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One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Essay Example

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One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Essay Example
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest A Picaresque Novel

Dating back to the sixteenth century and preceding through out modern literature. Picaresque is a genre of novel still used today. It consists of a “picaro” Spanish for roguish hero or an adventurer. The picaro is the main character. It also consists of a corrupt society. It’s often satirical and humorous. One Flew over The Cuckoo’s nest has elements of a picaresque novel, but it has some contradicting elements as well.

Randle McMurphy is the main character in the novel. He is seen at the picaro. The Novel takes place in a Mental Hospital. McMurphy is sent there to finish out he sentence. He was charged for gambling, battery and statutory rape. He thinks this will make his sentence easier then jail. However he doesn’t realize Nurse Ratchet is in charge of his Ward. McMurphy realizes how harsh Ratchet is after his first group therapy. He sees how the other patients are treated and wants to make things right. He begins to rebel against nurse ratchet. This makes him somewhat of a crooked hero. He is in a mental heath hospital for criminal charges but he’s trying to be a hero. By helping these poor patients that are under nurse ratchets control. The first big confrontation McMurphy has with Ratchet is about the World Series. He thinks they shouldn’t have to do chores they should get to watch the World Series. So he demands a vote amongst the Patients. He try’s to get them to vote. “What about you, buddy? You want to watch the World Series? Baseball? Baseball games? Just raise that hand up there” (Kesey 135). McMurphy cant get some of the Patients to rule stand up against Ratchet. Some of the patients were just incapable of understanding that they needed to raise their hands. So the vote was closed. Another instance of McMurphy trying to be a hero is his fishing trip. He talks to the doctor about taking a bunch of the guys in the ward on a fishing trip. “ Two whores on their way down from Portland to take us

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