Kesey, a high profile sixties personality and up and coming author, took his beliefs about authority, government and societ

Kesey brought about a change in many Americans views about governmental authority and society. He caused and participated in a type of revolution that attempted to change the government and views of many people. Today people have become more open to individual differences and the same distrust for the government does not exist.

In writing One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey added an extra twist by including the “black boys.” If the “black boys” did not work in the hospital under Nurse Ratched’s authority, they would be in a much lower social position. During the sixties, African Americans had very little respect and society did not accept them as individuals. Yet Kesey gave them some power, and they used it to do exactly what society did to them. “They demoralized and treated the patients of the ward in a demeaning way” (Fish 31). Kesey used this to show that those who have power, have control, and almost always use it to their own advantage.

In addition to Chief Bromden, Harding and McMurphy were examples of problems accepting people with differences. “These characters are examples of the authoritative and oppressive society occurring during the sixties” (Tanner 52). Harding was homosexual, and society during the sixties refused to accept the idea of homosexuality. Harding admits himself voluntarily to the hospital to hide from the outside world and its non-acceptance. McMurphy also had problems with society. Society attempted to conform him with its expectations of individuals, and McMurphy could not, and would not be under society’s control.

Until the feminist revolution, society encouraged that a man's role was at work, while a woman was required to stay home and be a housewife. Men were given power and authority, and women were expected to be modest and obedient. These roles extended beyond the family and out into the real world, and were very apparent in areas like education and politics. In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey uses the reversal of these stereotypical gender roles to demonstrate the chaotic world of a mental institution. In the novel, the women are the power figures and are able to manipulate the patients on the ward, the best example of which is Nurse Ratched.

Nurse Ratched, the main enemy of the novel, personifies the power and control that Kesey believed was exhibited by the government and large businesses. “He used the underlying tones of how Nurse Ratched ran her ward under strict control and rules as a comparison to how the government was run” (Gatto 37). Especially in the 1960’s people worried that the government was getting too big and oppressive. In the book, Bromden said, “She’s swelling up, swells till her back’s splitting out the white uniform... ...she blows up bigger and big

Some topics in this essay:
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