One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Main Ideas

• Conflict between individuality and the system: the book explores the struggle between personal freedom and the repressive system represented by the psychiatric hospital.
• Power and control: through the character of the Head Nurse and her methods of managing patients, the author illustrates how power can suppress and manipulate people.
• Freedom and rebellion: the main character, Randle Patrick McMurphy, symbolizes rebellion against the system and the pursuit of freedom, inspiring other patients to resist.
• Mental health and society: the novel raises questions about how society perceives mental illness and how it treats those who do not fit its norms.
• Dehumanization and humanity: the book examines how institutional structures can strip people of their humanity and the importance of maintaining human dignity.