https://doi.org/10.67147/literariness.v1i2.006
Confining Madness, Liberating Freedom: Power, Madness, and Freedom in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Sona John
Full-time PhD Scholar
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (English) NIT Goa
Abstract This paper examines the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest through the lens of Michel Foucault’s seminal work, Madness and Civilization, to explore the intricate interplay of power, madness, and freedom within institutional settings. Foucault’s analysis of how society historically constructs and confines madness provides a critical framework for understanding the oppressive dynamics of the mental institution portrayed in the film. Nurse Ratched embodies the disciplinary mechanisms Foucault describes, enforcing rigid control over patients through surveillance, normalization, and punishment. Conversely, Randle McMurphy’s rebellion disrupts these structures, challenging the institutional narrative that equates compliance with sanity and freedom. This paper argues that One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest critiques the systemic use of power to define and control deviance, illustrating how confinement operates not only physically but also psychologically and socially. It also highlights how moments of resistance, embodied in McMurphy’s defiance and Chief Bromden’s ultimate liberation, expose the fragility of institutional authority and the possibility of reclaiming autonomy. By situating the film within Foucault’s theoretical framework, this analysis reveals how the narrative transcends its specific context to critique broader cultural practices of marginalization and control. The paper concludes that One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a powerful cultural narrative that interrogates the boundaries between madness and reason, confinement and freedom, and power and resistance.
Keywords: Surveillance Studies, Madness, Power, Freedom, Institutional Critique
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