Throughout the mid-20th century, America endured a period of revolutions as younger generations began to challenge standards and society's beliefs. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is set in the late 1950s, at the height of the civil rights movement, a time when many citizens began to challenge conformity. This novel is set among the patients and workers of a psychiatric institution. The mental institution is designed to treat patients deemed “insane” due to the lack of subservience within society. However, the institution is controlled by society and operates in the same way as the Outside world. Even though the facade of the mental institution makes it seem like it has succeeded due to great advancements, patients continue to suffer the consequences of being unique and not fitting perfectly into society. Ken Kesey uses dark humor to expose the horrendous treatment that citizens suffer inside mental institutions when they do not conform to the deranged idealistic beliefs of an inhumane society. It is logical that to be admitted to a mental institution, the patient must have a serious mental illness, however, this is not the case in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. When first entering the ward, most of the patients are ordinary people but as time passes, the all-powerful Big Nurse slowly destroys their masculinity through violent accusations and painful treatments. “He's a new man. God, modern American science…”, (40). The Big Nurse gains power through her ability to determine the fate of her patients. This sad satire depicts the robotic nature of the Big Nurse as she instantly transforms a unique patient into simply another fly on the wall. Concrete diction reveals the ir......middle of paper......can sanction those who rebel against conformism, shock and lobotomy. Through dark humor, Kesey illustrates that although it may appear that the Big Nurse is running the ward for the benefit of the patients, her primary goal is to emasculate them and strengthen her power over the men's weakness. Both the Big Nurse and the PR man have the authority to stop the destruction of patients, but neither takes the lead in stopping it as the positive aspects of conformity outweigh the negative aspects of torture. A mental institution is supposed to treat and help patients control their lives in the outside world, yet the brutality of the Big Nurse's ward is focused solely on containment and coercion. Overall, the mental institution is just a glimpse of the Combine as the authorities go to great lengths to achieve uniformity.