The Allegory of Social Critique through the Major Characters in Ken Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.
ABSTRACT
Dalam tugas akhir ini saya membahas sebuah novel berjudul One Flew
over the Cuckoo’s Nest yang ditulis oleh Ken Kesey. Buku ini menceritakan
tentang pasien-pasien di sebuah rumah sakit jiwa dan seorang suster yang
sangat tegas dalam menegakkan peraturan. Rutinitas berubah ketika seorang
pasien baru bernama McMurphy mencoba menentang peraturan-peraturan yang
berlaku. Tetapi pada akhir cerita usaha McMurphy gagal dan rutinitas kembali
seperti semula.
Setelah membaca novel tersebut, saya memutuskan untuk membahas
unsur alegori melalui penokohan dalam menyampaikan kritik sosial. Saya
memutuskan untuk menganalisis hubungan antara situasi politik pada kurun
waktu buku ini ditulis dengan unsur penokohan karakter. Dengan memahami
hubungan kedua unsur tersebut, saya akan mengungkap bagaimana kritik sosial
dalam buku ini disampaikan.
Sebagai simpulan, saya berpendapat bahwa tokoh-tokoh utama dan
kejadian dalam novel ini menunjukan adanya keterkaitan dengan situasi politik di
Amerika Serikat pada dekade 1950an. Ken Kesey secara terampil dan efektif
menggunakan teknik alegori untuk menyampaikan kritik sosial dalam novelnya.
iii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ......................................................................................... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study .......................................................................... 1
Statement of the Problem ......................................................................... 4
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................ 4
Method of Research ................................................................................. 4
Organisation of the Thesis ....................................................................... 4
CHAPTER TWO: THE ALLEGORY OF SOCIAL CRITIQUE THROUGH THE
MAJOR CHARACTER IN KEN KESEY’S ONE FLEW OVER THE
CUCKOO’S NEST ................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION .................................................................. 22
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 25
APPENDICES
Synopsis of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest ....................................... 27
Biography of Ken Kesey ......................................................................... 28
ii
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Most writers get their inspiration for writing from various sources, such as
family, personal experience, history and their imagination. (“Social Criticism in
Literature”). The purpose of the works can be varied; sharing experience or only
entertainment, for instance. Besides those purpose, the writers also convey their
messages in their works, for example as social criticism. The writer can use
different literary tools to convey their messages, such as the major characters.
Major character is “an important figure at the center of the story’s action or
theme” (“Elements of Fiction”). Some examples of the famous books that use
major character to represent social critique are: George Orwell’s Animal Farm,
Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities and J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the
Rye.
One writer who also criticised the society through major characters of his
work is Ken Kesey. He is an American writer who was popular among the hippies
(High 207). According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, hippie means “a usually
young person who rejects established social customs (such as by dressing in an
unusual way or living in a commune) and who opposes violence and war;
especially: a young person of this kind in the 1960s and 1970s” (“Hippie”).
1
Maranatha Christian University
Between 1950s and 1960s, he wrote two novels: the first one is One Flew
over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the second one is Sometimes a Great Notion. Both
novels are written based on his own experience when he mingled with a
particular society. It implies that his works contain his personal view towards
some issues which happened in the U.S society.
In the 1950s, when One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest was written, the
circulating major issue was the Cold War. The Cold War generated fear of
communism, or also known as the “Red Scare.” Accordingly, this period became
the era of conformity because the U.S society tend to obey the government to
avoid accusation of being communist.
Through One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey criticised that issue.
The novel tells a story of mentally ill patients and a tyrannical nurse which
allegorically criticised the repressive governance. The novel was controversial at
the time it was published, which also becomes the reason I chose it. In addition,
the major characters are portrayed uniquely with their contrasting characteristic.
The portrayal of the major characters is the most dominant element of the
novel that helps conveying the social criticism. The first character is Chief
Bromden, a representative of passive people in a society. Secondly, Nurse
Ratched, who represents a repressive government, and Randle P. McMurphy
who represents a nonconformist. Hence, each character shows an interrelation to
represent a certain idea.
