1984 & Cuckoo's Nest Comparison Essay
1984 vs. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
In a totalitarian country, any ordinary citizen’s powers are limited, if at all possible. Although any individual is treated like a part of the society, he has no chances to play a vital role in it. A person is to follow officially dispersed propaganda and obey the rules, which intend to control everything. The totalitarian system uses any means including manipulation, intimidation and even the worst forms of repression just to achieve the main goal - staying in power. George Orwell’s 1984 and Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are very similar novels which describe two different societies being mainly focused on individuals opposing the existing systems. In Orwell’s novel, the State of Oceania is ruled by the totalitarian government, with Big Brother as the leader with absolute power. Similarly, in Kesey’s work, the mental hospital is portrayed as a kind of totalitarian society, which is controlled by a “watchful robot” (Kesey 42), Nurse Ratched. The systems represented by Big Brother and Nurse Ratched do not recognize needs of individuals. Those who have power demand total obedience without paying attention to anyone and gradually lead to downfall of those who are under control. In both novels, the efforts of those in charge, ultimately result in suffering and oppression of many individuals, where the effect of leaders, setting and rebellion of individuals directs to a negative impact of one’s psyche. However, at the end, Oceania’s government still stays in power and continues to have control over the citizens, the Mental Institution begings to slowly lose it’s power.
Big Brother and Nurse Ratched are leaders whose main aims are to hold as much power as possible and to be in control of everything. In Party’s propaganda, Big Brother is presented as a real person and a founder of the totalitarian society. Winston Smith, the protagonist of Orwell’s novel, states that “in the Party histories, of
In a totalitarian country, any ordinary citizen’s powers are limited, if at all possible. Although any individual is treated like a part of the society, he has no chances to play a vital role in it. A person is to follow officially dispersed propaganda and obey the rules, which intend to control everything. The totalitarian system uses any means including manipulation, intimidation and even the worst forms of repression just to achieve the main goal - staying in power. George Orwell’s 1984 and Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are very similar novels which describe two different societies being mainly focused on individuals opposing the existing systems. In Orwell’s novel, the State of Oceania is ruled by the totalitarian government, with Big Brother as the leader with absolute power. Similarly, in Kesey’s work, the mental hospital is portrayed as a kind of totalitarian society, which is controlled by a “watchful robot” (Kesey 42), Nurse Ratched. The systems represented by Big Brother and Nurse Ratched do not recognize needs of individuals. Those who have power demand total obedience without paying attention to anyone and gradually lead to downfall of those who are under control. In both novels, the efforts of those in charge, ultimately result in suffering and oppression of many individuals, where the effect of leaders, setting and rebellion of individuals directs to a negative impact of one’s psyche. However, at the end, Oceania’s government still stays in power and continues to have control over the citizens, the Mental Institution begings to slowly lose it’s power.
Big Brother and Nurse Ratched are leaders whose main aims are to hold as much power as possible and to be in control of everything. In Party’s propaganda, Big Brother is presented as a real person and a founder of the totalitarian society. Winston Smith, the protagonist of Orwell’s novel, states that “in the Party histories, of