Breaking the Chains of Power

A sociological dive into the concepts of power and control in relation to the 1975 psychological drama One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Introduction

This will not be an average display of capitalist Western power corrosion.

This will be an exhibition of many facets which overflow and voyage down a stream of curiosity. The film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) depicts a relationship between power and freedom. It focuses on the power struggle between the protagonist, Randle McMurphy and the antagonist, Nurse Ratched, set in a mental institution. The concept of power has the ability to be both liberating and oppressive, depending on the use and exertion.

Sociological Perspectives of Power

Power is difficult to define. Here, we shall relate to Michel Foucault’s and Hannah Arendt’s perspectives on power.

Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) was a German-American philosopher and political theorist. She prefaces the significance of individual action and personal responsibility in the face of oppressive systems of power. In contrast to other prevalent arguments about authoritarian systems, Arendt disagrees that totalitarianism is only a product of dictatorial leaders, but that it is additionally the result of the masses’ willingness to obey and follow those leaders.

Totalitarianism is portrayed as the total domination of the state over all aspects of life, including the individual’s thoughts and emotions. One of her works, “The Origins of Totalitarianism” (1951), analyses the rise of this concept in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The willingness to obey is rooted in people’s own sense of powerlessness and isolation, with a further desire to belong. She coined the term “the banality of evil” to describe the ways in which ordinary people can be drawn into the machinery of totalitarian regimes and contribute to their functioning, often without realising the full implications of their actions. Furthermore, leaders were able to appeal to the many, with praise for meaning and purpose, presenting themselves as saviours who could restore order and stability to a chaotic world.

“True” power is initiated from the ability to persuade others to act, rather than the use of force.

Michel Foucault (1926–1984) was a French philosopher and social theorist, he criticised the medical system and how mental illness was treated. He believed that medical treatment was under a guise — that they were not actually helping people, but in fact, deepening their disturbances through repeated brutality, which became internalised by the patients. Foucault’s creation of Madness and Civilization (1967), interestingly notes that the confinement of the insane institutions was a response to the changing needs of society. This confinement was a means to control and regulate people deemed a nuisance, such as those who thought outside of government opinion and in marginalised groups.

Foucault argues that power is not limited to people and leaders, but exists throughout society in various forms. For example, systems of thought and language carry the primary means of how power is constructed. Discipline and Punish (1977) focuses on how we mentally imprison people in society, rather than punish and torture them physically. Prisons, schools and hospitals are embodied power structures which produce docile bodies that enact obedience to authority.

Both of these thinkers discuss the way in which power is disproportionately prominent in our society. The film highlights the mental institutions’ treatment of patients negatively. It is an incorporation to facilitate control and manipulation over their inner thoughts about themselves. Nurse Ratched is the representative of the disciplinary power partnered by techniques of surveillance and normalising these actions to maintain order and control within the hospital. The film is a further commentary on the exercise of power in the public realm, with a relationship between freedom and democracy. Randle McMurphy symbolises inner freedom and resistance to psychological manipulation of the soul.

Final Thoughts

Fundamentally, power signifies the ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events — whether that is between two people or the internal and external self. However, our behaviours are implicitly and indirectly impacted through a variety of means in our daily lives. For example, through our consumption and our habitual actions. Power is not necessarily embodying a person, power can be influenced on a subconscious level. This can cause more harm to the individual as it is even more difficult to become aware of the specific control that is undermining you.

Arendt argues that humanity can achieve true freedom through proactive political change, it should allow individuals to have the opportunity to engage in public discourse and decision-making in a way that allows them to exercise their agency in shaping their own livelihoods. Communication through an open exchange of ideas and an active engagement in public debate provides a less narrow approach to politics. I find this appealing because I have never been one to vouch for political systems because they ignite oppression and cause more division than community. The goal of humanity is to bring people together and to see an encouraging vision of the world through the voice of others. However, because politics can get personal and people become attached to political labels, it becomes near impossible to truly have a conversation. This is also referred to as “politicism” — emphasising ideological purity and the demonisation of alternate points of view.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a film I seem to always come back to. It metaphorically discusses the concepts of control, power, and resistance whilst at the same time inviting comedy and nuance. The patients embody a sense of spiritual starvation and increased alienation from the “norms” of society. The protagonist Randle McMurphy acts as a repellent as he poses challenges to the usual ways of routine and so-called “living”. His refusal to obey the rules gives way to a new sense of community. Those that comply with the rules, perhaps out of fear or a desire for security, are highlighted as the people who can be manipulated by indoctrination, even if they are not fully aware of their actions.

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