One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest By Ken Kesey  Literary Devices Analogy (pg 65) "There's not a man here that isn't afraid he is losing or has already lost his whambam. We comical little creatures can't even achieve masculinity in the rabit world, that's how inadequate we are. Hee. We are-- the rabbits, one might say, of the rabbit world!" Dialect (pg 284) "Hello, Mack. I'm sorry I didn't show up. But that's over. You can take just so many funsies like white mice in your pillowcase and worms in your cold cream and frogs in your bra. Cheesus, what a maniac." Simile (pg 6) "He opens out his nostrils like black funnels, his outsized head bobbing this way and that as he sniffs, and he sucks in fear from all over the ward." Repetition Flashback Imagery Motivation Irony The literary devices mentioned above are used to depict a world that the reader is most unfamiliar with. The novel is written in the perspective of Bromden, the patient in the ward that is pretending to be deaf and mute in order to blend in with the background amongst the patients. Through his eyes, we are given the literary devices previously listed-- predominately to illustrate the opinions he possesses of those around him. For instance, any form of imagery was used to describe the other patients. Pretending to be deaf and mute gives Bromden the upper hand against most others because he knows more than anyone else. He has more opinions than any other patient and the only person to come to contact with these opinions is the reader themselves. Protagonist Deconstruction The main character and protagonist in this novel is Randall Patrick McMurphy. He is the focus of the novel and the story tells of the unfolding events during his stay at a mental institute. He is a dynamic character who goes through many changes and experiences many emotional events that direct his many actions. He starts out having to go to the institute as part of his punishment for statutory rape, a crime for which he feels inner-turmoil for having to unjustly serve time for since he was under the impression that she was of age and gave consent. This feeling of unfairness colors his attitude towards Nurse Ratched and he immediately displays stubbornness and resentment towards her. McMurphey’s rebellion starts out as a bet, but after his eyes are opened by the iron-fisted operations carried out under Nurse Ratched’s control he is compelled to do everything in his power to oppose her and win the loyalty of the other patients. After McMurphy protests, exhibits rebellious behavior, and confronts the Nurse head-on, he is given electo-shock treatment. This is where his refusal to conform is at its peak, and is viewed as a heroic figure to some of the fellow patients. In the end, he attacks the nurse because he feels he can no longer tolerate the injustice and oppression, and undergoes a forced lobotomy. This is the Nurse’s way of finally silencing him and all his confrontations for good. |
  Theme Throughout the duration of the novel, the most apparent theme set by the author is extreme woman dominance. Women are frequently described as “castrators” in the novel. They demean and deprive men of their typical masculinity and attempt to make them selves an almighty power source. All of the women in the novel, with only a select few as exceptions, are seen as evil. The women are threatening and frightening. The most prevalent example of a castrator in the novel is Nurse Ratched. She mentally manipulates her patients and also uses the authority she has to force them into submitting to her psycho controlling behavior. This causes serious self conciousness and diminished mental state for the other characters in the book. Ratched threatens the patients in the hospital and punish them with extreme measures if they don’t abide and the patients have no form of escape. This allows her to easily strip the men of their masculinity and control them. Tone Ken Kesey creates a sympathetic tone for the novel. He displays the characters as innocent victims; yearning to be free and release them selves from the mental shackles that the people in their lives and the psych ward has put on them. But their incapability of reaching liberation allows the author to set a sympathetic outlook towards their situations. He pities them because of their mental state and vulnerability. It is just an all around sad circumstance; the characters are portrayed as helpless and there’s nothing Kesey or the reader can do about it. Mood The emotional effect that the text creates for the audience leans more towards a gloomy or depressing feeling. The fact that the setting of the book is in a horrible psych ward sets a dark and saddening mood. The oppression towards the characters at the ward is depressing because of their mistreatment and constant battling.
 Plot Perspective The story is told in third person through the eyes of Chief Bromden. Because he is believed to be mute and deaf no one gives any thought to secrecy with him around. Due to this key advantage, he proves to play an important role when it comes to the knowledge of events occurring within the institution. |
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