Role Of Nurse Ratched In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Through Chief Bromden’s journey rediscovering himself in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, he witnesses recurring power struggle between male and female characters, such as between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy, or between his parents. Although widely regarded as kind and benign characters in society at the time, in these conflicts, female characters are often tagged with detrimental characteristics, and therefore are depicted as demeaning antagonists. Through Chief’s biased narration, Nurse Ratched is often seen to be emasculating patients, through influencing their way of thinking, and thus their decisions to remain with the institution. She plays an essential role in confining the dynamic of the hospital through her recurring manipulation of patients. She influences, or in some cases, uses her power to force others into doing things her way. She takes advantage of the patients’ insecurity in order to demean them, both mentally and physically. She encourages patients to list emotional problems their fellow patients have shared through daily conversations in a logbook, consequently eliminating opacity pertaining to personal information of each patients. During their daily Group Discussions, …show more content…
A large portion of the institution, referred to as When describing Big Nurse, Harding refers to her as a ‘good strong wolf’ (64), mentioning that he alongside other patients needed her to teach them their place in society. In popular culture, wolves are seen as malevolent figures, for example, depicted as villains in children’s folk stories. Nevertheless, Harding uses pos adjectives such as ‘good’ and ‘strong’ in description of Nurse Ratched, therefore, portrays her as a powerful and benign figure. By doing so, he places her above him, both in strength and social
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Animals Analysis
223 Words | 1 PagesA famous Chinese proverb states, “One dog barks at something and a hundred bark at the bark”. This use of animal imagery to explain the issues with human behavior can also be seen in Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The novel, told through the eyes of schizophrenic chronic Chief Bromden, revolves around R. P. McMurphy helping the patients overcome their fear of Nurse Ratched and her power and control over the ward. Throughout the book, Kesey uses animal imagery to depict the personalities and behaviors of Nurse Ratched, McMurphy, and the patients. Nurse Ratched is a wolf, and she thrives off of her overbearing control over the patients in the ward and enjoys having everything conform to her set of rules.
One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay
1929 Words | 8 PagesThe Origins of Madness in One Who Flew Off The Cuckoo's Nest The book, One who Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey, is an eccentric story on the cruel treatment of patients within psychiatric wards in the 1960s. It is told from the narration of an indigenous man, named Chief Bromden, a character who is deeply conflicted and wounded inside, as he narrates the story of another patient McMurphy. McMurphy is not like Chief, nor any of the other patients for that matter, for he is a man who refuses to follow the wards rules and does whatever it takes in the book to strip the head nurse, Miss Ratched, of her power, in a fight for the patients, sovereignty within the ward. His rebellious attitude unfolds and the consequences begin unveiling
Satire In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
954 Words | 4 PagesThe table, a religious symbol, performs the function of destroying lives and making public examples of those who rebel against the ruling powers, while also symbolising crucifixion, and foreshadowing McMurphy’s inevitable sacrifice. Similar to Hitler, who concealed his actions from the German civilians, Nurse Ratched hid her ‘vile’ behaviour from outsiders. Through the despicable actions of Nurse Ratched, Kesey positions the reader to question the sinister notion of authoritative control. This is highlighted through Nurse Ratched’s manipulation of patients through her ‘democratic’ group meetings which were intended to transform the patients into ‘functioning, adjusted components’ ready to assimilate into society. Nurse Ratched maintained her position of power through her ‘pecking party’ where she manipulated patients into expelling shameful ‘confessions’ and performing humiliating
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Leadership Analysis
778 Words | 4 PagesThroughout Ken Kesey’s, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the balance of power is challenged in the psychiatric ward. Out of the several leaders that appear in the novel, Nurse Ratched and McMurphy are the most prominent. During Nurse Ratched and McMurphy struggle for power, they share many of the same qualities. It is argued that: “McMurphy and Ratched are alike in intelligence, military service, distinctive (if opposite) clothing, and conventionally masculine qualities” (Evans). These small similarities; however, do not distract the characters from fighting for their individual beliefs.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Character Analysis
993 Words | 4 PagesThere is an obvious idea presented by Kesey that the Nurse is dominant over Billy, who has become very vulnerable. Nurse Ratched is shown as a character of strength by the way the writer has created her character. Nurse Ratched is also seen as a strong figure by the way the other characters talk about her, for example when Chief says “To beat her you don 't have to whip her two out of three or three out of five, but every time you meet. As soon as you let down your guard, as soon as you lose once, she 's won for good.” The writer has used this line to show us how both Chief and the other patient give her the strong and authoritative
Controlled Environment In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
725 Words | 3 PagesIn the drama film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest, Patrick McMurphy was moved from a prison farm to a mental institution to get evaluated for his erratic behavior. Upon being transported to the institution, all his assumptions about his new home were completely wrong. The head nurse, Nurse Ratched, has the whole hospital under her control with little to no freedom for the patients. All the inmates at the institution go through rigorous training to become obedient to Nurse Ratched and her strict schedule and rules. The institution was a very controlled environment with the patients having no control over their own life’s while there.
