The novel One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey portrays the 1950’s as a time of craziness. R.P McMurphy, one of the protagonists in the novel, is a self-centered rebellious man, who diligently attempts, using his manipulate ways, to be the dominant force of the ward. Simultaneously, Nurse Ratched is a dominant force, which uses her iron fist and mechanical ways to drain the humanity out of her patients. During McMurphy’s time at the ward, there is a constant struggle between him and Nurse Ratched on obtaining power over the patients in the ward. Constantly, there is a reoccurring battle between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy on who can obtain control over the patients. Ken Kesey illustrates a constant conflict between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy to display a power struggle causing chaos in a society, which unfolds the theme of Manipulation.
Upon McMurphy’s arrival to the ward, patients quickly comprehend that he is cocky and arrogant and has courage. He is characterized to be “no ordinary admission” by the patients of the ward (Kesey, 10). McMurphy also rapidly came to the conclusion during his arrival at the ward, that Nurse Ratched pulls the strings. She is characterized as very stiff and controlling and displays a frightening cruelty to inflict fear into her patients. First signs of McMurphy’s defiance towards the ward and more in particular, nurse ratched, was when nurses ordered McMurphy to take a shower but McMurphy states “I’m already plenty damn clean, thank you” (Kesey. 10). Later, McMurphy is asked to be patient for the toothpaste, he gets irritated so he decides to brush his teeth with soap. McMurphy attempts to defy Nurse Ratched’s authority to be the dominant force. Nurse ratched on the other hand, understands what kind of patient McMurphy is, and she knows the techniques to calm his rebellion against her. She makes him understand that she can keep him at the ward however long she wants and give him any kind