An Analysis Of The Alienation Theme In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the representative work of Ken Kesey, American famous writer in 1960s. Due to his harshest criticisms on the American industrial society, Kesey gains his important position in American literary history. Some researches at abroad and in China have been done on this novel, while the research from the perspective of alienation had been done fewer.This purpose of this paper is to reveal Ken Kesey's perception on alienation manifested in his novel. In this way, the negative aspect of the advanced industrial society can be revealed clearly. At the same time, the paper also summarizes the alienation theme in literature briefly and concludes the features of alienation in this novel. By means of related theories on alienation, this paper explores alienation from three aspects as the following: self-alienation including alienation from society, alienation interpersonal relationships and estrangement from the nature.The thesis falls into five chapters. The first chapter makes a general introduction to Cuckoo's Nest and its author, literature review and its contents of this thesis. The second chapter makes a review on alienation including theoretical perspective on alienation and a brief summary of the alienation theme in western modern literature. The third one elaborates the features of alienation in Cuckoo's Nest. The fourth chapter will illustrate alienation from the perspectives of men's self-alienation, alienated interpersonal relations and estrangement from the nature. Thereby, the human nature's alienation and spiritual crisis in the advanced American industrial society are revealed clearly. The conclusion restates the purpose of the paper, its significance and expectation on the further study.