Centre Number: 16315 Candidate Number: 6188
With reference to wider critical reading, compare how Ken Kesey and Anthony Burgess
explore the presentation of transgression in “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “A
Clockwork Orange”
Both Ken Kesey and Anthony Burgess powerfully weave the theme of transgression into their
respective novels, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “A Clockwork Orange”. Transgression is
defined as “to cross a line, to step across some boundary or move beyond convention” (Wolfreys,
2008, p. 3), and this is clearly exhibited in both texts to comment on the control and power that
societal expectations wield. In “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, these expectations are enforced
by the oppressive systems within and outside the mental institution, particularly by the domineering
Nurse Ratched. Similarly, in “A Clockwork Orange”, the standards of what is deemed acceptable are
determined by the strict government in a totalitarian state. Therefore, the theme of transgression is
undeniable in these two novels, as the harsh and suppressive ideals yearn to be defied. This notion is
portrayed prominently through violence, deceit, and the abuse of medical treatments.
It could be suggested that in both novels, transgression is presented as gratifying and stimulating. In
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, this is exemplified clearly by the character of McMurphy when
he gambles that he can put “a bee in her [Nurse Ratched’s] butt, a burr in her bloomers. Get her
goat. Bug her until she comes apart at those neat little seams” (Kesey, 1962, p. 67), within just one
week of his time at the mental hospital. Kesey’s use of plosives creates an adamant and vitriolic
tone; it effectively points to McMurphy’s determination to overthrow his authority figure and
implies to readers that he will gain a sensation of pleasure from disrupting the natural order of the
hospital. The use of an asyndetic list may depict that McMurphy is belittling Nurse Ratched and feels
her worth and power does not exceed his, thus pointing to an alternate idea that the act of violating
rules benefits individuals by increasing their position of strength and raising their ego. Kesey
poignantly displays the underlying motivation behind McMurphy’s eagerness to conquer Nurse
Ratched to be misogynistic and discriminatory. Bayer argues that McMurphy symbolises “resistance
to oppressive institutions and at the same time showcases how male power can ‘function [...] in a
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, Centre Number: 16315 Candidate Number: 6188
destructive way’” (Bayer, 2016, p. 8). This illustrates that McMurphy may be crafted by Kesey to feel
so strongly inclined to undermine and outpower Nurse Ratched because he feels emasculated by her
position of immense power that he believes she does not deserve as a woman. Therefore, Kesey
utilises the character of McMurphy and his ambition to promote his own ideals of women inferiority.
Akin (2019) even argues that “Kesey used the novel to give his negative response to newly changing
gender roles” and that Kesey portrays “sexuality to condemn women in power as unnatural beings”.
This exhibits a refusal from Kesey to move past the traditional idea of women in society, which could
be interpreted as ironic by readers, as there is such a distinct theme of moving beyond convention in
all other aspects of the novel. Similarly, in “A Clockwork Orange”, Burgess successfully demonstrates
the rewarding aspect of breaching laws in society by enforcing it as a salient part of the main
character’s (Alex) personality. This is largely conveyed when Alex states “but what I do I do because I
like to do” (Burgess, 1962, p. 31), which dictates to readers that Alex is greatly and purely motivated
by entertaining himself and takes little notice or care in how his actions of violence affect others.
This idea that breaking the rules appeals to individuals by increasing their own sense of worth is
reiterated when Alex comments “there has to be a leader. Discipline there has to be. […] we are all
droogs, but someone has to be in charge” (Burgess, 1962, p. 24), which suggests Alex uses violence
for his own personal power gain. The repetition of the intensifier “has” signifies the value and weight
that Alex places on having a leader in the group and could point the question of good vs evil; whilst
Alex and his friends are violent and malicious, they also demand a sense of order between
themselves which they respect. In another light, this could be viewed as a desperate plea for a
boundary to be broken – the group create their own order from the chaos they cause, thus providing
the idea that are always craving a state of authority to overcome. Disputes like these that occur
between the group of “droogs” validate this idea, as it evocatively suggests that they struggle greatly
to feel any sort of social rest and reach what they all deem to be fair in terms of crafting their own
hierarchy. Therefore, the notion that transgressing can be rewarding for individuals is undoubtedly
evident in both novels, as both authors emphasise that the perceived outcome of rule-breaking is
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