Cuckoo Essay
Manipulate or be Manipulated
The deeper people get into the system, the more severe the consequences. This is true of the nonconformists in the story, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which takes place in a mental ward in Oregon during the late 20th century. McMurphy, the protagonist, wants to against Nurse Ratchet’s dictatorship, but ends up dying in the process. This shows that there are severe consequences when going against an established system. However, what is interesting is that various characters in the novel, both good and bad, use manipulation to get what they want. This is why one of the main themes in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is manipulation as evidenced by the different characters in the novel who manipulate others to protect themselves or their authority.
Nurse Ratchet, the novel’s antagonist maintains her power on the ward by doing whatever it takes to make sure that they listen to her. She shames new people to keep them submissive, and also manipulates her staff through insinuation, and by carefully stroking their hatred. Chief Bromden comments, “Even the best-behaved Admission is bound to need some work to swing into routine, and, also, you never can tell when just that certain one might come in who's free enough to foul things up right and left, really make a hell of a mess and constitute a threat to the whole smoothness of the outfit” (page 37). He then goes on to explain that, “...the Big Nurse gets real put out if anything keeps her outfit from running smooth.” Nurse Ratchet feels she needs to do some work on the new admissions to keep them from upsetting the current system that she has in place. She manipulates the patients’ desires and fears to keep them submissive towards the system.
Another way the Big Nurse manipulates others is by trying to turn others against the patients who are hard to control by telling lies about them. When she is unable to get McMurphy under control, she tries to manipulate the other patients
The deeper people get into the system, the more severe the consequences. This is true of the nonconformists in the story, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which takes place in a mental ward in Oregon during the late 20th century. McMurphy, the protagonist, wants to against Nurse Ratchet’s dictatorship, but ends up dying in the process. This shows that there are severe consequences when going against an established system. However, what is interesting is that various characters in the novel, both good and bad, use manipulation to get what they want. This is why one of the main themes in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is manipulation as evidenced by the different characters in the novel who manipulate others to protect themselves or their authority.
Nurse Ratchet, the novel’s antagonist maintains her power on the ward by doing whatever it takes to make sure that they listen to her. She shames new people to keep them submissive, and also manipulates her staff through insinuation, and by carefully stroking their hatred. Chief Bromden comments, “Even the best-behaved Admission is bound to need some work to swing into routine, and, also, you never can tell when just that certain one might come in who's free enough to foul things up right and left, really make a hell of a mess and constitute a threat to the whole smoothness of the outfit” (page 37). He then goes on to explain that, “...the Big Nurse gets real put out if anything keeps her outfit from running smooth.” Nurse Ratchet feels she needs to do some work on the new admissions to keep them from upsetting the current system that she has in place. She manipulates the patients’ desires and fears to keep them submissive towards the system.
Another way the Big Nurse manipulates others is by trying to turn others against the patients who are hard to control by telling lies about them. When she is unable to get McMurphy under control, she tries to manipulate the other patients