The use of characters for society tendencies

One Travelled Over The Cuckoo’S Nest

How much characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nesting by Ashton kutcher Kesey may appear unusual and maybe even a little bit overwhelming. The patients and staff from the ward from the novel’s long list of character types. However , Kesey’s choice of quite a few characters should go deeper than just names. Via Nurse Ratched’s “ball-cutting” habits to Dale Harding’s homosexuality, the heroes seem to stand for an issue that was within society during Kesey’s time. Although the problems of mental illness itself are apparent in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey shows and promotes the racism, homophobia, and sexism present in culture through the character types of the ward.

Living as a minority in a judgmental, discriminatory contemporary society was a prevalent issue during Kesey’s time. Blacks had been disrespected, and almost always remedied as poor to white wines. Instead of handling the racism and projecting a change in a positive, groundbreaking way, Kesey reinforces the inferiority that blacks encountered. This is noticed throughout 1 Flew Within the Cuckoo’s Nesting, when the only orderlies with the ward happen to be black, and seen as slave-like. To Registered nurse Ratched as well as the patients, they can be seen “as the enforcers of Big Nurse’s will, they may have little id of their own. They may be strong, dumb, and filled with inarticulate hatred” (Horst 469). This thought ties back to society’s perspective of blacks during Kesey’s time. The truth that Kesey portrays the orderlies from this slave-like matter proves that he accepted such racism as a fact in world. Kesey constitutes a racist statement in his producing when the orderlies state, “Why, who you spose authorized Chief Bromden up for this foolishness? Inniuns aint capable to write” (Kesey 191). Fortunately, in today’s society, illiteracy is definitely not a racial stereotype. Yet , such racism and stereotypes did exist during Kesey’s time and he expresses that through the novel’s characters.

At the time Kesey was producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, females did not have the freedom they have today. This sexism and lack of liberty is unplaned throughout the story. Nurse Ratched, the “leader” of the keep, is highly effective and demasculates the additional men. However , does a good, independent woman have to be portrayed in such a negative way? Doctor Ratched’s dominance, superiority of the keep patients is arguably necessary to be able to properly any mental organization. Her administration, while also being a woman, is right away seen as castrating. On the other hand, if a fellow were to take her place, would her actions become as ‘castrating’ to the guys? According to the keep patients, the one thing womanly regarding Nurse Ratched is her breasts, “A mistake was made somehow that manufactures, putting these big female breasts in what would of otherwise been a perfect work, and you will see how unhealthy she is about it” (Kesey 5-6). This quote implies that Kesey might have believed the traditional sexuality roles that women are sex objects that revolve around a man’s globe since Health professional Ratched’s big breasts seem to be the only desirable feature towards the men. Consequently , it is not unexpected that the guys think of prostitutes like Candies and Exotic as the ‘girls of their dreams’. As Leslie Dummkopf states, “The social function of the prostitute is, of course , to serve men, being available, and to help make it no demands for nearly anything other than money. As many feminists have noted, these predicted behaviors are at base quite different from the ones from the traditional wife” (Horst 467). When Candies joined the boys on the doing some fishing trip, the men were thrilled with the experience of being around a powerless woman. This proves Kesey’s portrayal of highly effective, strong ladies like Health professional Ratched in a negative way, likewise, fragile, dependent ladies like Chocolate and Sandy in a positive way. Overall, Kesey’s enforcement of classic gender functions and whacking Nurse Ratched’s opposition to gender conformity proves his support of anti-feminism during his period.

It absolutely was not till recently that homosexuality was removed like a legitimate disease of the head. Therefore , it is not surprising that homophobia was such a present issue in society during Kesey’s time. Dale Harding, a voluntary sufferer on the keep is known for his “hands so long and white and dainty I do think they created each other away of detergent, and sometimes they will get loose and float around looking at him free as two white chickens until this individual notices these people and blocks them between his knees, it disturbs him that he’s acquired such pretty hands” (Kesey 20). His feminine attributes lead to solid belief that he was in reality homosexual. It was also viewed to be that Harding was ‘afraid’ of his attractive wife. He even is usually threatened by her magnificence, “According to the notes listed by various people in the sign, Mr. Harding has been noticed to say that she ‘damn well shows the bastards a reason to stare’¦he has also mentioned that his wife’s adequate bosom sometimes gives him a feeling of inferiority” (Kesey 44). The fact that Harding experienced inferior to his wife shows the gender jobs are turned. Since it was rare to get a homosexual to ‘come out’ to contemporary society because of the tough rejection they can have confronted, it makes sense that Harding never admitted to his homosexuality. Therefore , the homophobia present during Kesey’s time is expressed through Harding’s persona.

Every character of Kesey’s A single Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nesting tells a problem about culture. The large of character types may noticed obnoxious initially, but once one takes a deeper look, Kesey’s phrase of this sort of issues happen to be vividly viewed. Once offered, Kesey’s thoughts of this kind of issues will be brought out. This individual seems to believe the racism, sexism male or female roles, and homophobia which have been brought up, which will shows how long society comes since Kesey’s time of ignorant people. Even though the issues of mental disease itself will be evident in a single Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nesting, Kesey shows and stimulates the racism, homophobia, and sexism within society throughout the characters from the ward.

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