Cuckoos Nest Essay
Satirical texts are aimed to make us think more than laugh
Satirical texts are a very good way of writers to explore and convey their thoughts while entertaining the reader. Although humour has a very major part in many satirical texts, the main purpose of most is to give opinions and perspective on society and provoke thoughts about human, as evident in the novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The author, Ken Kesey, conveys his ideas through the satirising and portraying certain aspects and figures in society through the setting and characters in the novel. This in turn provokes the reader to think of themes such as: Freedom vs. Control, The Control of Society, Abuse of Power, and Self Sacrifice.
Although the mental institution may not seem as the most important part of the novel, it lays the foundation for Kesey to explore more complicated themes throughout the novel. The hospital is important not just because it allows for the setting of the story to continue, but to make a direct comparison with society. The hospital, Dr. Spivey says, "Is a little world inside that is a made-to-scale prototype of the big world outside." The literary term for such a setting is a microcosm. Most of the action in Cuckoo's Nest takes place in a world that is indeed limited and specific-one ward of one mental hospital in Oregon. But Kesey intends that limited world to serve as a representative of a much larger one. The patients in the novel are displaying or representing problems in coping with life and the pressures they feel in the exercise of their social functions. However, it also represents the discreet ways in which "society" applies pressure on the individual to conform to what is regarded as the "norm" in terms of behaviour and attitude.
The context of the novel is also somewhat important in understanding the complete message that the setting tries to provoke. Mental hospitals have a long and not particularly inspiring history in Europe and America. The first, such
Satirical texts are a very good way of writers to explore and convey their thoughts while entertaining the reader. Although humour has a very major part in many satirical texts, the main purpose of most is to give opinions and perspective on society and provoke thoughts about human, as evident in the novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The author, Ken Kesey, conveys his ideas through the satirising and portraying certain aspects and figures in society through the setting and characters in the novel. This in turn provokes the reader to think of themes such as: Freedom vs. Control, The Control of Society, Abuse of Power, and Self Sacrifice.
Although the mental institution may not seem as the most important part of the novel, it lays the foundation for Kesey to explore more complicated themes throughout the novel. The hospital is important not just because it allows for the setting of the story to continue, but to make a direct comparison with society. The hospital, Dr. Spivey says, "Is a little world inside that is a made-to-scale prototype of the big world outside." The literary term for such a setting is a microcosm. Most of the action in Cuckoo's Nest takes place in a world that is indeed limited and specific-one ward of one mental hospital in Oregon. But Kesey intends that limited world to serve as a representative of a much larger one. The patients in the novel are displaying or representing problems in coping with life and the pressures they feel in the exercise of their social functions. However, it also represents the discreet ways in which "society" applies pressure on the individual to conform to what is regarded as the "norm" in terms of behaviour and attitude.
The context of the novel is also somewhat important in understanding the complete message that the setting tries to provoke. Mental hospitals have a long and not particularly inspiring history in Europe and America. The first, such