One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest
Cellissa Hernandez
Mr. Ansaldo
CSU ERWC
Period 2
30 November 2012
Wrongful Doing One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey is a book in which the patients of an insane asylum rebel and try to “break” their leader, Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched is basically the form of government in the institution and the patients do not like how she is controlling them so they find ways to make her crack. Kesey shows similarities between the Declaration of Independence and what is going on in the book, McMurphy and the other patients are trying to replace the authority in the ward just as the people have America have the right to do with the government. McMurphy tries to get Nurse Ratched to crack and show her weakness. He tries anything and everything to make her explode so people see she isn’t as strong as she looks. Big Nurse finds ways to gain control over the patients in the ward but doesn’t always succeed as Ken Kesey explains when he says, “The Big Nurse’s eyes swelled out white as he got close…This was supposed to establish her rule once and for all” (201). The Big Nurse “Nurse Ratched” isn’t able to control McMurphy which means she isn’t in complete control of all the men on the ward and this angers her. If she can’t control this one man she doesn’t have complete control which helps McMurphy and the other men get one step closer to replacing her. There are times when Nurse Ratched under estimates what she is dealing with, such as other colleagues being on the side of the men in the ward. Not all of the workers are afraid of Big Nurse nor do they obey her every command. The doctor for example, disregards what she says and does what he feels is necessary. When Nurse Ratched says they can’t go on the fishing trip, the doctor replies by saying, “Good deal of paperwork I can get done on the boat” (234). The doctor disregards the Nurse’s authority and doesn’t give her a chance to respond to what he had told her, therefore stripping away more of her power. The doctor
Mr. Ansaldo
CSU ERWC
Period 2
30 November 2012
Wrongful Doing One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey is a book in which the patients of an insane asylum rebel and try to “break” their leader, Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched is basically the form of government in the institution and the patients do not like how she is controlling them so they find ways to make her crack. Kesey shows similarities between the Declaration of Independence and what is going on in the book, McMurphy and the other patients are trying to replace the authority in the ward just as the people have America have the right to do with the government. McMurphy tries to get Nurse Ratched to crack and show her weakness. He tries anything and everything to make her explode so people see she isn’t as strong as she looks. Big Nurse finds ways to gain control over the patients in the ward but doesn’t always succeed as Ken Kesey explains when he says, “The Big Nurse’s eyes swelled out white as he got close…This was supposed to establish her rule once and for all” (201). The Big Nurse “Nurse Ratched” isn’t able to control McMurphy which means she isn’t in complete control of all the men on the ward and this angers her. If she can’t control this one man she doesn’t have complete control which helps McMurphy and the other men get one step closer to replacing her. There are times when Nurse Ratched under estimates what she is dealing with, such as other colleagues being on the side of the men in the ward. Not all of the workers are afraid of Big Nurse nor do they obey her every command. The doctor for example, disregards what she says and does what he feels is necessary. When Nurse Ratched says they can’t go on the fishing trip, the doctor replies by saying, “Good deal of paperwork I can get done on the boat” (234). The doctor disregards the Nurse’s authority and doesn’t give her a chance to respond to what he had told her, therefore stripping away more of her power. The doctor