One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
...used to conform and organized many of the patients to contest the nurse’s authority. He is symbolic of the free spirited individual that society tries to mold or control. McMurphy is unable to be controlled and he stimulated others to independence. Today, school and society, like the mental institution, can be controlling and restrict free thought, behavior, and ideas. Repressive institutions dull a person’s existence and intellect, not allowing students to be become individuals with their own ideas. Conformity in education and society does not allow people to learn from each other through discussion of unique ideas and opinions. This novel champions those who rebel against conformity in society. It shows that dissent is a virtue to be cherished especially when delivered with zeal colored with a sense of humor. It shows students that a healthy disrespect for authority is noble. The novel explores additional sub-themes relevant to the collegiate learning experience. Kesey focuses on the expression of sexuality as a key to maintaining a person’s sanity. Many of the residents suffer mental illness related to their repressed sexual lives. McMurphy is an example of a healthy sexual person who treats sex as a natural and normal human function. Acceptance of sexuality as a natural human function develops in student’s a healthy attitude to their own and other’s sexual orientations and attitudes. Implicit in the novel is the theme of acceptance and tolerance. McMurphy is faced with a hospital population filled with odd characters. He, acting in many ways like a Jesus figure, accepted and tolerated the other patients despite their idiosyncrasies. Acceptance and tolerance are important lesson for student’s facing a society with great diversity. In a more practical application, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is also an excellent teaching tool for the classroom. The novel is wonderfully written by Ken Kesey. The setting serves as a history lesson for students about the turbulent societal changes that took place in America during the 1960s. The character development in the novel gives insight into various characters personas through their actions and other character’s descriptions of them. The narration of the novel is unique in keeping a reader aware of the plot, while the narrator jumps between the future, past, and his own impaired mental surroundings. The novel is packed with symbolism from crucifixion and to castration. By studying this novel, students can learn important writing techniques, motifs and symbols to be applied in their own writing. A college education is a learning process aimed at opening ...