Sexism/Racism in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

Randle McMurphy, the protagonist, is introduced to break down the nurse’s oppressive ways. McMurphy, a con man who was sentenced to a work farm, was diagnosed as a psychopath and sent to the mental hospital, which he much preferred. Serving as a savior figure to the patients of the ward who have already been battered by the Big Nurse, McMurphy causes interference to the nurse’s control. He supports the men as they are ridiculed in meetings and supports their attempts to change policy. Although he does help other patients, he first looks out for himself. He cons the patients out of their money and then follows the nurse’s rules for awhile because of the threat of being kept on the

Although the 19th century expansion of asylums in Europe and The United States was a movement initially based on moral principles, it led to significant negative implications for individuals, who were institutionalized as asylums became overcrowded, lacking hygiene, neglectful of patients and an overall place for poor living conditions (Wright, 1997). The rise in in-patient population in the early 19th century and patients’ inabilities to reintegrate into the community as a result of institutionalization have often been explained in terms of the mental health system and developments in psychology at the time. Sociologists on the other hand, have argued that these institutions have caused people to remain institutionalized. A compelling

Although the nurse has seemingly won because the patients were not able to achieve their primary goal, in reality, their real victory is their combined resistance against Nurse Ratched. The adventure on the fishing boat also exhibits how the patients aid McMurphy in his rebellion. Though he charges them for their endeavor, they once again decide to accompany him and go against the institution, further implying their admiration for him and his cause. Even though McMurphy knows that the nurse will likely punish the twelve other patients severely for lying and leaving the ward with a prostitute under false pretenses, he does so anyway, showing that he will risk great punishment to help his “disciples.” Finally, the patients support the party that McMurphy has in the ward with alcohol and the two prostitutes. The main reason behind this event was to ensure that Billy Bibbit, one of the patients on the ward who lacked self-confidence, got to have a date with Candy, one of the prostitutes whom Billy liked. This event is another example of how McMurphy would risk trouble for himself for the betterment of others and how they supported him in his actions.

McMurphy uses he’s rebellious behavior to gives patients their voices, which the Big Nurse has strip of them. In the novel, McMurphy helps Chief rebuild his confidence and find his voice, “To hell with what you think; I want to know can you promise to lift it if I get you big as you used to be” (189). McMurphy confidence helps guilds Bromden outside the safety of the fog. In return, Chief helps protects McMurphy from the danger of the asylum. Equally important, McMurphy’s manipulation of the ward policies gives the patients more freedoms.

In the 1960s the views of women were not as they are today. For centuries women have been objectified and not treated as equals, only being viewed as property or looked at for their physical features. Ken Kesey the author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, with the character McMurphy, learned towards the superiority of the male sexuality over female authority (123 Helpme). The women in the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are portrayed as weak, sex objects, and domineering.

The act of prejudice is one that everyone experiences. Whether it be, a person who is distributing hate, or a person who is receiving hate, everyone has contact with it. Although it is present all over the globe, it is prominent in the United States. Both in the present and the past, endless acts of discrimination have taken place and left a monumental impact on the country. The effect that it leaves can be seen in the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. In this story, sexism, racism, and isolation, are demonstrated in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. As the story progresses, Lee compares these concepts to one another and uses them to make a statement about the problematic nature in America.

In today's age can you imagine getting sent away with the rest of society's garbage to rot away in an asylum just for not being the same as everybody else? This is nearly impossible to think about although their is still hatred and discrimination in the United States we have improved drastically compared to the 1950’s idea of ‘Normal.” The people who did not fit in were the people seen as different in any form compared to a white male. Women were were expected to stay at home and cook for their families while the men provided for them and their children. People were seen as lesser just because of their skin color. The people who went against these normal conventions were the outsiders and either sent away to institutions for being seen as ill

Oppression is an omnipresent force which has fed on ignorance and hatred and affected the lives of the less fortunate and powerless. Through literature people are able to express their feelings and attitudes regarding an amalgam of elements. An example of this exists in the two texts, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and “The Life Your Save May Be Your Own;” in both texts we see a clear correlation between the plot events in the stories and the events that took place in American History to oppress women and Native Americans. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” are similar due to the fact that they

The theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is that one shouldn’t be sexist. Towards the end of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the reader learns that the women are sent away from the men in the book due to natural occurrences. When Scout overhears her aunts missionary circle talking she tells us “They put the women out in huts when their time came, ..”(Lee 305)Sending women away from the house when their occurrences came is disrespectful and out of women's control. Men and women should be treated equally, if the women need to leave so should the men. In addition, the reader also discovers that some characters connect the word ”girl” with something bad. Scout says “Jem told me I was being a girl”(Lee 54). Jem said this to Scout as if being

McMurphy is a gambling Irishman and convict, who grows tired of laboring at the Pendleton prison farm. To escape prison life, he feigns insanity and gets himself involuntarily committed to a mental hospital in Oregon. He tries to bring about a change at the hospital, for he does not like the fact that grown men act like "rabbits" and are scared of the Big Nurse. He tries as hard as he can to "get her goat", by not doing the duties he is given. He also ironically ends up serving as a

Discuss the changes that take place between the novel and the film, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and the impact they have on you.

“We are victims of a matriarchy here my friends…” (Harding). A matriarchy is a social order where women have power. In the novel One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest the women are portrayed as the power figures and have the power manipulate, or control the men in the ward, as shown by the characters of Nurse Ratched, Mrs. Bibbit, and Vera Harding.

wo of the most prominent conflicts in the story are issues arising from person vs. person (Randle McMurphy vs. Nurse Ratched) and person vs. self (Dale Harding and Billy Bibbit.) Of the two topics, the arising issues between patient McMurphy and Mrs. Ratched seems to prompt for the largest problem. From the moment that McMurphy was admitted to the psychiatric ward, there was tension between him and Nurse Ratched. Upon his arrival, McMurphy established that he wanted to know who the “bull goose looney” (most influential man among the patients) was so that he could overpower him and gain power. Nurse Ratched seemed to disapprove of his thirst for power from the beginning, fearing that he may disrupt the flow of her ward. The tension between the

From the moment that the apple touched Eve’s lips, women have been seen as an embodiment of all that is evil. This reflects misogynistic societal beliefs that women are below men. While many of the prejudices towards women are hidden in modern American society, some misogynistic stereotypes are still present. In Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, one can see many misogynistic and sexist undertones. Big Nurse Ratched is in a position of authority over a large group of men and is seen as a tyrannical and unjust ruler. Although most of her methods would have been seen as awful when used by any person, the saturation of bad women in the novel creates an unfavorable picture of women in general. The balance of power in the ward is

In Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the motif of masculinity is often used as a way to gain power, or is simply power itself. It is a way to show dominance, and in many cases can deceive and distract others into doing something they otherwise wouldn’t have. Most commonly, men do and are able to use their masculinity to overpower women, and to show their superiority over them. However, in this novel that is reversed. Nurse Ratched, the head nurse, stripped all the men of their masculinity the second they stepped foot in the ward, thus, giving her all of the power.