The Messianic Superego Liberation Of Self Essay

Daniel Wu English 12 AP Mr. Van Westervelt 23 December 2016 The Messianic Superego: Liberation of Fellow Men through the Sacrifice of Self Ken Kesey vehemently lashes against dictated social conformity, disguising his personal manifesto as his novel reflective of mid-twentieth century American society, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The protagonist, Randle McMurphy, purposely casts away his own desire of self-preservation to deliver liberating freedom to prisoners broken by institutionalized sanity. Kesey develops McMurphy’s character as a tragic hero by drawing inspiration from religious texts, especially the Bible. The changing attitudes resulting from McMurphy’s presence not only evinces, but parallels the coming of Jesus Christ and the spiritual liberation of his followers; ascribing a quality such as Messianic selflessness, Kesey gives immense depth to McMurphy’s character. Both Ken Kesey’s literary work and the Ancient Rome’s political doctrines share a similar motif of oppression experienced by disenfranchised members of society Vividly depicting an oppressive institution through the eyes of Chief Bromden, Kesey immediately conveys to his readers the inherent monotony of the institutions. There is an authoritative totalitarian system where Nurse Ratched completely consolidates control. Rather than preparing misfits of society to reintegrate, Nurse Ratched entrances the ward with her hypnotic manipulation for her selfish desire to have uncontested sovereignty.