One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Themes

A detailed Summary of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Themes

Ken Kesey's novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, is a very interesting yet disturbing account of the human psyche. It is the story of several men living in an insane asylum and the journey of one unique man ironically trapped in this society. Randle McMurphy is an extremely dimensional character and this is shown through the books themes and illustration of life in an abnormal mind.

In this novel, many themes exist through the characters but the strongest ones are those of rebellion, friendship and courage. The story portrays the mysteries of what goes on inside a mental institution, the need that the men in the asylum have for friendship, and the courage the men have to stand up to the their greatest fear, Mrs. Ratched. The themes of rebellion and courage are apparent constantly throughout the story because of the men's everyday, on-going struggle with Nurse Ratched. McMurphy's endeavor with Ratched is the most centralized plot line of the book and his impact on the men's lives is of equal importance. When McMurphy came to the mental institution the men were so fascinated by him and they wanted to know everything about him. Randle was a gambler, a thief, and although very doubtful, a very courageous man. As soon as h

Ken Kesey does a very good job of portraying his story in a realistic way. His characters are subjects of real life because they are not the epitome of neither good nor evil. They ride the line somewhere between the two like most human beings. The plot of the novel is very well put together and Kesey uses distinct actions by the characters to get his message across. It is not hard for a reader of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to sympathize with one or more of the characters and understand their feelings, especially considering that most of them are mentally ill while many reading the book are not. All of us can relate to feelings of friendship, courage, and defiance just like Randle, Chief Bromden, and the other men. Kesey's use of a surprise ending undoubtly appeals to most readers and I enjoyed it as well. Although things did not turn out for McMurphy as some may have hoped, his character was an extremely strong influence upon the reader because you couldn't help but feeling that in some ways he might have reminded you of someone you know or maybe even yourself. The author makes McMurphy unstoppable and afraid of nothing, yet at the same time compassionate and friendly. I think above all Kesey's message is to the common man. Sometimes everyone tries so hard to be somebody else's hero and have too many expectations on their shoulders that they can't handle it. This is obvious by what happens to Randle an

Some common words found in the essay are:
Cuckoo's Nest, Randle McMurphy, Ratched McMurphy's, Bromden Kesey's, Chief Bromden, Ken Kesey, Chinook Indian, Bromden Chief, McMurphy Chief, chief bromden, Flew Cuckoo's, flew cuckoo's nest, cuckoo's nest, flew cuckoo's, randle mcmurphy, friendship courage, mcmurphy chief, courage stand, coming ward, randle chief, mental institution, randle chief bromden,

Approximate Word count = 961
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels