Book Review: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

A stirring commentary on society's oppression of the idea of individualism, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is Kesey's strong stance against the social status quo and social conformity. Kesey clearly establishes this manipulation in the setting. Kesey used, through colorful examples, the setting of the mental asylum to, itself, represent the mental and social oppression that occurred within society at the time. This distinctive social oppression is something that is certainly worth lengthy review and analysis, as it provides a commentary on prevailing thought of the time.

Kesey's work not only focuses on the idea of social oppression and the suffocation of individualism, but also considers the important social, emotional, and person ramifications of this social issue. Chief Bromden's quote provides the essential basis for exactly what will be analyzed. His statement not only indicates the role of the asylum in the work, but also emphasizes the feelings considering individualism among the populous in the story.

Chief Bromden plays an essential role in the direction of this story. Not only is he important in the flow and development of the pot, but his words and actions serve to provide at least some analysis and commentary on the social situation of the day. In the story, Bromden states, "When a completed product goes back out into society, all fixed up good ad new, better than new sometimes, it brings joy to the Big Nurse's heart; something that came in all twisted different is now functioning, adjusted component." This statement represents an interesting perspective about the role of the asylum in relation to its impact on people. The phrase "fix up new" indicates that the asylum rehabilitates people in order to come back into society.

This rehabilitation, however, does not occur simply and succinctly. The rehabilitation that is described is something of an oddity in that it involves the suppression of one's personal freedoms and even more importantly, natural tendencies. Kesey's work argues correctly that when one conforms to totalitarian rule, that person risks not only the loss of personal freedoms, but faces an even more dangerous fate in surrendering their mental and intellectual freedom.

One such example that is portrayed very well occurs in the situation surrounding the World Series. The nurse feels that her role and her aspirations for the asylum give her the power to not only change the culture of the place, but to also alter the rules in order to suit her goals. McMurphy himself seems to struggle with that situation, as well as others, as he tends not to understand the rules or the reasons behind them within the strict rule of the asylum.

As mentioned earlier in the essay, Kesey is an author that likes to use symbolic measures to illustrate items in society. The setting of the story in itself plays an important role as a commentary on society's thought about individualism in society. In the asylum, oppression becomes commonplace and is something that is a part of the everyday lives of every person in the place. While some of the torture may come in the physical form, the most prevailing type of oppression that occurred was in the form of physiological and mental abuse. This quote from the Chief shows that the mental and physiological abuse is something that burdens the men daily.

The Chief says, "A sound of cornered-animal fear and hate and surrender and defiance, that if you ever trailed coon or cougar or lynx is like the last sound the treed and shot and falling animal makes as the dogs get him, when he finally doesn't care any more about anything but himself and his dying" (pg. 269). This quote in itself gives a clear and concise idea of what life was like in the asylum. The men, so paralyzed by fear and changed by the conformity that was a result of the Nurse's efforts. Kesey is perhaps, in the representation of the asylum and the Nurse's goals for the people there, that individualism itself can be an important tool in society. By showing what life is like without some valued freedoms, the author is able to effectively convey some theme of importance. The primary abuse that occurs within the walls of asylum happens to be the suppression of individualism of those living there.

One cannot help but notice that some of the same suppression of individualism exists in that society as well. Inside the walls of the asylum, the men are expected to act within the Nurse's very strict guidelines in addition to suppressing some of the most human individual urges, as well. They are required to doing repetitive and elementary tasks and lack the opportunity to create pathways for positive for emotional, physical, and psychological development. If their actions fall anywhere outside the lines of accepted behavior, they are exposed to more mental and psychological abuse from the Nurse.

In much the same way, this type of idea exists in society. Society tends to force people to evaluate and explore themselves through only certain accepted pathways, while curbing true individualism. One only has to look as far as the college system and how people attain training for jobs to see where society has too put a strain on individualism. People are only allowed to gain success and achievement if they prepare themselves and perform in a certain manner according to their chosen walk of life.

