One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Themes essays

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Themes essays Ken Keseys novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, is a very interesting yet disturbing account of the human psyche. It is the story of several men living in an insane asylum and the journey of one unique man ironically trapped in this society. Randle McMurphy is an extremely dimensional character and this is shown through the books themes and illustration of life in an abnormal mind. In this novel, many themes exist through the characters but the strongest ones are those of rebellion, friendship and courage. The story portrays the mysteries of what goes on inside a mental institution, the need that the men in the asylum have for friendship, and the courage the men have to stand up to the their greatest fear, Mrs. Ratched. The themes of rebellion and courage are apparent constantly throughout the story because of the mens everyday, on-going struggle with Nurse Ratched. McMurphys endeavor with Ratched is the most centralized plot line of the book and his impact on the mens lives is of equal importance. When McMurphy came to the mental institution the men were so fascinated by him and they wanted to know everything about him. Randle was a gambler, a thief, and although very doubtful, a very courageous man. As soon as he came to the ward the Big Nurse knew he would be trouble. McMurphy did everything he could to try and make the nurse go crazy. He broke alm ost all of the rules. Randle tried to take all the other patients money by gambling, planned fishing trips the nurse was totally against, fought with the black boys (who were assistants on the ward), and gave the other men courage to stand up to Mrs. Ratched when they probably wouldnt have otherwise done so. Randle McMurphy brought courage to the ward. The value of friendship shows up quite frequently in the story because of the unique relationship between Randle and Chief Bromden, the narrator of the tale. ...