Mending the Cracked Eggs in the Cuckoo's Nest
Sexuality has always been a crucial tool used in literature, with the ability to empower characters or destroy them, form relationships or break them, and radiate pure happiness or torment. Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest offers a unique perspective on the importance of sexual expression along with the power it has. The novel follows various men in a ward for the mentally ill as they are brutally suppressed by the evil head nurse, Nurse Ratched. Not only does she diminish the lives of the men on her ward, but she capitalizes on their weaknesses. As soon as a new patient, loud and confident Randle Patrick McMurphy, arrives on the ward, he begins to fight for the return of individuality. …show more content…
She has the ability to terrify these grown men, making them feel ashamed of themselves, by barely lifting a finger. She increases tension and discomfort throughout the ward to build upon her power. The patients, however, are so blinded by their own shame that they are unable to see Nurse Ratched’s motives and how easily she is able to manipulate and turn them against each other. She further controls the men by robbing them of their masculinity. When Harding explains a lobotomy to McMurphy, he says, “Frontal-lobe castration. I guess if she can’t cut below the belt she’ll do it above the eyes” (164). With this, a clear line is drawn between sexuality and freedom - and their importance - and between women and lifelessness. Harding implies that lobotomies and castrations are conceptually the same, both taking away independence and power. Nurse Ratched and McMurphy act completely against each other throughout the novel, Ratched an emasculating force, and McMurphy a hyper-masculine force who constantly brags about his sexual conquests and urges the men to ‘man …show more content…
He shows that men should not be ashamed of their masculinity, which contrasts the inadequacy and indignity that Nurse Ratched instills on the patients. He is strong, sexual, and confident, unafraid to test the boundaries, and combating the sterile and mechanical environment of the ward. The whales on his boxer shorts relate to Moby Dick, in which whales are said to symbolize the power of nature - McMurphy’s untamed nature clashes with the repressed institution. McMurphy further rebels against Nurse Ratched when “he stopped in front of her window and said in his slowest, deepest drawl how he figured he could use one of the smokes he bought this mornin’, then ran his hand through the glass… ‘I’m sure sorry, ma’am,” he said. “That window glass was so spick and span I com-pletely forgot it was there’” (172). This is a major act of defiance against the system, in which he blatantly rejects conformity and violently claims individuality. The clarity of the glass shows the subtle control of Nurse Ratched, which is so spotless and can make one forget it is there. However, it only takes the slightest amount of disruption to completely break
Sexuality has always been a crucial tool used in literature, with the ability to empower characters or destroy them, form relationships or break them, and radiate pure happiness or torment. Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest offers a unique perspective on the importance of sexual expression along with the power it has. The novel follows various men in a ward for the mentally ill as they are brutally suppressed by the evil head nurse, Nurse Ratched. Not only does she diminish the lives of the men on her ward, but she capitalizes on their weaknesses. As soon as a new patient, loud and confident Randle Patrick McMurphy, arrives on the ward, he begins to fight for the return of individuality. …show more content…
She has the ability to terrify these grown men, making them feel ashamed of themselves, by barely lifting a finger. She increases tension and discomfort throughout the ward to build upon her power. The patients, however, are so blinded by their own shame that they are unable to see Nurse Ratched’s motives and how easily she is able to manipulate and turn them against each other. She further controls the men by robbing them of their masculinity. When Harding explains a lobotomy to McMurphy, he says, “Frontal-lobe castration. I guess if she can’t cut below the belt she’ll do it above the eyes” (164). With this, a clear line is drawn between sexuality and freedom - and their importance - and between women and lifelessness. Harding implies that lobotomies and castrations are conceptually the same, both taking away independence and power. Nurse Ratched and McMurphy act completely against each other throughout the novel, Ratched an emasculating force, and McMurphy a hyper-masculine force who constantly brags about his sexual conquests and urges the men to ‘man …show more content…
He shows that men should not be ashamed of their masculinity, which contrasts the inadequacy and indignity that Nurse Ratched instills on the patients. He is strong, sexual, and confident, unafraid to test the boundaries, and combating the sterile and mechanical environment of the ward. The whales on his boxer shorts relate to Moby Dick, in which whales are said to symbolize the power of nature - McMurphy’s untamed nature clashes with the repressed institution. McMurphy further rebels against Nurse Ratched when “he stopped in front of her window and said in his slowest, deepest drawl how he figured he could use one of the smokes he bought this mornin’, then ran his hand through the glass… ‘I’m sure sorry, ma’am,” he said. “That window glass was so spick and span I com-pletely forgot it was there’” (172). This is a major act of defiance against the system, in which he blatantly rejects conformity and violently claims individuality. The clarity of the glass shows the subtle control of Nurse Ratched, which is so spotless and can make one forget it is there. However, it only takes the slightest amount of disruption to completely break