The One Who Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest Literary Analysis

Many pieces of literature have comparable characteristics, including the use of literary elements to portray deeper meaning. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and The One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are great pieces of literature which keep their main focus around the use of symbolism, hidden in the plot. Whereas Mrs. Mallard, from â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, appears to be insane due to her husband, characters from The One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest gains their insanity from Nurse Ratched, both authors incorporate symbolism in order to display themes and reveal character traits In the short story, by Kate Chopin, themes are expressed through symbolism. The main theme portrayed by Chopin is freedom. This concept of freedom becomes prevalent when†¦show more content†¦The way Nurse Ratched controls the inmates and punishes them using electric shock therapy symbolizes how McMurphy is trapped. This feeling of entrapment leaves McMurphy in a continuous battle to gain back his freedom from Nurse Ratched. According to McMurphy, â€Å"we must pursue freedom at any cost, even if that cost is death.† Along with gaining freedom, Chief Bromden shows characteristics of the second theme, heroism. Throughout the book Bromden pretends to be deaf and dumb. This symbolizes how he feels hidden and different compared to the world he is living in. As the novel continues he becomes greedy for freedom and eventually rises up to his biggest fears when he suffocates Nurse Ratched. Once Nurse Ratched is out of the picture, Bromden breaks the window and escapes from th e hospital. The idea that Bromden was able to remove the control panel and use it to break the window, symbolizes his true strength and how he can accomplish anything after running â€Å"through† his freedom. Symbolism has also been used to its advantage in revealing character traits. In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† the character traits were expressed through the extensive use of symbolism showing the true way Louise Mallard felt about her husband. When Mrs. Mallard heard about her husband’s alleged death she was immediately filled with a new lust for life and independence. Looking out of her window symbolizes how much she nowShow MoreRelatedKen Kesey s One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest1629 Words   |  7 PagesKesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is a timeless classic. This novel has been subject to analysis through many different literary lenses: feminist, Marxist, and of course, psychoanalytic. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest provides a plethora of evidence when it comes to using the psychoanalytic lens. The lens in question deals with the teaching of Sigmund Freud. 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