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Imagery In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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Albert Einstein once said, "All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual". One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a novel written by Ken Kesey is a story told in the perspective of a man named Chief Bromden, who has been in a mental hospital for 10 years, suffering from paranoia and hallucinations. Bromden’s worldview is obscured by his fear, and never has a clear view of the world while under the wing of Nurse Ratched at the hospital. With the arrival of Randle McMurphy, Bromden senses a different attitude about him. Randle McMurphy tells the patients that the Nurse is nothing to fear, protesting against her, and bringing out her inner rage. McMurphy later shows his leadership by taking a group of patients outside, and showing them their masculine …show more content…
One reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest can relate to the pressure of society's oppressive rules in many ways. Kesey's usage of metaphors relating people to machines and the hospital to a factory leaves a relatable factor to models in the world, setting a standard for people being perfect. Kesey's usage of imagery helps the readers realize that they are too blinded to see what is going on, and need to look through the fog to see the truth. Finally, Kesey's usage of setting taking place just after World War II helps the reader realize that in the book, the Nurse is striving for everyone to be perfect in her image, hoping that everyone realizes that society is doing this to them, wanting to look a certain way to be perfect. Striving for perfection is something society dictates we all do, but at what cost? One cannot expect to be an individual if everyone decides to follow the same path to supposed perfection, and losing your individuality is not worth someone else’s definition of

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