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Cuckoos Nest

            Characterization of McMurphy and Nurse Ratched.
             Kesey's characterization of McMurphy and Nurse Ratched is the element that makes the plot come alive. 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. Their relationship also enhances the tone for the reader and causes the realization that mankind can be extremely cruel to other human beings. .
             McMurphy is just the opposite of the Nurse. She concentrates on the patients' weaknesses and tries to subdue them by preying on their insecurities. She makes them believe that they are broken machines and the hospital is their "repair shop." McMurphy tries to make his fellow patients laugh and forget their problems. He concentrates on their strengths. The nurse is a symbol of the Combine and accepts all of its repressive rules. McMurphy has never lived inside the confines of the Combine, for he is his own man, freed from society's conformity. The Nurse is a big woman, totally organized and in control of herself and her emotions. .
             McMurphy stands for all that is natural and real. He is impulsive and emotional and does not plan things the way the Nurse does; but in his unplanned actions, he tries to get the patients to be themselves and to be self-reliant instead of depending on others. He truly wants the others to benefit from his efforts, although he had initially come to the hospital with the intention of financial gain. McMurphy's sense of individuality and self- assurance draws the patients to him, and they start following his lead in opposing the Big Nurse. He then tries to become a model patient for awhile. When McMurphy realizes that these patients, who have voluntarily admitted themselves, rely on him for strength and courage, he takes up the fight once again.


Essays Related to Cuckoos Nest

1. 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
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2. Cuckoo's Nest

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3. One Flew Over The CooCoo's Nest

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  • Word Count: 467
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4. 1984 and one flew over the cuckoos nest

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5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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6. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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7. 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...

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8. Biblical References In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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  • Word Count: 1795
  • Approx Pages: 7
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  • Grade Level: High School

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

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  • Word Count: 1510
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10. 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
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