The Literature of Rebellion. The voice of dissent in contemporary American Literature and Society.

Transcription

1 The Literature of Rebellion The voice of dissent in contemporary American Literature and Society.

2 One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest The 1962 novel by Ken Kesey. Set in an Oregon psychiatric hospital, the 1975 movie based on the novel was shot in the same hospital. In 1963 the novel was adapted into a Broadway play by Dale Wasserman. One flew East One flew West And one flew over the cuckoo s nest One main theme of the novel is the exploration of institutionalisation and the effect it has on the human mind, seen though a silent narrator.

3 Ken Kesey Ken Kesey saw himself as a link between the Beats and the Hippies. In 1999, he said I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a hippie. This link can be seen in the works of Ginsberg through to Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe, who described Ken s Acid Test parties he had in the mid-1960s. Kesey s adventures with his band of friends known as the Merry Pranksters, was recorded by Tom Wolfe in his 1968 book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

4 Inspiration for the Novel In 1959 Kesey volunteered to take part in a study to test the effects of new drugs on patients at the Menlo Park Veterans Hospital, where he worked the night shift. As a guinea pig and a hospital worker Kesey had easy access to LSD. The study was MKULTRA, a covert CIA project, carrying out illegal experiments of human subjects, particularly involving psychoactive drugs. While working at the hospital, he spent a lot of time talking to patients. He did not believe that these patients were insane, but that society had forced them out because they did not fit the conventional ideas of how people were supposed to act and behave in modern America.

5 Overview of the Novel The novel revolves around the conflicts between Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, as witnessed through the eyes of the deaf and mute half-native American inmate Chief Bromden. He narrates the story of these conflicts, and the stories of the other inmates of the hospital ward. Chief, calls the various systems of control in the hospital The Combine, which is personified by Nurse Ratched.

6 Key Characters in the Book Chief Bromden: The narrator who fakes being a deaf mute. Randle McMurphy: A rebellious convict and main protaganist. Nurse Ratched: The tyrannical head nurse. Billy Bibbit: A nervous, shy and patient with a stutter. Dale Harding: Leader of the patients before McMurphy comes. George Sorensen: A man with germaphobia. Charles Cheswick: A loud-mouthed who demands ward changes. Martini: A patient who suffers from severe hallucinations. Scanlon: A patient obsessed with explosives and destruction. All of the Actute patients apart from Chief Bromden, McMurphy and Scanlon are volunteers, they can leave at any time. Although under the oppressive treatment of Nurse Ratched, they are too afraid to leave.

7 Chief Bromden the Narrator Bromden has been in the hospital since leaving the Army shortly after WII; Harding says he s heard that Chief has received over two hundred shock treatments. Bromden talks about the fog, which is induced not by medicine and shock treatments alone but by choice. Choosing to hide in a void of apathy and disinterest, shown though his deaf mute act he uses to disconnect from those around him.

8 The Themes of Conflict Sexual Repression vs. Sexual Freedom: Ratched represents a controlled sexuality, McMurphy the symbol of sexual abandon. Independence vs. Acquiescence: Most of the inmates are there as volunteers, but they allow themselves to be castrated by Ratched, surrendering to institutional oppression. Self-Interest vs. Altruism: Over the novel McMurphy moves from self-interest to champion of the oppressed in the ward. Mind vs. Matter: Psychological prison vs. the physical prison. Fear vs. Experience: Ratched uses fear as a weapon. Fear of the outside world, and the fear of punishment inside the ward. Group Mentality vs. Individualism: Ratched, through group meetings, forces a group mentality and quells individualism. She creates a false democracy, which she ultimately controls.

9 Michel Foucault on Madness The novel mirrors the writing of the French philosopher. He argued that madness was a social construct, distinct from mental illness. He thought that invisible forms of discipline oppressed individuals in society, which coerced them into censoring some aspects of themselves and their actions to conform. Michel Foucault - Madness & Civilization published in 1961.

10 The Movie Adaptation The 1975 movie directed by Miloš Forman. The second movie to win all five major Academy Awards. The movie differs from the novel in some ways, most notably that it isn t narrated. A key element of the novel. The movie features an amazing ensemble cast, headed by Jack Nicholson as McMurphy. This was a first movie role for the now famous actors Brad Dourif and Christopher Lloyd. And a very early role for Will Sampson and Danny DeVito. It was also an early role for Louise Fletcher. Jack Nicholson himself was a well established actor by this role.