"One flew east, one flew west, one flew over a cuckoo's nest" (7) - who would have thought that one A simple excerpt from a popular children's tale of old could be used to summarize the interactions of society as a whole. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, the meaning of this epigraph resonates effectively throughout the story of Randle P. McMurphy, a cunning and playful man whose defiant actions shake the inner workings of an oppressed mental institution , ultimately leading to his death. fall. His story is seen through the eyes of another mental institution patient, Chief "Broom" Bromden, an oversized, half-Indian, whose narration consists of an array of illusions and thoughts fueled by paranoia. Kesey uses One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to describe how the individuality of ordinary people is so heavily suppressed by those in authority, requiring that anyone whose behavior disagrees with what is considered as the norm be essentially castrated of these traits by any means necessary. Bromden's omnipresent silence and attempted invisibility leads to the assumption that he is deaf and mute, contrasting sharply with the strong, confident and unignorable presence of protagonist McMurphy who, upon his arrival, instantly questions norms and rules instilled by the head nurse, Miss Ratched. Inferring that Kesey kept the folk tale of the child above in mind when creating these extreme character contrasts, McMurphy and his actions of disobedience could be seen as representing the group of people whose leadership s 'opposes that of the oppressive Miss Ratched, leaving the final direction of the cuckoo. nest in Bromden, who eventually escapes the confines of the psychiatric ward. Miss Ratched's hold on the room is strong, as she "exerts a certain...... middle of paper...... present as well. Consider a local police department, policing the designated area, now It turns out that a person has committed an act that defies the laws established by the ministry, requiring some form of action from the authorities, it is right But when the authority turns to abuse of. power and steps being taken to achieve it can be considered immoral, there is a corrupt link in the system His lust for power and lust for control led to the brain death of an innocent man, simply because. he failed to meet his standards. It is essentially true that "our existence is based on the strong becoming stronger by devouring the weak" (54), which proves that the rabbits of the world are truly helpless against it. to Wolves. Works Cited Kesey, Ken "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's." Harlequin, 1962. iBooks.