The characters allegorise the issue of individual freedom versus the
repressive system in the U.S in the 1950s. “Allegory is a complete narrative
which involves characters, and events that stand for an abstract idea or an event”
(“Definition of Allegory”). Some examples of the allegorical novels are: C.S
Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, William Golding’s Lord of Flies
and John Bunyan’s Pilgrim Progress. Kesey’s book, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s
2
Maranatha Christian University
Nest, is a political allegory, which is “a story that, on the surface, tells one tale,
but has a hidden political meaning underneath. It is an extended metaphor that
often uses a simple substitution of one element or symbol for another” (“What Is
Political Allegory?”). Kesey uses “the mad-house as a microcosm of American
society in which the internal policies reflect the order of the external world”
(Holland 7). It shows that most elements in the novel might have similarities with
the actual situation in the society.
Although One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is considered a great novel,
the society in the past could not accept it as well as today because it criticises the
government and the society. As the impact of the Red Scare (fear of communism
spread), the government was considered repressive. Moreover, with a strong
peer pressure, the society rejects those who are considered nonconformist in the
society. (“The Individual and The System in Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s
Nest”). Nonconformist is “a person who refuses to conform, as to established
customs, attitudes, or ideas” (“Nonconformist”). These facts clearly show a strong
interconnection between the events of the novel and the social and political
situation in the U.S in the 1950s which I attempt to explore.
The approach I chose is formalism, which “focuses on the formal features
found in literature that readers must notice and name when describing and
interpreting texts” (“Formalism: Method and Glossary”). I also include some
historical background to support my analysis. The book has already provided the
foundation on the issue of individual versus the authority. By analysing the novel,
I would like to show how the major characters are portrayed to convey Kesey’s
social critique.
3
Maranatha Christian University
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problems that I am going to discuss are:
1. How are the major characters portrayed in the novel?
2. Why are the characters portrayed in such a way?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Based on the above problems, the purposes of this study are:
1. To show how the major characters are portrayed
2. To show why the characters are portrayed in such a way
METHOD OF RESEARCH
The method of research that I use is library research. I begin the research
by reading Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. After that I analyse the
primary text by using some information and materials from the Internet that can
support my analysis and help me writing a good thesis. Lastly, I draw some
conclusions from what has been discussed.
ORGANISATION OF THE THESIS
This
thesis
consists
of
three
chapters,
preceded
by
the
Acknowledgements, the Table of Contents and the Abstract. Chapter One is the
Introduction, which consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the
Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the
Organization of the Thesis. In Chapter Two, I analyse the allegory of social
critique through the major characters in Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s
Nest. The third chapter is the Conclusion. This thesis ends with the Bibliography
and the Appendices, consisting of the Synopsis of the Novel and the Biography of
the Author.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After I finished reading and analysing the novel, I argue that Ken Kesey
delivers the social critique through the allegory skillfully and effectively. Some of
the major events and the characters represent the social critique towards the
circulating issues in the United States society during the 1950s. A social critique
novel usually ends in tragic way for the protagonist, including this novel. That kind
of ending for the character makes the readers tend to pay attention to how the
situation affects the protagonist and implicitly suggests that the problem remains.
The life of protagonist, McMurphy, ends tragically as he is lobotomised and
then mercily killed. Through McMurphy’s death, Kesey suggests if only a few
people are fighting against the authority, they will be defeated and the tyranny will
remain. This kind of ending raises an awareness of the real situation in real life.
Chief Bromden represents people in general in the 1950s U.S society. His
initial characteristics are pretentious, submissive, paranoid and attentive. In the
society, being pretentious is an attempt to cover any sign of nonconformity. A
nonconformist would be discriminatorily treated by both the society and the
government. Besides that, the government arbitrarily punished people that results
in submission and paranoia. Bromden’s attentiveness, however, becomes an
intermediary of his characteristic change. It changes him as he likes to observe his
22
Maranatha Christian University
surroundings. Gradually, he can be himself, he is no longer paranoid and becomes
rebellious. His change allegorically shows that people should be aware of the
oppression and learn how to be free from oppression. Being oneself is not always
in accordance with what most of the society think. Forceful conformity will restrict
individual freedom. So, people need not to be afraid of the government to aspire
their voices. To be free from oppression, sometimes rebellion is the only way.
