One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Analysis

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The eloquent use of the feature film convention symbolism effectively conveys Miloš Forman’s ideology towards power and rebellion. The symbolistic device used in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is cigarettes. The cigarettes of the patients symbolises their freedom from Nurse Ratched. McMurphy initially starts playing cards and gambling with cigarettes with the other patients as a means to pass time. As the film progresses, the patients gain more cigarettes all while learning to not submit to Nurse Ratched’s cruel exploitation and manipulation by watching McMurphy’s actions. When Nurse Ratched bans playing cards and rations the cigarettes, it is her way of regaining control and power over the patients. When one of the patients, Cheswick argues with her for his cigarettes, Forman demonstrates to the audience how McMurphy has influenced the patients to think differently and to act upon their thoughts of protest towards Nurse Ratched. The use of the cigarettes in the feature film represent Forman’s idea of the exploited and manipulated patients gaining the courage to rebel against the power that has been suppressing them in the past. This use of symbolism effectively conveys Forman’s idea of how those seen as weak in society can be inspired to stand up for themselves and rebel against the power suppressing them by someone as influential and charismatic as McMurphy.

The feature film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is expertly used to convey the creator, Miloš Forman’s personal ideology towards the misuse of power to exploit and manipulate the weak and the rebellion of the weak against the power suppressing them. Forman’s ideas are effectively conveyed through the coherent use of the film conventions characterisation, plot structure and symbolism. Each convention conveys a different and equally compelling idea towards power and rebellion, showing the audience the actions and thoughts of those with and without power in society and how the misuse of power effects those who are suppressed by that power. Forman adroitly uses these conventions to express and convey his personal ideology towards power and rebellion to create the feature film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a critically-acclaimed and outstanding film that holds great meaning and relevance to all of society throughout the years.