One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest the Power of Laughter

The Power of Laughter Jimmy Buffet once said If we couldnt laugh, we would all go insane. When an individual is no longer capable of laughing, he is also no longer capable of being in control of himself. This happens when a greater authority has the power to deny a person of their laughter; which, inevitably, denies him of his freedom. Ken Kesey conveys the idea that laughter and freedom go hand in hand throughout his novel One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest. Kesey portrays laughter as a parallel to freedom through various literary symbols and imagery in order to illustrate how the power of laughter can free a man who is under the control of an unjust authority. Through the characterization of Nurse Ratched and McMurphy, Kesey†¦show more content†¦The pleasure Nurse Ratched gets out of these success illustrates that she loves gaining power and taking away peoples freedoms. Nurse Ratched manipulates the men on the ward and the faculty in order to gain power and take away all of their freedoms, even their freedom to laugh. Kesey conveys that the challenge of authority is the key to finding true identity. The protagonist, McMurphy immediately is introduced as this man with a huge, impenetrable ego. From the moment he steps on the ward, Chief notices that hes different. Upon McMurphys arrival, Chief is awakening from the fog he is in. Hes in the day room with his inmates and is listening in on their conversations. Suddenly he hears Nurse Ratched announce that there is a new arrival. McMurphy enters the ward and is laughing. Chief notes that, ..its free and loud†¦[it] sounds real†¦its the first [real] laugh Ive heard in years (16). This illustrates how McMurphy, even from the beginning, has the intentions to challenge the rules. Before him, no one laughed on the ward, or even spoke above an indoor voice. However, as soon as he arrives, his laughter is loud and free which demonstrates that he is boisterous and independent. The combine will not succeed in taking away his freedom, nor will Nurse Ratched take away his ability to laugh. A second example is the scene in which McMurphy and his inmates disregard Big Nurses orders that they cannot watch the world series and watch it anyway becauseShow MoreRelatedâ€Å"One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest†: an Allegory of Communism2301 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest†: an allegory of Communism Have you ever heard anything about the lives of people who live in a Communist country? I am personally one of those whose family struggled 18 years without individual rights and freedom under the Communist rule. I am familiar with the lives of those people. These experiences are not found in any Communist books. Before 1975, Vietnam was a republic. On April 30th, 1975, Communists took over the country. They claimed that our countryRead MoreAn Analysis Of Ken Kesy s One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest1244 Words   |  5 PagesIn Ken Kesy’s One Flew over the Cuckoo s Nest, humor is present in a very powerful form. Normally, insane people don’t have the capacity to laugh or find the humor in something as would normal people do. They live tragic existences, wandering day by day in the bland, depressing world of an asylum. They have forgotten how to live because they are under the commanding rule of the head nurse, and under the behavioral influence of drug doses and bo ssy orderlies. The patients’ laughter is a therapeuticRead MoreWhere Do the Motives in Characters from â€Å"Frankenstein† and â€Å"One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest† Originate and and What Role Do These Motives Play in Defining the Fate of a Character?1903 Words   |  8 PagesWhere do the motives in characters from â€Å"Frankenstein† and â€Å"One flew over the cuckoos nest† originate and and what role do these motives play in defining the fate of a character? Motivation  is  a  key  driving  force  in  most  human  beings  and  lies  hidden  to  be  discovered   behind  every  action.  Authors  makes  characters  interesting  to  the  reader  by  inviting  us  to   discover  these  motives,  and  to  trace  the  events  that  led  to  the  motivation  that  inevitably  led  to   the  rise  or  fall  of  a  character.  I