Nurse Ratched Power Quotes
710 Words | 3 PagesThroughout the beginning of the novel it is evident that some characters over use their powers, one of these characters being Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched uses her position in the ward to take advantage of the patients and make sure that they adhere to everyone of her daunting commands. Nurse Ratched “tends to get real put out if something keeps her outfit from running like a smooth, accurate, precision-made machine” (Kesey 28) because she has been on the ward for so long that when something doesn 't go according to her plan, she starts to get mad and will often try to use her power to come down on the patient 's. Nurse Ratched is in control of the whole ward and when someone does something that isn 't in her manuscript she gets irritated. The ward will be run her way and only her way, “ under her rule the ward inside is almost completely adjusted to surroundings” (Kesey 28).
Analysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest By Ken Kesey
1468 Words | 6 PagesNurse Ratched has control over every guy in the hospital because she decides what they are doing every day when they wake up. She has brainwashed the men into think they need her. Vera has manipulated her husband Dale into thinking he is disgusting. Billy’s mother has emasculated him by deciding everything for him and letting him have no control over his own life. The men in this novel have lost their manhood to women who have manipulated them and they are too blind to see it till McMurphy shows them.
Women In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
994 Words | 4 PagesNurse Ratched is the main antagonist who is a very cruel and manipulative nurse, in which all the characters seem to agree that she is out to get them. The other main female role is a hooker McMurphy knew before the hospital who plays a role of meeting the boys needs. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nurse Ratched In Ken Kesey's One Flew Over The Cuckoo
447 Words | 2 PagesHowever, to Nurse Ratched, this window illustrates her dominance over the ward. “The Big Nurse watches all [that the patients do] through her window” (42). Kesey’s glass division between the sane and the insane demonstrates Nurse Ratched’s overall want of authority. Correspondingly, the Big Nurse is a wolf amongst the hospital full of rabbits. As Harding explains to McMurphy that the patients are essentially small rabbits in the forest that is the mental institution, he also notes that Nurse Ratched is the “strong wolf” that teaches the rabbits their place, much like the hierarchy of nature (61).
Gender Inequality In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
999 Words | 4 PagesKen Kesey’s comic novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, takes place in an all-male psychiatric ward. The head of the ward, Big Nurse Ratched, is female. Kesey explores the power-struggle that takes place when the characters challenge gender dynamics in this environment. One newly-arrived patient, McMurphy, leads the men against the Big Nurse. The story is told through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a patient who learns from McMurphy and fights for his freedom.
Nurse Ratched And Mcmurphy Analysis
361 Words | 2 PagesNurse Ratched who ruled with an iron handed fist to keep her distance away from the patients of the ward and establish her role of a women in power in the institution. This from the beginning of the book sets a
Nurse Ratched Quotes
766 Words | 4 PagesWe learn on page 38 that Nurse Ratched has many connections and will use them to her advantage to get what she wants. On page 38, it reads, “the doctor doesn’t hold the power of hiring and firing. That power goes to the supervisor, and the supervisor is a woman, a dear old friend of Miss Ratched’s; they were Army nurses together in the thirties. We are victims of a matriarchy here, my friend, and the doctor is just as helpless against it as we are.” This proves that Nurse Ratched uses this relationship with head supervisor to her advantage.
Mental Illness In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
673 Words | 3 PagesKen Kesey uses his novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, to describe the lives of patients in a mental institution, and their struggle to overcome the oppressive authority under which they are living. Told from the point of view of a supposedly mute schizophrenic, the novel also shines a light on the many disorders present in the patients, as well as how their illnesses affect their lives during a time when little known about these disorders, and when patients living with these illnesses were seen as an extreme threat. Chief Bromden, the narrator of the novel, has many mental illnesses, but he learns to accept himself and embrace his differences. Through the heroism introduced through Randle McMurphy, Chief becomes confident in himself, and is ultimately able to escape from the toxic environment Nurse Ratched has created on the ward. Chief has many disorders including schizophrenia, paranoia, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and, in addition to these illnesses, he pretends to be deaf and dumb.
Authority In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
1459 Words | 6 PagesThese elements keep the nurse in power, as many of the patients fear being the target of one of these meetings and worry that they will again be betrayed by others. By introducing order through these activities, Nurse Ratched undermines the safety of the patients that should be under her care and keeps them silent. Nurse Ratched's oppressive order is not only seen in a literal sense, but also through the attitudes of the patients under her care. Chief Bromden describes the nurse as being “able to set the wall clock at whatever speed she wants just by turning one of those dials“ (Kesey 70). Nurse Ratched’s control over the patients’ lives extends to the point where
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