The Struggle for Independence in Mental Institutions in One Flew Over Assignment

The Struggle for Independence in Mental Institutions in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Assignment Example Formalist analysis reveals how the basic elements of the film are arranged to reflect the struggle of mental patients against oppression. In the hospital, McMurphy clashes with the equally determined Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). Through a chronological storyline that is filled with metaphors, irony and realistic cinematography, acting, and directing, the film depicts the inner and outer conflicts of mental patients who are rational enough to claim independence from an authoritarian establishment that has taken away their freedom to choose their destinies, where its ending underscores that, to be truly free, the individual must make the hard choice of rejecting society altogether. The storytelling of the film involves an omniscient storyteller that shows different perspectives, although the point of view generally comes from McMurphy using a linear story time in modern time setting. The setting is a real mental hospital to capture the poor physical conditions of such hospitals and to demonstrate the exact environment of the mentally ill. The story revolves around the main character, McMurphy, and his interactions with nurses and patients in the hospital. An example is that he sees the mental hospital from his own perspective, especially his needs and wants as an individualist. Although the movie shows what Ratched also sees as a nurse, McMurphy’s motives and freedom ideals drive the primary conflicts, especially the conflict between person-against-person and Person-against-society. The story follows these conflicts and how McMurphy creates interesting ways to gain autonomy for himself and his fellow patients. Furthermore, the linear chronological timef rame helps the audience focus more on the characters and the events surrounding them than analyzing  disconnected timelines. The audience does not have to think about the connections between different scenes in different timeframes with a linear story.