McMurphy is portrayed as rebellious as the basic characteristic of a
nonconformist. His rebellion is a “product” of oppression. He rebels and breaks the
rules to make the hospital life more bearable. From his actions, it can be concluded
that rebellion or nonconformity will not happen if the government cooperates with
their people and is willing to hear people’s aspiration. Since a nonconformist needs
support to make a change, he or she would provoke people to aspire their voices
towards the government. That is also why McMurphy, who represents the
nonconformist, is portrayed as a provocative person.
Nurse Ratched is portrayed as tyrannical and manipulative. By portraying
her in that way, the readers, who are also the part of society at that time, might find
the resemblance between Ratched’s characteristics and their government. She
controls the patients arbitrarily and makes them conform to the ward rules. As a
result, her methods of curing only makes the patients worse. Her tyrannical
characteristic allegorically shows that oppression and arbitrariness in a
governance makes people unhappy and may trigger rebellion. Her manipulative
characteristic hints at the dominating power of the government over the alleged
communists or nonconformists. Misused power would bring disadvantage for many
people.
The fate of the major characters in the end is the crucial part of the allegory.
Firstly, Nurse Ratched’s re-controlling the ward. After McMurphy’s lobotomy, the
ward returns to its normal condition under Nurse Ratched's control. The patients
23
Maranatha Christian University
return to their old routines and submissively follow the regulation. The condition
allegorically implies that the society were still under the control of the government’s
tyrannical and manipulative system. Secondly, Bromden kills McMurphy. On the
night after the electroshock incident, Bromden finds that McMurphy's body is
“ruined” by the machine. McMurphy is now in a “vegetable” state, which means
that he will stay longer in Ratched’s ward. Bromden thinks that McMurphy may
suffer for the rest of his life if he stays in that condition. Hence, Bromden performs
a mercy killing before fleeing from the hospital. His fleeing symbolises the
regeneration of the non-conformist. Bromden is now McMurphy's successor, which
also means that he will continue the struggle. McMurphy’s death does not seem to
change anything, but it gives hope through Bromden’s escape. The situation at the
end of the story reminds the society that they need to keep fighting to get their
freedom and change the system.
Having analysed the novel, I learn how an allegory can be a tool to convey
an important matter, such as a social critique. I have learned the way the author
delivered the message through the allegory which I may apply to my own writing
someday. Besides the narrative, the issue served in the novel, individual freedom
and repressive system, also teaches me the impact of a one-way governance that
results rebellions in the society. In daily life, governance also occurs when we
involved in a structured group, such as an organisation. Leadership is a kind of
governance in which everyone should cooperate in a democratic way. Everyone
should have a chance to aspire their voices and opinions to prevent rebellion.
24
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Kesey, Ken. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. London: Penguin Books Ltd,
2002. Print.
References
“53a McCarthyism”. Ushistory.org. Web. 29 Oct. 2014
“Attentive.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010. Print.
“Definition of Allegory.” Literary Devices. Web. 4 May 2014.
“Elements of Fiction.” University of New Mexico. Web. 1 Sep. 2014.
“Formalism: Method and Glossary” Writing Center at Southeastern. Web. 3 May
2014.
High, Peter B. An Outline of American Literature. New York: Longman Inc., 2000.
"Hippie." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Online, 2013.
Web. 1 Sep. 2014.
“Historical Perspective.” Novel Explorer. Web. 4 May 2014.
Holland, Thomas R. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest Notes. Lincoln: Cliffs
Notes Incorporated. 1974. Print.
“Ken Kesey Biography.” Oregon History Project. 2002. Web. 28 Apr. 2014
“Mainstream.” Yourdictionary.com. 1996. Web. 7 Sep. 2014.
25
Maranatha Christian University
“Manipulative.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010. Print.
