In Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, the motif of castration is used to exemplify the fact that women in a position of power have the capacity to emasculate even the ... authoritative women in the book can be seen as castrators. In summary, Kesey uses references of castration to parallel the power certain women in the book hold over masculine men, highlighting societal sexism. Throughout history, men have held more power than women in the patriarchal hierarchy. This ideology is still prevalent today. However, ... castration turns the societal expectations of the patriarchy ups...

• Word Count: 945
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate