One Flew Over The Cuckoo

Words: 1359
Pages: 6

INTRODUCTION
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is about the protagonist Randle P. McMurphy,38, who has been transferred from prison to Oregon’s Mental Hospital and the antagonist Nurse Ratched who oversees the institution’s patients (Zaentz, Douglas, and Forman 1975). The film itself won an Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor totaling to five awards. Surprisingly, the author of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey, was not happy with the way his novel was produced as a movie and filed a lawsuit against the producers (Hawksley 2014). Both the roles and personalities of McMurphy and Nurse Ratched largely affect how the audience views mental disorders and psychiatric treatments such as electro conclusive therapy.
DICUSSION
Some characters may seem reasonably average in accordance to society’s norms. However, a closer look at their personality, actions, and response to their surroundings suggests otherwise. For instance, at a first glance
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McMurphy attempts to fight Nurse Ratched’s oppression, but becomes a victim of her medical treatments as a form of discipline. In the ending of the film it can clearly be seen on McMurphy’s forehead that he was lobotomized, but did it achieve or solve anything? The answer is yes, when referring to his disorderly behavior and refusal to comply with Nurse Ratched. McMurphy became neutralized so that he can easily be controlled by Nurse Ratched. All in all, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, in certain aspects adequately portrays mental institutions in that period, but dramatizes some of the treatments. In addition, it brings into question what exactly was the film trying to say by portraying their medical practices and treatments in the way that they did, and create the allusion that the cure to mental disorders was to just have a good