The novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey is a representation of the immense difference between sanity and insanity, and who gets to define the qualities of each in America. This is shown in the endless battle between the main character Randle Patrick McMurphy and the nurse at the mental institution he has been transferred to, Nurse Ratched. McMurphy, a loud, rebellious, and confident guy, uses his mouth and actions to get on Nurse Ratched nerves and causes many conflicts during the book. Now during the book, Nurse Ratched represents the oppressive and dehumanization of modern society, which is said by Chief Bromden. Chief Bromden who is a paranoid, sneaky, and massive guy is shown as an ally to McMurphy throughout the entire book.
The main theme shown throughout the whole book is the immense difference between sanity and insanity, and who gets to define the qualities of each in America. Kesey seemed to me to be trying to push that depending on who you are you get different rights than other people, which is very relevant to today’s world. An example of this theme is the power Nurse Ratched has and all of her ways of making people insane and even more insane. I say even more insane because I Ken Kesey’s portrayal of the characters within the psych ward asks the reader really to think about what the line is between sane and insane. With the strict society already it is very hard to tell whether the patients are just insane or if they don’t fit correctly with society.

Another theme that could be obtained from the novel is the theme of emasculation and sexuality. It is clear that Kesey draws connections between the men’s sexuality and freedom in the novel. For example, the antagonist Nurse Ratched uses drugs, machines, and other tactics to try and intimidate the male patients. This has shown through since Chief Bromden, who is 6’7” and well built is scared of very small and scrawny guys and Nurse Ratched. The cause of this is all the tactics Nurse Ratched uses on him. What I learned from this novel is that even with freedom and laws being set, there are still people who disobey the laws and constrict people like Nurse Ratched in the novel. This was only 50 years ago, which you could say is a long time ago but in reality, it’s only half a lifetime. So the people affected by these actions of others whether it be discrimination, emasculation, or whatever it may be could still be alive and mentally scarred.

Altogether, Kesey wrote an amazing novel which even today people like me are reading. The novel was action-packed, dramatic, perplexing, and overall distinguished from other novels I’ve read. The novel can connect with you personally with every single theme or it can teach you what it was like for some people and how it is for people even today. The novel is a definite recommend for anyone who wants to go deeper in a book and read between the lines.