The Failed Pursuit Of Freedom

Since the1960s, researches into the western film have witnessed the shift fromtraditional theory to modern theory, from the analysis of film’s own characteristics tohuman culture presented in film. As a result, as a kind of culture carrier, filmincreasingly draws more and more attention. While different from the traditional filmreviews which focus on the story, plot, characterization, themes, acting, etc. of thefilm, the cultural researchers pay more attention to political, cultural aspects of thefilm and the ideology they represent. Film is like a mirror which can reflects socialrealities, or a ladder leading to the real word, showing people what it really is on earthbehind the surface.One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest was originally a novel by Ken Kesey in1962.The novel takes madhouse as a metaphor to present American social type which has astrong anti-institutional meaning. Through the hand of the immigration director MilosForman, the complicated ideological background of the film is covered with a layer ofspecial luster, giving audience more space to think. Therefore, once released, it causeda strong reaction. Cultural researchers are also competing from different perspectivesto interpret this movie.Based on Althusser’s theories of Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses,this thesis firstly gives an explanation of the theories of Ideology and IdeologicalState Apparatuses as well as their roles in social life. And then it analyses the workingof the Cuckoo’s Nest which is as one of Ideological State Apparatuses. The thesis alsooffers the analysis of five typical “patients”, Billy Bibbit, Harding, Cheswick,Michael Murphy and Chief Bromden in this film, and the four failed flights out of thehospital. Based on these analyses, the thesis is aimed to tell that why these patientscan finally compromise and live harmoniously with these seemingly kind but crueland mandatory regulations.In the thesis, the writer questions the possibility of escaping the control of theIdeological State Apparatuses. It seems that in fact, no one can really escape the control of the Cuckoo’s Nest. Namely, under the working of this Ideological StateApparatus, the constant attempts made by the patients to pursue the freedom, to fleethis lunatic agency, to get rid of the constraint, are proved to be a failure ultimately.Hence these attempts are in vain actually, and the “freedom” is a kind of endless futilefor them. Even one can get a successful try, it is just a kind of victory for a very shorttime. Patients will finally give in, adapt and accept it.