One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Introductory Lecture

The Life and Times of Ken Kesey Themes & Symbols Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

Bibliographic Information Kesey was born in 1935 in La Junta, Colorado Lived on farms in Colorado and Oregon Attended University of Oregon's School of Journalism 1958 – Enrolled in creative writing program at Stanford University Married his highschool sweetheart, Norma “Faye” Haxby, and had three children, Jed, Zane and Shannon. Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

Known as a cultural icon who some consider a link between the "beat generation" of the 1950s (jazz, poetry, drug experiences) and the "hippies" of the 1960s.

Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters Experimentation in 1961, his path took a turn for the surreal. He enrolled in an Army- sponsored hallucinogenic-drug experiment—which paid him $75 a session—run by Stanford scientists at the Menlo Park VA Hospital. Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

Kesey soon became a night aide on the psychiatric ward at the hospital Kesey soon became a night aide on the psychiatric ward at the hospital. His on-the-job observations, combined with regular drug use, inspired the shriek-at-the- establishment Cuckoo’s Nest. LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and amphetamine IT-290 What does this mean?

Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters Well ... Writing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest At the end of his participation in drug experiments, Kesey worked in a mental ward at the hospital and felt that the patients weren't crazy at all but did not “fit” in with society. “[Kesey's] goal was to break through conformist thought and ultimately forge a reconfiguration of American society.” http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/sixties/kesey.html Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters The Merry Pranksters Kesey's group of friends: Took psychedelic drugs Wore outrageous clothing Participated in peaceful confrontations with the law Performed bizarre street acts Were against all levels of conformity and conventionality Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters The Merry Pranksters Tired partygoers enjoy the vestiges of the Acid Test Graduation, an elaborate Halloween party thrown by Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters at the Warehouse, San Francisco, Oct. 31, 1966. Along with live music and psychedelic light shows, large quantities of hallucinogenic drugs were consumed at the Acid Tests, though LSD was outlawed in the state of California (Oct. 7, 1966). Ted Streshinsky/CorbisBrittanica.com Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters The Merry Pranksters To promote Kesey's novel Sometimes a Great Notion, the Merry Pranksters took off on a tour from San Fransisco to New York in their 'bus‘ nick named ‘Furthur.’ This trip, described in Tom Wolfe's book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (and later in Kesey's own screenplay "The Further Inquiry") was the group's attempt at making art out of everyday life. "What we hoped was that we could stop the coming end of the world." Kesey Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters The Kool-Aid Acid Test Name given to Kesey's wild parties Kesey would have his guests ingest LSD, sometimes without acknowledgeme nt Blue Kool-Aid Facing one's fears under LSD. Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters The Merry Pranksters “Ken Kesey, who was at the center of the psychedelic counterculture on the West Coast, speaks with his band of Merry Pranksters, San Francisco, 1966. 'I believe man is changing," Kesey said. "Our concept of reality is changing. It's been happening here in San Francisco. I believe there's a whole new generation of kids. They're different. I can hear it in the music.'” Brittanica.com Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

The Merry Pranksters and the Psychedelic Era It has been said that they were responsible for the introduction of the San Francisco psychedelic era that is the 60's. In 1966, Kesey has stated that these drugs were “temporary and delusional” but this could not stop the trend that he and the Merry Pranksters has started. Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Became incredibly popular and was viewed as a critical look on society. Still claimed as Kesey's most popular work. Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Based on Kesey’s experiences as an orderly at a mental health facility in Menlo Park, CA Exposed the public to the inner workings of mental health institutions Narrated by a schizophrenic patient Chief Bromden Reveals Nurse Ratched’s abuse of power (i.e. shock theraphy & lobotomies)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest “It was read as a compelling cautionary tale that viewed society, represented by Big Nurse, as a cold, formidable negation of all that is free, lusty and nonconformist. McMurphy, a malingerer from a penal work farm, tries to rekindle a spark of life among his fellow patients, and is thwarted at each step by the cold, calculating Nurse Ratched” Lets see what you think! Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters

Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters Sources Used http://www.britannica.com/psychedelic/scene/kesey.html#087p1 http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/sixties/kesey.html 1998 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia / 22903 www.wikipedia.com Analysis: Themes, Symblos, & Characters