One flew over the cuckoos nest

Essay by alyssahargraveHigh School, 12th gradeA-, June 2014

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Alyssa Hargrave Johnston, 10

March Argument Essay

25 March 2013

In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, the individualism, or principle of being self-reliant, is taken away from each person. Each individual feels they do not belong in society, they don't know how to make decisions on their own; they need someone to control them. This role is taken on by the nurse. Everyone has trouble fitting in, speaking up for themselves, and experience a bully. Bullies need power, and by making the decisions, they gain that power. Decisions should be made for each individual, by each individual, not by someone else.

In life, society tells everyone to look and dress a certain way, eat and drink specific things, and to hangout and live your life in this way. Celebrities and athletes are looked at as "big, famous, and popular" because they follow the "rules" of society.

People who do not follow the "rules" of society are looked upon as "different, weird, or outsiders". "All I know is this: nobody's very big in the first place, and it looks to me like everybody spends their whole life tearing everybody else down" (Kesey, 76). The way society treats individuals is suppressing, and can cause people to go insane, harm themselves, and even harm others.

"That ain't me, that ain't my face. It wasn't even me when I was trying to be that face. I wasn't even really me them; I was just being the way I looked, the way people wanted" (Kesey). Over-protected parents who set high standards, thousands of rules, and make their child fear becoming an individual, pushes them to deceive their parents and do things without their knowledge. Parents like this need to take a step back and realize that their child...