One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Themes

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Although most of the characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are considered mentally ill, the plot of the novel suggests that there’s a thin...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) The novel’s protagonist chafes at being locked up in a mental institution, but most of the patients are there voluntarily because they find freedom a...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Nurse Ratched, the novel’s antagonist, maintains her power on the ward by manipulating the men’s fears and desires. She uses shame to keep them sub...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Nurse Ratched, the antagonist, is drunk with her power until McMurphy arrives and upsets it. Much of her power lies in her ability to emasculate the...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Nurse Ratched uses an extensive system of rules and regulations, as well as an ordered routine, to keep the asylum patients under control. Many of the...

(Click the themes infographic to download.) McMurphy’s rebellion against the paltry rules that govern the ward throws everybody into an uproar. Patients respond with warmth as they suddenly rea...