The premise of Novel is within a home for the 'mentally ill' and when looked through a Marxist 'lens' many intriguing themes and aspects can be denoted. Most of the patients are not "chronics" and committed forcibly, the patients are their out of free choice although nobody ever leaves to establish their own self-autonomy as a individual. Nurse Ratched leads this establishment posing as a supposed counselor interested in helping them to overcome their so called problems and establish independence. As readers see through out the novel, the character of Nurse Ratched is far from the guardian angel her role purports her to be, she actually uses implicit and explicit measures to oppress them and keep them captive in something which very much resembles a dictatorship. Argubaly Nurse Ratched amd her staff pose as the 'elite' bourgiose who exploit and undermine the proleteriat of the novel: Randy Mcmurphy and the other 'Acutes'.
This marxist agenda may have been within the authorial intent of Ken Kesey, who throughout his years became known as somewhat of a anti-authority figure and counter-culture icon. Kesey was a crucial figure within the Beatnick and Hippie cultural movements and was always challenging social norms. Kesey is also seen by many as a post-modernist writer and usually a postmodern style empasizes the role of power relations and often opposes the use of classification.
This is a good analysis. The idea of oppression is clearly evident. Seeing Nurse Ratched as representative of the dominant bourgoisie is appropriate. Do the patients only express themselves through their resistance to the restraints of the institution?
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