In Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nurse Ratched took away the freedom of the patients mentally, physically, as well as spiritually. The art of subjugating an individual, or by definition, “to bring under complete control or subjection; conquer; master,” (Dictionary.com) is a skill that Nurse Ratched had mastered. Kesey tells this story with the thoughts of Chief Bromden. Throughout the story, Bromden utters no words, and intermittently consumed by the fog, or state of confusion, leaving him to describe the convoluted and utterly hopeless situation he and his fellow institution residents find themselves. Nurse Ratched purposefully tries to hide her femininity, a trait that does not suit her position of authority (rather, the absolute authority she strives for). Instead, Nurse Ratched is determined to suppress anyone that resists her authority. Her determination in maintaining absolute order raises curiosity about her own sexual repression. One’s own deep seeded sexual secrets can be the only logical explanation for the level of subjugation Nurse Ratched subjected her patients to. Throughout the course of the novel, Broom encounters “Acute” patients that are diagnosed as treatable, and others who are deemed “Chronic,” or whose chances of being released are slim to none. Chief Bromden was met by Randall Patrick McMurphy, a charismatic and free-spirited man with a disdain for authority. As the most lucid patient at the institution, McMurphy offers Bromden a logical perspective that helps him clear the fog. With each interaction, Bromden showcases Nurse Ratched’s inability to show compassion, methodical way of stripping away at one’s individuality, and total disregard for mankind, ultimately removing any sense of freedom they may have had, or ever hoped for.
Mental subjugation may be the most obvious way in which Nurse Ratched stripped the freedom from her patients. This is evident without her uttering a word. Bromden...