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Among the many themes and messages that are present in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest there is one that stands out to me as most important. It is the idea that there is growth through nonconformity. It’s not until after the patients go against conformity that they begin to grow or “get better”. Before continuing it is important to know what is representative of conformity in the film and what is representative of nonconformity. The main symbol of conformity in this case is Nurse Ratched. She likes everything done to procedure and is always very strict about the schedule. She refuses to turn the music down from its regular level, and disallows anyone to speak out of turn during meetings. Symbolizing nonconformity is R.P. McMurphy. From the moment he walks into the ward he stands out. His clothes are different, and he’s much more outgoing than the others seem to be. Very early on he confronts Nurse Ratched about the music in the ward, and shortly after he tries to get the schedule changed so him and the other patients can watch the World Series. The World Series scenes are the ones that best show the influence of McMurphy’s nonconforming ways. In the first vote there were only three people that vo