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One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

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In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, Randle McMurphy struggles to free himself under the dominating power of Nurse Ratched. The power struggle between the two demonstrates the need for free will. When McMurphy enters the halls of the mental ward in Oregon, he finds a group of men beaten into obedience by the head nurse of the ward. Nurse Ratched’s power over the patients extends beyond their actions into their minds. She controls their every second from where they have to be at eight o’clock in the morning to what their beliefs are. McMurphy disrupts this routine by openly disregarding the rules that Nurse Ratched placed. Throughout the novel, McMurphy continuously attempts to eliminate Nurse Ratched’s power in the ward. The first thing that McMurphy does when he is placed in the ward is to introduce himself to every patient. This unusual behavior allows McMurphy to gain the trust of the other men. McMurphy helps to unite the men and works to become the leader. Through this turn of events, readers see the power struggle between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy begin. Nurse Ratched retains her power by hiding her …show more content…
Nurse Ratched operates under the false act of democracy in the ward. She rules her ward with an iron fist and a set number of rules. McMurphy’s arrival demonstrates the extent of the Nurse’s dominating power. Any disobedience from the patients is met with punishment that demonstrates the abuse and mistreatment the patients are under. Through the power struggle between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, one sees the totalitarian rule of a woman who denies free will. The novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest illustrates that the dominant rule of a tyrant needs to be defeated in order to retain one’s peace. The patients in the mental ward need their free will in order to overcome their sicknesses and to grow as a

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