Power In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Words: 854
Pages: 4

Evil is Inherently Evil Power and control comes in all forms in our world. From the lowest of dictators to and scheming boss. It seems like everyone is trying to climb that totem pole of money and power and for what? It seems only natural. We have been raised to believe that success and happiness can be measured by paycheck, or your ability to control someone. Even your classmates are trying to get ahead of each other. We live in an ultra competitive society. Some say that this is good, the competitive a field or job is the better the job will be done. However; those who are on top of you in anyway abuse their power and control and take advantage of the weak for their own good. This power hungry society is mirrored in the novels we have read …show more content…
The Big Nurse uses everything she can to get ahead of the patients and take total control of the ward. This is very true of our society today. We are constantly attacking each other and bringing each other down so we may look and feel stronger. Harding comments on this saying, “This world… belongs to the strong, my friend! The ritual of our existence is based on the strong getting stronger by devouring the weak” (70 Kesey). Harding’s statement, though bleak, is true. The strong continue to get stronger, the rich continue to get richer, and the famous get more and more famous. While most people are stuck with their same lives every day. Those in power try their hardest to keep you from moving up the ladder of your business or profession. People look out for themselves above anything else and abuse their power for themselves. The big nurse controls her patients using forms of “treatment” which now are archaic and immoral. The lobotomy and EST haunt the mental health industry today. After McMurphy learns of this he says, “I guess if she can’t cut below the belt she’ll do i above the eyes” (199 Kesey). The Big Nurse is only looking out for her reputation when she conducts these lobotomies. The results speak for themselves, a rambunctious man turned into a calm camplaciant man. Though he is just a husk and his former self is completely dead. If the Big Nurse carried about making her patients better rather than getting results her ward would be much better. People need to learn to look out for each