One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Analysis

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Have you ever wondered the difference between sanity and inanity? The difference might not seem to big when you think about it but in all reality, being sane is almost looking at completely normal compared to being insane, and having many too just one mental illnesses and seeing complete non normal. Reading One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and listening to Eyln Saks, Ted talk you can see how insanity can effect ones life. Just because you are diagnosed with a mental illness does not make you completely insane. In both stories, the main characters are diagnosed with schizophrenia. In the story One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Chief Bromden is a diagnosed schizophrenic. Bromden pretends to be deaf so the nurses of the asylum don't bother him. He is the "longest-residing patient" and keeps a lot to himself. While pretending to be deaf, leads him to the knowledge of secrets about the ward. Although he has a lot of mental distractions from his past, the new patient, Randal McMurphy has created new problems for the ward to
go through. McMurphy thinks he can step up and try and ruin nurse Ratched. Little does he know she is a stronger woman than he thinks. Being the nurse in the ward she has all the control over the patients, and she makes the rules. That doesn't stop McMurphy though, he tries once more, and fights nurse Ratched one last time. After sneaking prostitutes into the ward and getting the patients drunk, nurse Ratched guilt tripped the patients and threatens on patient into committing suicide. McMurphy then pushed nurse Ratched into putting him in lobotomy. When he gets back to the ward, the chief can't watch him go years like himself in the ward, so he kills McMurphy and escapes the ward. This is an amazing example of how insanity looks. Bromden has no control over himself, he has been in the ward for years and still has problems that he can't control. Even though he spent a lot of time to himself. He may think he could handle being in the outside world, but claims he doesn't have the guts, this is an example of how he wouldn't be able to stay sane enough to be alone, he feels safe I'm the ward. In Elyn Saks speech, she wanted to make it clear that just because she has what is considered a mental illness, does not make her any different than a "normal" human being.
While Saks was younger and being hospitalized many times, she was told that she wouldn't be able to do what most adults are able to do such as, keeping a job, live on her own, getting married to a loving partner, and so on. She then proved everyone wrong. This is where her story comes into play. She has proved that just because she has a mental illness does not mean that she can't do what her heart desires. While her success has a lot to do with the help of treatment and medication, she has over come and learned to accept the fact that she has schizophrenia. Elyn Saks is a great example of some sanity. She is capable of living on her own it took her many times in the hospital to learn that she can do it on her own but feels safe in the real
world. In both stories they both had mental break downs and were hospitalized as though one was hospitalized a lot longer, it shows the difference between sanity and insanity. Elyn Saks had a grip on herself. She can handle and accept that she has schizophrenia and can reach out for help, when she needs it. Chief Bromden cant control himself and need to be in the asylum, under the super vision of the nurse. It is the doctors hands to try and get the patients with schizophrenia to develop relationships and engage them in meaningful work. It is important for patients to find their own way of coping to manage their diagnosis and find a quality of life to aim for. So just because you are diagnosed with a "mental illness" that is no reason that you should feel that you are not like other human beings. Although some may need more support than others, Elyn Saks speech is a great motivation to those to just have a nice reminder that you are human, and there is no such thing as being one hundred present "normal." Everyone has flaws but with the right help and support, you can push though them and see the real meaning of life.