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Examples Of Insanity In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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Insanity vs. Sanity: Sometimes Being Ignorant is the Intelligent Choice In the book One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey utilizes literary devices, irony, tone and conflict to achieve the theme of the difference between being sane but ignorant and being insane but intelligent. The tone, irony, and setting of this book helps the reader create a mental image of the real location and the situations the characters were at times. Symbolism is added as well in order to further understand the way the characters think. All these different types of writing are used in order to create the theme of how sometimes you don't need to be intelligent in order to be sane and you don't have to be insane in order to be ignorant. Ken Kesey uses tone in many …show more content…

Visual, kinesthetic and olfactory. Chief refers to the asylum as a combine. This is Chief’s word to describe the system that is at work in the asylum. A machine-like nature. He states “it’s not just the asylum that’s governed by this machine—it’s the entire world(One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey).” Another way of symbolism would be “The Fog.” According to Chief, this fog clouds our vision of the real world. In this fog, the awful reality can be softened. Chief also tells us that McMurphy attempts to pull all the other patients out of this state of mind. Also, another strong symbol is the electro shock therapy table. Images of this table are related to crucifixion and it also represents the nurse's power. Lastly, I would like to share the strong religious imagery represented in the book. McMurphy is alluded to a Christ Figure. He becomes a martyr for the patients and after that Ellis stands “crucified” to the wall. Before the fishing trip, Ellis shakes Billy's hand and tells him to be a “fisher of men,” referring to the phrase Christ used to his disciples to win people over. Patients are in numbers of twelve, same as the twelve disciples. When McMurphy is put on the EST table he says, “Anointest my head with conductant. Do I get a crown of thorns?” To finalize, both McMurphy and Christ die to save others and give them

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