An important theme to consider is the idea of the individual. If one is to consider society's impact on the spirit of the individual, then one must also consider the afflicted person's ideals considering individualism. When McMurphy was first placed in the oppressive society of Nurse Ratched, he learned to value the sanctity of the individual. He appreciated the simple and complex nuances that make people special. His views seem to contrast directly with the views of the aforementioned Nurse Ratched. While Ratched seems to hang her figurative hat on her asylum and its restriction of personal freedoms, McMurphy often shows his love for the individual.

This can be seen as evidence in certain instances, including a situation when he continues to speak kind words to Chief, even though he believes Chief to be deaf. He struggles patiently with Martini as he attempts to gain knowledge of the fairly simple game of blackjack and helps Taber learn to fish. He shows appreciation and love for the development of all men in the place, even strangely giving Billy Bobbit his first sexual encounter. This act, which cost McMurphy even more of his freedom, is an important encounter, because it reinforces the individual and changing nature of man. It is important to remember and analyze the different responses that human beings have to stimuli.

Although society in itself may seem free, there are certain controls that society can still place onto individuals. This fact is also the primary reason why McMurphy is a threat to the sacred infrastructure of the Nurse's asylum. The suppression of the individual in this asylum becomes almost mechanical or systematic. Important in this is still the role of the Nurse in relation to the feelings of the men. The constant pressure that her mentality applies to all of the men has to eventually take its toll. McMurphy indicates this when he says, "I thought for a minute there I saw her whipped. Maybe I did. But I see now that it don't make any difference.... To beat her you don't have to whip her two out of three or three out of five, but every time you meet. As soon as you let down your guard, as soon as you lose once, she's won for good.

And eventually we all got to lose. Nobody can help that" (pg. 103). This quote signifies the suppression of individualism in that it shows the treatment of the men has, simply put, limited their thinking. Normally bright and clear thoughts are now replaced in the men's heads by a defeatist attitude. This shows the suppression of individualism in thought. The men are often treated as is they are not even human. McMurphy, and his way of thinking, are a threat to the hospital because he is the example of all of the things that are hated and prepared against in the asylum. He has the full range of emotion, contrasting passionate violence with some sort of happy joy. This strange contradiction in personality traits serves as somewhat of a foil for hard line nature of the Nurse. His individual nature, as noted earlier, is an important factor in this story.

He is the cauldron of emotions that is the human condition. Because of this, he is perhaps the best weapon against the mechanical infastructure of the asylum. Chief Bromden even goes as far to call this mechanization of life the "Combine". McMurphy's influence on the story and on the people around him can be seen from the beginning of the story. Bromden's comments about the confidence in McMurphy's steps indicate that even those around him can feel and sense of confidence and emotional stability. Bromden's comments about McMurphy's laughter also give a keen insight into why the conflict is so pronounced. The emotions brought to the table by McMurphy act as a clear threat the machine that has been built by Nurse Ratched.

The influence of the mental asylum upon the characters is clearly brought to light when they take the fabled fishing trip. The fishing trip seems to be a radical difference from the normal and average lives of the people in the asylum. The experience some individualism by taking by being alone in the water, with only their emotions. As the trip progresses, readers can see that the men emerge from their suppression to take some sort of control over their thoughts and actions. The boat itself is even symbolic because it goes out of control during the trip. The patients, in their fright, are forced to act for themselves for the first time in their lives. This, in itself in an important idea in the story. A certain man who had once been considered by the others to be weak took control of the fleeting ship to lead the men to safety.

