One flew over The Cuckoos Nest Essay Example For Students

One flew over The Cuckoos Nest Essay One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest, by Ken Kesey, is about patients and doctors in a mental institution. The author talks a lot about what goes on in this institute. The main points in this book deal with control, be it the character of McMurphy who is unable to handle control, or Nurse Ratched the head nurse on the ward whose job requires her to be in control. The world of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is dark; it is a place where control leads to destruction, but the novel shows through the character of The Chief that there is still hope if the people who are being controlled have the power to resist. Nurse Ratched is a mean woman whose job revolves around control. She depends on people who are less fortunate than her to make a living. Her need to control others is an unfortunate trait that she has because it makes people unable to think for themselves and it also leads to destruction. One example of this is when Nurse Ratched caught one of the patients (Billy Bibbit) with a woman. The nurse feeling the need to control Billy threatened to tell his mother. Billy begged Nurse Ratched not to tell her but when his requests were refused Billy slashed his neck with a broken bottle and killed himself. Billy’s life was destroyed because of Nurse Ratched’s need to control others. Another place that we see the dark world is when we examine the relationship between Nurse Ratched and R. P. McMurphy. McMurphy is a happy and rebellious man. He is not used to being controlled, so when he gets into the institution he refuses to be controlled by Nurse Ratched, â€Å"I can get the best of that woman- before the week is up-without her getting the best of me†. Nurse Ratched constantly feels the need to control McMurphy. Ever since the moment that McMurphy walks into the institute Nurse Ratched tells him what to do, when to sit in the circle, when to eat, when to take his medicine, and so on. At first McMurphy tries not to listen to Nurse Ratched because he doesn’t want anyone to feel stronger than him, â€Å"A man go around lettin’ a woman whup him down till he can’t laugh no more and he loses the biggest edge he’s got on his side. First thing you know he’ll begin to think she’s tougher than he is†. Near the end of the novel when Billy Bibbit commits suicide, because of Nurse Ratched, McMurphy strangles her while attempting to kill her. At that point the nurse realizes that there is no way to control McMurphy, so McMurphy is then given a lobotomy and is no longer able to function as a normal human being. McMurphy’s freedom to live was taken away, he was left as a lifeless human being because of Nurse Ratched’s inability to control him. Throughout the novel we see people being controlled, lives being destroyed, and people being brainwashed. We also see one character who is able to resist, to hide from, and totally ignore the Nurses, Doctors, and the others trying to control him. His name is Mr. Brombden but goes by the name of Big Chief. Chief pretends that he his deaf and dumb so that he doesn’t have to answer to the authority figures on the ward. In his mind he has an idea that there is fog all around him, and whenever he is told what to do or where to go he hides behind the fog. The fog is the chief’s escape â€Å"you can slip back in it and feel safe†. To what extent is the novel The Sound of Waves a good depiction of the genre Bildungsroman? EssayThis creates a more dramatic atmosphere, tension, makes the audience concentrate on Chiefs emotions and shows that Mac is unable to make any sound or move. However, when Chief moves towards the window its getting lighter; finally when he breaks the window and is free, in day-light the viewers can see the difference between inside and outside of the hospital. The audience can notice this through the whole film; its always darker inside the hospital, and when Mac and the others go out, like for example when they go fishing, the lighting is much brighter. This may suggest that the patients were not allowed to have as much day-light as theyd have at liberty. But, chose of symbolism in the main scene of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest was the directors choice to expose the powerful emotions on Chiefs face when hes killing Mac. Another cinematic device used by Levinson and Forman is effective use of camera shoots. In Rain Man the director uses close-ups to show important things like hot water that Raymond is so afraid of, and facial expressions. In the bathroom scene the camera is shaking; the camera also shows Charlie and Raymond from many different angles. This device is effectively used to draw the audiences attention to important moments or feelings of the characters. Milos Forman also used a variety of camera shots to create the same effect as Levinson in Rain Man. Forman used a wide camera angle shot on the end, as Chief escapes. The viewers can see trees, mountains, far on the horizon. All this symbolises freedom, happiness, hope for the future as the wide angle shows everything so far away and it makes viewers think ahead to the future. Alike in Rain Man, short camera shots show facial expressions, drawing attention to important objects. A very powerful impression is created by a camera shot which shows only a white pillow and the Chiefs hands. Furthermore, right after this close shoot, the director used a wide angle camera shot as the audience can see Mac lying on the bed, his legs kicking the air and the Chief, who is sitting on the Macs bed, strangling him. To show the powerful emotions in both films the directors use symbolism of objects which appear in the main scenes. Water is an important symbol in each film. Water which symbolises a re-birth, a new beginning, possibly reminding the viewers of baptism. In the title the word Rain may also signify water and is also associated with life. Maybe the director, Milos Forman, chose that name to link the character of Raymond- Rain Man with re-birth, new growth, as the character changes through the film. He starts a new life after he met Charlie. Another symbol used by Levinson in the bathroom scene is a mirror. The mirror makes the audience think back; it reflects the past, and as the viewers see Charlie in the mirror it reminds the audience about Raymonds past. Symbolism of water was also used on One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. When Chief lifts water faucet and uses it to break a window, there is a lot of water on the floor and its flowing out of the pipes. The audience can see the flowing water which may remind them again about re-birth and the beginning of a new life; in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest it is Chiefs re-birth as he escapes from hospital and starts a new life free again. All the media techniques used by the directors make a great impression on the audience. Watching Rain Man the audience feel sorry for Raymond, when they see his disability, how Charlie has to help him with very simple activities. The audience feel even greater sympathy as Raymond makes them laugh or when Charlie yells at him. After watching One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Macs death, the audience can be shocked. But as Forman used the cinematic devices such as lighting and non-diagetic sound to show how miserable Macs life would be if Chief had not killed him, the audience can also feel sympathy for Chief and viewers may feel happy as he has escaped.