One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

The Story "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" takes place in a mental institution in

the Pacific Northwest. The Institution is controlled by the head nurse "Nurse Ratched". A

bitter, strict woman with calculated gestures and a composed yet emotionless attitude. A

new patient by the name of Randall McMurphy, arrives at the district. Mr. McMurphy is

a rowdy man and a gambling con who looks out mainly for his own self-centeredness.

He was convicted of statutory rape, but immediately was suspected of insanity. He chose

the institution instead of working at the farm where he would have been sentenced, not

knowing he would be launching into a journey of mental illnesses and the outcomes he

would have on some truly substandard men.

One of my favorite characters is Billy. Billy is one of the grown men in the institution;

he however gives the impression of a younger man, partially because of his

persistent stuttering. Billy's mother plays a big role in his life of mental illness. She

constantly belittles and terrorizes him into behaving younger than his years. Which

contributes to all of the guilt he feels and his committed suicide when Nurse Ratched

discovered him with a prostitute and threatened to tell his mother.

I can, to some extent, relate on how Billy must have felt when he was threatened by

Nurse Ratched. My parents have always warned me about the dangers in life. I was

threatened, but in a loving way. They didn't want to see their first daughter getting hurt (I

suppose). At times I would be depressed about personal situations. It would get so severe

once in a while,