Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas
explored in a literary work.
Conformity As a Threat to Freedom
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a
film with distinct political undercurrents, which are forcefully
presented. When men conform to authoritarian rule, the film argues,
they jeopardize not only their physical but also their mental freedom.
McMurphy learns that the prison where he was held previously offered
greater personal freedom than Nurse Ratched’s ward. In prison, he
could have watched the World Series, served out his sixty-eight
days, and then been free to go. Nurse Ratched’s authority, however,
extends from the television to the term of McMurphy’s commitment,
and her authority will not bear rebellion. Under her totalitarian
control, McMurphy cannot even be sure what the rules are, for she
rigs them to achieve the results she wants. When the men side unanimously
with McMurphy the second time they vote on watching the World Series, Nurse
Ratched announces calmly that the nine men with their hands up represent
only half the ward and therefore are not a majority. The unresponsive
patients, the “chronics,” do not threaten her control. When the
Chief surprises everyone by raising his hand, she tells the jubilant
McMurphy that his vote does not count, because the meeting is adjourned.
Under authoritarian rule, even the appearance of democracy is subverted
to maintain the status quo.
The Contradiction Between Tyranny and Sanity
As head nurse in a mental institution, Nurse Ratched should
be promoting her patients’ sanity, but instead her tyranny directly
subverts their mental health. She keeps the patients docile, medicated,
dependent, and childlike. McMurphy tells the patients they are not
loonies but men, and he encourages their manhood through fishing
and basketball. The men then begin to ask reasonable questions about Nurse
Ratched’s authority. Scanlon wants to know why the dormitory is
locked during the day. She explains, insidiously, that time spent
in the company of others is therapeutic. Cheswick demands the cigarettes
she has confiscated and informs her that he is not a little child.
Nurse Ratched’s oppression, however, causes Cheswick to lose control,
and she keeps him in place with electroshock therapy. The men do
not improve under her domination but rather disintegrate like Billy
Bibbit. Nurse Ratched’s reason for keeping McMurphy on the ward,
she tells the doctor, is to help him. Instead, she robs him of his
vivacity and his sanity.
The Sacred Nature of the Individual
Unlike Nurse Ratched, McMurphy honors and loves the sanctity
of individual human beings. He talks to the Chief, even though he thinks
the Chief is deaf. He is patient with the babyish Martini, even though
he cannot grasp the fundamentals of blackjack. He helps Taber catch
a fish and teaches Cheswick to drive a boat. He encourages the Chief
to grow through playing basketball. He intervenes on behalf of Cheswick
by breaking the glass of the nurse’s station to get his cigarettes.
He shows his affection for all the men, particularly Billy Bibbit,
as he gives Billy the gift of his first sexual encounter, even as
McMurphy realizes it will cost him his chance at freedom. In all
these ways, McMurphy shows love for the unique, individual nature
of each man. When McMurphy’s lobotomy robs him of the traits that
made him an individual, the Chief returns his love through an act
of death and resurrection. The Chief frees McMurphy, affirming that
the spirit lives on after the body’s death in the minds and behaviors
of the living.