This plays a somewhat symbolic role of giving the men their own sense of strength and freedom. This type of event could have only taken place outside of the clutches of the asylum and the control of the Nurse. This event outlines the fact these men could only take control of themselves outside of the asylum, and underlines the overall importance of the setting itself in dictating the men's actions and thoughts. The fishing trip in itself is very symbolic in that it represents some amount of time away from the asylum where the individual personalities can be seen to an extent. It is still apparent, however, that the asylum has a profound impact on the people even though they aren't there at the time. The differences between freedom and captivity, both physical and intellectual are defined very clearly in Kesey's work. Whether it be the constant mental abuse of the Nurse that is applied in the form of pressure on the men, or the fixture of glass that constantly and painfully reminded the men that their freedoms were being suffocated.

To the same thought, Kesey uses a similar situation later in the story to appropriately illustrate the hypocrisy of the asylum. At this point, it can be seen that the story takes place in the state of Oregon, a place where freedom and wilderness ruled the day in early history. This type of independence and unbridled freedom is an idea that is associated with the Cowboy of early United States history. Because of this, it creates a situation of some sort of irony as the men have thoughts and actions that are completely unlike the cowboy. The asylum turns the men into mere shadows of themselves, afraid to take the action and individual freedoms that characterized their predecesors. This second example helps to emphasize the idea of oppression and the impact that it had on men and the society. Several other symbolic aspects of the setting help underline the true evil that resides in the asylum.

It is clear in the story that Kesey borrows some examples and symbols from the Bible to support the idea of a struggle between good and evil. McMurphy is consistently displayed as a Christ figure; a man who must lead others to salvation against the oppression that afflicted their thought, and in the process of doing so must also sacrifice himself for the greater good. The cross also appears at certain points in the story. When Ellis is introduced to the book, this occurs. Ellis is introduced to have stood in a position that resembled that of a person standing tall and still with legs and arms outstretched. Obviously, this position is similar to the position of Jesus Christ when He was being crucified. When Bromden and McMurphy are being punished in the shock therapy room, the machines that they are placed upon are described as "cross-like tables". Electrode poured into the body have some semblance of the thorn of crowns that marked the appearance of Christ. The chief described to McMurphy the electroshock situation when he makes the statement that "You are strapped to a table, shaped, ironically, like a cross, with a crown of electric sparks in place of thorns."

This quote indicates that, even in the suffering that was the asylum, there was some sense of sanity. The asylum itself had driven the patrons inside of it to actually themselves notice the pure and simple oppression of the individualism. This is important because it provides a commentary on the social structure surrounding the time. The idea of individualism was also suppressed in time of Christ, with a vicious authority fixture holding back the individualism that could have threatened the all-important status quo. McMurphy can be seen, through his constant juxtaposition to the establishment, as a Christ-like figure in this story and someone who throws a monkey wrench in the accepted way of life.

Some of the elements of evil in the story are defined through certain symbols in the setting. It is evident throughout the story that the setting plays an essential role in Kesey trying to get across his point. The presence of the horrifying forces from the story in the real world leaves the reader with a critical decision. Society can not be looked at in the same light after the reader has taken what Kesey says in his commentary about society. It is hard for readers to simply dismiss this pressing issue, so it seems that the reader is left with somewhat of a choice. Readers can develop a cynicism about society, attempting to undermine it at every opportunity. While this may be the easier option, readers can also choose the less traveled road of choosing to take from this story the importance of creating lasting bonds that will enhance individual progress. Society's traps can be avoided if one tries hard enough. What people must take is the importance of never oppressing the individual rights and freedoms of others. The second road, in a word, is more attractive if one chooses to follow it, and after having read Kesey's book, the inclination would be to take that road. The nature of individualism is suppressed in this story, and McMurphy's constant battle against it sends a message to readers about what Kesey sees as a means for fighting the status quo.

In this story, Kesey makes important points about the constant suppression of individualism and the hypocritical nature of society. Not only are the does the story feature the evil Nurse Ratched and her constant mental and emotional superiority over the "prisoners" at the asylum, but it also praises the efforts of one, McMurphy. While his efforts may have caused him unwanted consequences at the time, his efforts of individualism were something that, in the long run, will change the nature of Nurse Ratched's society.

Works Cited
Kesey. One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest.