Weakening the Combine in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest...

Weakening the Combine in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest When norms of society are unfair and seem set in stone, rebellion is bound to occur, ultimately bringing about change in the community. Ken Keseys One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest demonstrates the conflict of individuals who have to survive in an environment where they are pressured to cooperate. The hospitals atmosphere suppresses the patients individuality through authority figures that mold the patients into their visions of perfection. The ward staffs ability to overpower the patients free will is not questioned until a man named Randal McMurphy is committed to the mental institute. He rebels against what he perceives as a rigid, dehumanizing, and uncompassionate†¦show more content†¦By carrying out the Combine?s orders and imposing a matriarchal system, the Big Nurse has the ability to systematically dehumanize the patients and suppress their individuality. In Group Meetings, the men are forced to talk about personal experiences, a method Big Nurse claims is therapeutic b ut is actually very humiliating. Billy Bibbit talks about his first love who his mother disliked. Billy?s relationships with women seem to be the root of his problems. Nurse Ratched worsens the situation by ?grinding (his) nose in (his) mistakes? instead of helping him work through his problems (59). The patients let the nurse manipulate them in fear of the consequences of her wrath, and consequently are shamed, weak, and defenseless men. Even the Chief, the biggest man, has become a person so weakened by his society that he loses his ability to speak against the cruelty that surrounds him, ultimately leaving him powerless. The men are victims of their society and lose all their self confidence and individuality as a result of being pressured to conform. A man named Randal McMurphy, who defies the rules of everything that resembles the concept of the Combine, enters the hospital and immediately questions the corrupt system. He uses his rebellious spirit to influence the patients? beliefs about the policies, in hopes of gaining enough support to change them. When McMurphy comes and shakes every patient?s hand on the ward, Chief feels a sense of power transferring fromShow MoreRelatedSexuality in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and A Street Car Named Desire2393 Words   |  10 PagesKen Keseys One flew over the cuckoos nest and Tennessee Williams A street car named desire? In What ways is Sexuality portrayed as central to the conflicts of the individual-v-society in Ken Keseys One flew over the cuckoos nest and Tennessee Williams A street car named desire? The capacity of sexual feelings within the individual is central to both the development and fundamental basis of any significant character. As observed in both One flew over the cuckoos nest (AKA CuckoosRead More Transformation: Randle McMurphy Patients Essay844 Words   |  4 Pagesthe process of dealing with the hostility of the outside world and sets the stage for Billy Bibbit to lose his virginity by arranging a data between him and Candy Starr, a prostitute from Portland. When the other patients sense that McMurphy is weakening, they urge him to escape. He tells them he will leave early in the morning after Billy has his date. He arranges a going away party for himself. While Billy finally enjoys the pleasure of sex with Candy, McMurphy and the other patients smoke marijuanaRead MoreOne Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest1607 Words   |  7 Pages The 1960s was a time of great social change where people were challenging the norms great extends. The novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a perfect example of this which represents a great cultural artifacts of the sixties. The 1960s begin the controversial movement toward deinstitutionalization, act that would ve effected the characters in Cuckoo’s nest. In 1962 in the midst of the civil rights movement and deep changes to the way psychology and psychiatry we re being approached in AmericaRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 1306 Words   |  6 PagesBenjamin Wiki - Conformity Intro â€Å"Conformity is behaviour in accordance with socially accepted conventions.† - One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest The novel is set in the 1960’s inside a mental institution told by a patient, Big Chief Bromden and can be seen as a miniature mirror of society. The wards society is presented as a machine, called the Combine, that makes everyone conform to its strict rules and timetables. All individuality is taken away from the patients, and the happy feelings are