“McCarthyism.” Princeton.edu. Web. 14 Oct. 2014
“Nonconformist.” Dictionary.com. Web. 7 Sep. 2014.
“Nonconformist.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.
“Paranoid.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010. Print.
“Pretentious.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010. Print.
“Provocative.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010. Print.
“Rebellious.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010. Print.
“Schizophrenia.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Online,
2013. Web. 18 Sep. 2015.
“Social Criticism in Literature.” NovelGuide.com. Web. 1 Sep. 2014.
“Submissive.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010. Print.
“The Individual and The System in Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
123HelpMe.com. 3 Jun. 2014.
“Types of Characters in Fiction.” Lexiconic.net. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
“Tyrannical.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010. Print.
“What Is Political Allegory?” Wisegeek.com. Web. 25 July 2014
26
Maranatha Christian University
Dalam tugas akhir ini saya membahas sebuah novel berjudul One Flew
over the Cuckoo’s Nest yang ditulis oleh Ken Kesey. Buku ini menceritakan
tentang pasien-pasien di sebuah rumah sakit jiwa dan seorang suster yang
sangat tegas dalam menegakkan peraturan. Rutinitas berubah ketika seorang
pasien baru bernama McMurphy mencoba menentang peraturan-peraturan yang
berlaku. Tetapi pada akhir cerita usaha McMurphy gagal dan rutinitas kembali
seperti semula.
Setelah membaca novel tersebut, saya memutuskan untuk membahas
unsur alegori melalui penokohan dalam menyampaikan kritik sosial. Saya
memutuskan untuk menganalisis hubungan antara situasi politik pada kurun
waktu buku ini ditulis dengan unsur penokohan karakter. Dengan memahami
hubungan kedua unsur tersebut, saya akan mengungkap bagaimana kritik sosial
dalam buku ini disampaikan.
Sebagai simpulan, saya berpendapat bahwa tokoh-tokoh utama dan
kejadian dalam novel ini menunjukan adanya keterkaitan dengan situasi politik di
Amerika Serikat pada dekade 1950an. Ken Kesey secara terampil dan efektif
menggunakan teknik alegori untuk menyampaikan kritik sosial dalam novelnya.
iii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ......................................................................................... i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study .......................................................................... 1
Statement of the Problem ......................................................................... 4
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................ 4
Method of Research ................................................................................. 4
Organisation of the Thesis ....................................................................... 4
CHAPTER TWO: THE ALLEGORY OF SOCIAL CRITIQUE THROUGH THE
MAJOR CHARACTER IN KEN KESEY’S ONE FLEW OVER THE
CUCKOO’S NEST ................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION .................................................................. 22
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 25
APPENDICES
Synopsis of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest ....................................... 27
Biography of Ken Kesey ......................................................................... 28
ii
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Most writers get their inspiration for writing from various sources, such as
family, personal experience, history and their imagination. (“Social Criticism in
Literature”). The purpose of the works can be varied; sharing experience or only
entertainment, for instance. Besides those purpose, the writers also convey their
messages in their works, for example as social criticism. The writer can use
different literary tools to convey their messages, such as the major characters.
Major character is “an important figure at the center of the story’s action or
theme” (“Elements of Fiction”). Some examples of the famous books that use
major character to represent social critique are: George Orwell’s Animal Farm,
Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities and J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the
Rye.
One writer who also criticised the society through major characters of his
work is Ken Kesey. He is an American writer who was popular among the hippies
(High 207). According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, hippie means “a usually
young person who rejects established social customs (such as by dressing in an
unusual way or living in a commune) and who opposes violence and war;
especially: a young person of this kind in the 1960s and 1970s” (“Hippie”).
1
Maranatha Christian University
Between 1950s and 1960s, he wrote two novels: the first one is One Flew
over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the second one is Sometimes a Great Notion. Both
novels are written based on his own experience when he mingled with a
particular society. It implies that his works contain his personal view towards
some issues which happened in the U.S society.
In the 1950s, when One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest was written, the
circulating major issue was the Cold War. The Cold War generated fear of
communism, or also known as the “Red Scare.” Accordingly, this period became
the era of conformity because the U.S society tend to obey the government to
avoid accusation of being communist.
