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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

ClassicsLiterary Fiction
Pages
393
Published
1962
Language
English

Synopsis

When Randle McMurphy fakes insanity to avoid a prison work farm, he lands in an Oregon psychiatric hospital. He quickly clashes with the oppressive Nurse Ratched and her rigid system, sparking a rebellion among the other patients. This classic novel explores themes of conformity, individuality, and the fight for freedom within the confines of an institution.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkThought-ProvokingSatiricalEmotional
Fish Out of WaterReluctant Hero

Genres

Classics Literary Fiction Psychological Thriller Drama Satire

About the author

K
Ken Kesey

KEN KESEY was born in La Junta, Colorado, but his family later moved to Springfield, Oregon, where he attended public schools, and later the University of Oregon at Eugene. He has received the Woodrow Wilson scholarship to Stanford University and a Saxton Fellowship, and won the Fred Lowe Scholarship awarded to the outstanding wrestler in the Northwest. Mr. Kesey was king of the Merry Pranksters, a group which traveled the West Coast staging happenings; as a leader of this group, Mr. Kesey appea...

Characters

Nurse RatchedAntagonist
Dale HardingSupporting

College-educated, voluntarily committed Acute patient and informal leader of the ward before McMurphy's arrival.

All characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Frequently asked questions

  • Is the psychiatric hospital in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest a real place?

    The hospital is never named in the novel, but Ken Kesey drew on his own experience working the night shift at Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon, which later served as the filming location for the 1975 movie adaptation.

  • When was One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest first published?

    Ken Kesey's debut novel was first published by Viking Press on February 1, 1962.

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