Fear In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

448 Words2 Pages
We all fear something or someone and we all deal with fear differently. Some like to ignore it other like to expose it, others like to run away from it. What Holden and the men have in common is fear. The men fear the authority figure, Nurse Ratched however Nurse Racthed also fears someome, McMurphy. Therefore she makes one last attempt to regain her power after his rebellion. She gives him a lobotomy treatment which is a ‘’surgical incision into the frontal lobe of the brain, used to treat mental disorders’’ (dictionary). Nurse Racthed regains her power since she succeeds by turning McMurphy into a dead man walking. He reaches a vegetative state where he is no longer the man he was when he entered. The men do not rebel against Nurse Ratched…show more content…
The men are prisoners of their own fear. They have gained experiences, they have become men and not little boys yet they let their savior die because of their fear of the consequences that comes along with rebellion. Fear is what brings them one step back. In Holden’s case, fear is what restricts him from not entering adulthood. He does things to keep his infancy such as having a naïve mindset and withdraw from different activities. The fear of growing up effects Holden deeply resulting in anxiety and does not embrace the thought of growing up. He fears that the attributions of adulthood will affect children, he fears for their wellbeing over his own. He fears for his sister Phoebe; that she will one day grow up and face the attributions of adulthood. Fear is a destructive emotion which has a negative impact on the characters. Instead of overcoming their fears they become prisoners of it. In Cuckoo’s nest, the fear distorts their newly found confidence; they go back to their usual selves and act as observers when McMurphy is treated. It is ironic, how they overcome their fears but as they face Nurse Ratched they bend over backwards whereas Holden chose to not face his fears instead turning the other cheek not desiring to grow
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