Throughout modern and historical literature, the battle of the sexes has continued. From Greek dramas to modern stream-of-consciousness novels, the struggle between men and women has been commonplace. In this way, within his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey compares the contrasting characteristics of Nurse Ratched and Candy Starr to propose a concept of duality. However, as appears in the cinematic interpretation of the novel, this theme is present, albeit to a much lesser extent. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay From the beginning of the novel, Kesey develops a generalization of women as cold and manipulative, focusing on Nurse Ratched as the center of power. For example, to portray the head nurse as distant and controlling, Kesey describes her as more mechanical than human. The nurse's smile is said to twist and stretch “into an open snarl” as she “explodes bigger and bigger, as big as a tractor” and lunges at the black boys (5). Here, the nurse's feminine characteristics such as “a compact or a lipstick or a woman's stuff” are hidden in favor of the “thousands of parts that she intends to use in her duties today” (4). The effect of such literal objectification through reverse personification serves to portray the nurse as a powerful force whose feminine characteristics are replaced by means of controlling the men around her. Furthermore, as McMurphy complains about the nurse's absolute domination of the ward, she is called an "old buzzard...going down your vitals," a "strong wolf" among rabbits, and the ruler of a system in which men "are victims". of matriarchy” (62-65). With such an explicit depiction of a woman with a real vendetta against men, Kesey paints the female antagonist as an omnipotent force whose only motive in life is to debilitate male patients. However, this vengeful portrayal of the nurse is less evident in the film's interpretation. For example, during the staff meeting that takes place in the film, the nurse does not employ the same manipulative tactics of silence and condescending looks that were constant in the text version. Furthermore, in the film the boss is not present at the staff meeting. This has the effect of diminishing the nurse's appearance of power as the boss's fear of the woman cannot be shown. For this reason, the recurring descriptions of the nurse as omnipotent and manipulative, common in the novel, are toned down in the film. However, because Kesey manifests the controlling and passive-aggressive characteristics that some men, including McMurphy, see as characteristic of women, the inclusion of Candy Starr tempers that generalization. By including the prostitute Candy in his novel, Kesey adds an important qualification to his emerging stereotype of the woman. For example, in direct contrast to the way the nurse attempts to hide her feminine characteristics and control the men on the ward, Kesey describes Candy's first encounter with the male patients as eye-opening. For example, when Candy meets the men, Kesey explains how the patients were fascinated by her body to the point of describing the scene with the vulgar hyperbole "it was so quiet...all along the line at Chronic [you] could hear the catheters break away" (232). Furthermore, not even the right doctor could look away. Instead, Dr. Spivey is observed “looking at the blonde girl's shirt as if nothing else existed” (233). Here, the nature of Candy's personality is on display as she is objectified by men while they stare.