One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

The main focus of this novel is the total dominance of one mental institute by one woman, the Big Nurse, an ex-army nurse who is controlling and likes to run things according to her ways. As the novel move on, the turning point for all the patients in the ward appear, R.P McMurphy, a redheaded gambler, former con man who likes to take challenges and this time, challenges the powers of the Big Nurse. One can see in this novel, the effect McMurphy has on the whole ward, how he changes the minds of the patients and also the difference between the whole environment with his presence and without.

At the beginning of the novel, Nurse Ratched seemed to have absolute power over everyone. Mainly because every patient in the ward is afraid of breaking a rule and that they are afraid of the consequences. Nurse Ratched. For example, everyone obeys the nurse and they are being told to behave themselves discreetly by the nurse. This is significant because the nurse can control them and obtain a peaceful environment in the institute. As well, she is able to make the patients listen to her and follow her rules. For example, every patient in the ward is afraid to look at Nurse Ratched, because when they look at the nurse's eyes, her eye

However, after Mcmurphy comes to the ward, things have changed accordingly. Before he arrived, all the patients were afraid to raise their own opinions about things that had on their mind, but Mcmurphy is raising his hands and trying to express his thoughts whenever Nurse Ratched holds a ward meeting. "K McMurphy looks aroundK. then holds his hand up and snaps his fingerK"(P.44). Nevertheless, the patients accept Nurse Ratched's control over them because they believe it is necessary and also because they got so used to it that they don't even realize they are being controlled, until McMurphy's arrival. This shows there is a major problem that the patients face, they believe themselves to be weak, and they need the Nurse to control them. But in fact some of them are capable of being independent. Another point shows how the power shifts from the nurse to Mcmurphy is that when Mcmurphy is wearing only a towel appearing in front of Nurse Ratched. She is telling one of the black boys to give him a new set of clothes. But McMurphy is wearing shorts under his towel shows that he knows sexuality is a particular vulnerability for Nurse Ratched. This is significant because this is the first moment in which Nurse Ratched begins to show any sense of tense. Thus, McMurphy is trying to work hard to take the nurse's power over. Also, when McMurphy complains about the noise and the patients should get a second room for playing games, but Nurse Ratched refuses. In the meeting, both the doctors and the patients