays the transformation of its characters throughout the texts, via a close examination of the gradual evolution of character that occurs within the protagonists of each text. ... Similarly, Kesey's, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," reflects the transformative process of the journey through the experiences of Chief Bromden. ... This can be seen in Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest through the relationship of the Chief and McMurph...

  • Word Count: 1017
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

In Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," two characters seem to keep a sane relationship in a mad house. ... Chief begins to protect McMurphy by letting him in on the secrets that he has gained over time. ... Chief tries to protect McMurphy when he gets into a fight with one of the black guards. ... "One flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo's nest...goose swoops down and plucks you out"( 272)....

  • Word Count: 656
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

10. Ken Kesey in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, one of the greatest works of American literature, catalyzed Ken Kesey's career and fame. ... Ken Kesey, well-known for composing the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, worked in extremely unorthodox conditions, but still had the capability to embed a deep and powerful message within the book. ... Ken Kesey wrote other books later on, but none of them would ever compete with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. ... He was greatly known for the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which launched his career farther than he could ever imag...

  • Word Count: 1510
  • Approx Pages: 6

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question