Through One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Kesey criticised that issue.
The novel tells a story of mentally ill patients and a tyrannical nurse which
allegorically criticised the repressive governance. The novel was controversial at
the time it was published, which also becomes the reason I chose it. In addition,
the major characters are portrayed uniquely with their contrasting characteristic.
The portrayal of the major characters is the most dominant element of the
novel that helps conveying the social criticism. The first character is Chief
Bromden, a representative of passive people in a society. Secondly, Nurse
Ratched, who represents a repressive government, and Randle P. McMurphy
who represents a nonconformist. Hence, each character shows an interrelation to
represent a certain idea.
The characters allegorise the issue of individual freedom versus the
repressive system in the U.S in the 1950s. “Allegory is a complete narrative
which involves characters, and events that stand for an abstract idea or an event”
(“Definition of Allegory”). Some examples of the allegorical novels are: C.S
Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, William Golding’s Lord of Flies
and John Bunyan’s Pilgrim Progress. Kesey’s book, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s
2
Maranatha Christian University
Nest, is a political allegory, which is “a story that, on the surface, tells one tale,
but has a hidden political meaning underneath. It is an extended metaphor that
often uses a simple substitution of one element or symbol for another” (“What Is
Political Allegory?”). Kesey uses “the mad-house as a microcosm of American
society in which the internal policies reflect the order of the external world”
(Holland 7). It shows that most elements in the novel might have similarities with
the actual situation in the society.
Although One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is considered a great novel,
the society in the past could not accept it as well as today because it criticises the
government and the society. As the impact of the Red Scare (fear of communism
spread), the government was considered repressive. Moreover, with a strong
peer pressure, the society rejects those who are considered nonconformist in the
society. (“The Individual and The System in Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s
Nest”). Nonconformist is “a person who refuses to conform, as to established
customs, attitudes, or ideas” (“Nonconformist”). These facts clearly show a strong
interconnection between the events of the novel and the social and political
situation in the U.S in the 1950s which I attempt to explore.
The approach I chose is formalism, which “focuses on the formal features
found in literature that readers must notice and name when describing and
interpreting texts” (“Formalism: Method and Glossary”). I also include some
historical background to support my analysis. The book has already provided the
foundation on the issue of individual versus the authority. By analysing the novel,
I would like to show how the major characters are portrayed to convey Kesey’s
social critique.
3
Maranatha Christian University
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problems that I am going to discuss are:
1. How are the major characters portrayed in the novel?
2. Why are the characters portrayed in such a way?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Based on the above problems, the purposes of this study are:
1. To show how the major characters are portrayed
2. To show why the characters are portrayed in such a way
METHOD OF RESEARCH
The method of research that I use is library research. I begin the research
by reading Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. After that I analyse the
primary text by using some information and materials from the Internet that can
support my analysis and help me writing a good thesis. Lastly, I draw some
conclusions from what has been discussed.
ORGANISATION OF THE THESIS
This
thesis
consists
of
three
chapters,
preceded
by
the
Acknowledgements, the Table of Contents and the Abstract. Chapter One is the
Introduction, which consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the
Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the
Organization of the Thesis. In Chapter Two, I analyse the allegory of social
critique through the major characters in Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s
Nest. The third chapter is the Conclusion. This thesis ends with the Bibliography
and the Appendices, consisting of the Synopsis of the Novel and the Biography of
the Author.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After I finished reading and analysing the novel, I argue that Ken Kesey
delivers the social critique through the allegory skillfully and effectively. Some of
the major events and the characters represent the social critique towards the
circulating issues in the United States society during the 1950s. A social critique
novel usually ends in tragic way for the protagonist, including this novel. That kind
of ending for the character makes the readers tend to pay attention to how the
situation affects the protagonist and implicitly suggests that the problem remains.
The life of protagonist, McMurphy, ends tragically as he is lobotomised and
then mercily killed. Through McMurphy’s death, Kesey suggests if only a few
people are fighting against the authority, they will be defeated and the tyranny will
remain. This kind of ending raises an awareness of the real situation in real life.
