Although conformity is our act or behaviour that corresponds to society's accepted standards, rules or norms, it can be either chosen or forced. From the various texts studied in class, a great deal has been learnt about those who choose to rebel and are thus named "odd one out". The texts One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey; Dermott by Colin Thiele; Larson cartoon (1982); Girl, Interrupted (1999, Columbia Tristar); and Matilda by Roald Dahl all portray a rebel that is rejected by society. Of the rebels some choose to be an odd one out, and others are forced, but they are all labelled the same.
In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Randall McMurphy is an excellent example of a non-conformist who has chosen to be a rebel. McMurphy enters the ward and instantly gives the impress of an odd one out "Still, even though I can't see him, I know he is no ordinary admission". McMurphy arrives with a "leather jacket, and a cap covering his red hair". His first rebellious action was shown through his refusal to shower, "they showered me this morning at the courthouse, and last night at the jail- This shows that although in his situation conformity is thrust upon him, he continues to rebel at the norms of society in his own will. .
Not Only is McMurphy an odd one out, the other members of the ward are also odd one outs but are forced to conform to society's norms and values. This is known as the combine, "Yes. This is what I know. The ward is a factory for the Combine. It's for fixing up mistakes made in the neighbourhoods and in the schools and in the churches, the hospitals." The forceful actions taken by the combine is shown by the quote, "You think I wuh-wuh-wuh-want to stay in here? You think I wouldn't like a con-con-vertible and a guh-guh-girl friend? But did you ever have people l-l-laughing at you?" Another member of the ward who is a distinct odd one out is Chief Bromden. Tall, half-Indian, Bromden tries to conform to the society of the ward by pretending to be deaf and mute " they think I'm deaf and dumb", and tries to reject him self from society.
