The Journey to Achieve Freedom: A Comparison of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey and The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Journey to Achieve Freedom: A Comparison of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey and The Color Purple by Alice
Walker
Influential activist and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that
“the ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” Every society is faced with the difficulties of distinguishing between what is good and bad, and finding the balance in between.
Standing up for what is believed in proves to be difficult and there are many individuals who feel it necessary to stand back and not take any type of action. While there is so much room for potential in the world, societies in general have taken to using their power for dominance over the weak and minorities, which leaves few spaces for the strong individuals to strive and make a difference. Struggles for power and the mistreatment of minority are themes that can be seen in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest written by Ken Kesey and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. With help from the people they learn to trust, both Bromden and Celie are able to resist their oppressive societies by opposing the restrictions placed upon them and in turn, they learn an independence which allows them to acquire a new found self-worth and fulfill their own wishes.
To begin, due to their lack of self-confidence and the domination from their respective societies, Bromden and Celie’s resilience is strengthened, allowing them to seek to withstand their oppressive societies. The oppression that Bromden and Celie face leads to a low self-confidence and self-worth. In the beginning of the story,
Bromden mentions references to the fog and how it’s “all over [him] like skim milk, so thick [he] might even be able to hide in it …” (7). The fog in these references represents Bromden’s desires to hide from reality and as well it can be said that it is influenced by his medicated state. Bromden is bullied by the black
Walker
Influential activist and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that
“the ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” Every society is faced with the difficulties of distinguishing between what is good and bad, and finding the balance in between.
Standing up for what is believed in proves to be difficult and there are many individuals who feel it necessary to stand back and not take any type of action. While there is so much room for potential in the world, societies in general have taken to using their power for dominance over the weak and minorities, which leaves few spaces for the strong individuals to strive and make a difference. Struggles for power and the mistreatment of minority are themes that can be seen in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest written by Ken Kesey and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. With help from the people they learn to trust, both Bromden and Celie are able to resist their oppressive societies by opposing the restrictions placed upon them and in turn, they learn an independence which allows them to acquire a new found self-worth and fulfill their own wishes.
To begin, due to their lack of self-confidence and the domination from their respective societies, Bromden and Celie’s resilience is strengthened, allowing them to seek to withstand their oppressive societies. The oppression that Bromden and Celie face leads to a low self-confidence and self-worth. In the beginning of the story,
Bromden mentions references to the fog and how it’s “all over [him] like skim milk, so thick [he] might even be able to hide in it …” (7). The fog in these references represents Bromden’s desires to hide from reality and as well it can be said that it is influenced by his medicated state. Bromden is bullied by the black