Graduation Year
2019
Publication Date
2016
Abstract
In the beginning of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Chief Bromden and his fellow patients in the psychiatric ward of the hospital are confined in a strict environment, subject to the cruel decisions of those in control, and convinced that there is no way to escape. Renewed hope for the patients comes in the form of the newly-admitted Randle McMurphy, who serves as an advocate for the overthrow of the authoritative forces controlling the ward, specifically Nurse Ratched. As savior of the ward, McMurphy frees the patients from oppression and helps them rediscover their strengths. Clear similarities exist between the plot of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the events leading up to Jesus’s crucifixion in the Bible; however, the film adaptation of novel reduces these profound biblical depictions to simple interactions that lack deep meaning. Though the novel is incredibly notable and complex, with abundant subtleties, the film’s omission of important biblical themes renders the movie average and superficial in comparison.
Disciplines
English Language and Literature | Rhetoric and Composition
Recommended Citation
Gibson, Madeline '19, "Contrasting Biblical Themes in the Novel and Film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" (2016). Outstanding Gateway Papers. 12.
https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/gateway/12
Comments
Runner Up, 2015-2016, Best Gateway Essay Contest
Gateway Professor: Victoria Folse, Professor & Caroline F. Rupert Chair of Nursing