Chief Bromden represents people in general in the 1950s U.S society. His
initial characteristics are pretentious, submissive, paranoid and attentive. In the
society, being pretentious is an attempt to cover any sign of nonconformity. A
nonconformist would be discriminatorily treated by both the society and the
government. Besides that, the government arbitrarily punished people that results
in submission and paranoia. Bromden’s attentiveness, however, becomes an
intermediary of his characteristic change. It changes him as he likes to observe his
22
Maranatha Christian University
surroundings. Gradually, he can be himself, he is no longer paranoid and becomes
rebellious. His change allegorically shows that people should be aware of the
oppression and learn how to be free from oppression. Being oneself is not always
in accordance with what most of the society think. Forceful conformity will restrict
individual freedom. So, people need not to be afraid of the government to aspire
their voices. To be free from oppression, sometimes rebellion is the only way.
McMurphy is portrayed as rebellious as the basic characteristic of a
nonconformist. His rebellion is a “product” of oppression. He rebels and breaks the
rules to make the hospital life more bearable. From his actions, it can be concluded
that rebellion or nonconformity will not happen if the government cooperates with
their people and is willing to hear people’s aspiration. Since a nonconformist needs
support to make a change, he or she would provoke people to aspire their voices
towards the government. That is also why McMurphy, who represents the
nonconformist, is portrayed as a provocative person.
Nurse Ratched is portrayed as tyrannical and manipulative. By portraying
her in that way, the readers, who are also the part of society at that time, might find
the resemblance between Ratched’s characteristics and their government. She
controls the patients arbitrarily and makes them conform to the ward rules. As a
result, her methods of curing only makes the patients worse. Her tyrannical
characteristic allegorically shows that oppression and arbitrariness in a
governance makes people unhappy and may trigger rebellion. Her manipulative
characteristic hints at the dominating power of the government over the alleged
communists or nonconformists. Misused power would bring disadvantage for many
people.
The fate of the major characters in the end is the crucial part of the allegory.
Firstly, Nurse Ratched’s re-controlling the ward. After McMurphy’s lobotomy, the
ward returns to its normal condition under Nurse Ratched's control. The patients
23
Maranatha Christian University
return to their old routines and submissively follow the regulation. The condition
allegorically implies that the society were still under the control of the government’s
tyrannical and manipulative system. Secondly, Bromden kills McMurphy. On the
night after the electroshock incident, Bromden finds that McMurphy's body is
“ruined” by the machine. McMurphy is now in a “vegetable” state, which means
that he will stay longer in Ratched’s ward. Bromden thinks that McMurphy may
suffer for the rest of his life if he stays in that condition. Hence, Bromden performs
a mercy killing before fleeing from the hospital. His fleeing symbolises the
regeneration of the non-conformist. Bromden is now McMurphy's successor, which
also means that he will continue the struggle. McMurphy’s death does not seem to
change anything, but it gives hope through Bromden’s escape. The situation at the
end of the story reminds the society that they need to keep fighting to get their
freedom and change the system.
Having analysed the novel, I learn how an allegory can be a tool to convey
an important matter, such as a social critique. I have learned the way the author
delivered the message through the allegory which I may apply to my own writing
someday. Besides the narrative, the issue served in the novel, individual freedom
and repressive system, also teaches me the impact of a one-way governance that
results rebellions in the society. In daily life, governance also occurs when we
involved in a structured group, such as an organisation. Leadership is a kind of
governance in which everyone should cooperate in a democratic way. Everyone
should have a chance to aspire their voices and opinions to prevent rebellion.
24
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text
Kesey, Ken. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. London: Penguin Books Ltd,
2002. Print.
References
“53a McCarthyism”. Ushistory.org. Web. 29 Oct. 2014
“Attentive.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2010. Print.
“Definition of Allegory.” Literary Devices. Web. 4 May 2014.
“Elements of Fiction.” University of New Mexico. Web. 1 Sep. 2014.
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