Individualism and Society

“Conformity is a type of social influence involving a change in behavior in order to fit in with a group.”   In the movie One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, the director Milos Forman tells the story of a man named R.P. McMurphy who was sent to a mental institution. This movie reveals that R.P McMurphy came from a work farm and focuses on his interaction with the patients and the staff. The story suggests that social conformity can lead to the destruction of an individual. R.P McMurphy challenges the rules and regulations of the mental institution. Nurse Ratched’s challenge is to maintain control of the ward. Chief’s challenge is to disappear from society.

R. P. McMurphy challenges the rules and regulations of the mental institution. He challenges Nurse Ratched’s authority over the patients. He asks to watch the World Series game; but patients who want to watch must have a majority vote. R.P. McMurphy obtains the men’s votes, but he needs one more vote for a majority; after the meeting is done, he gets the final vote but it is too late. Nurse Ratched will not let the men watch the game. R.P. McMurphy pretends to watch the game and gets the men worked up; Nurse Ratched is slowly losing her control over the men.  R.P. McMurphy starts a gambling game in the bathroom with the men, betting their cigarettes. Cheswick, a patient, wants to know why their cigarettes have been taken. Nurse Ratched explains that they are losing them to R.P. McMurphy so she is going to keep them. Cheswick throws a tantrum because he cannot have his cigarettes. R.P. McMurphy breaks the window into the nurse’s office and gets Cheswick his cigarettes. R.P. McMurphy challenges the rules and regulations of the ward by breaking the window and by taking the men on an “Outing”. He steals the bus and a boat to take the men fishing. The men enjoy their freedom and have fun.  The night that Chief and R.P. McMurphy are going to escape, R.P. McMurphy brings women and booze onto the ward.  He pairs up Billy Bibbit with his friend Candy.  He is trying to show the men they are not crazy. From the time that R.P. McMurphy arrives on the ward he questions the status quo.
Nurse Ratched’s challenge is to maintain her control of the ward. She controls the amount of cigarettes the men can have. She knows R.P. McMurphy is winning the patient’s cigarettes in the bathroom gambling game. R.P. McMurphy wants to watch the World Series and needs ten votes; during the meeting he only has nine but once the meeting ends he gets a tenth vote; but Nurse Ratched still will not let him watch the game. When the psychiatrists meet to decide to keep R.P. McMurphy or send him back to the work farm, Nurse Ratched wants to keep him on the ward so she can break him and thus control him. By doing this she will show all the men that anyone can be broken and that she has control over them. When Cheswick, R.P. McMurphy, and Chief misbehave electro shock therapy is used. This is a punishment and it shows that society (psychiatrists/nurses) have control through their rules and regulations. R.P. McMurphy attempts to kill Nurse Ratched. His punishment results in a frontal lobotomy. They stole his identity and made him conform. After Billy Bibbit spends the night with Candy, Nurse Ratched manipulates him to feel guilty by mentioning his mother. She controls Billy by using the relationship that she has with his mother. Even though Nurse Ratched appears to be gentle, calm, and reasonable, she uses power and fear to control the men. She fails to think e.g. compromise with the men; she blindly fellows rules.