We Never Learn

Human kind is the most intelligent and advanced animal on earth. Over time we have developed skills that have allowed us to evolve without boundaries. But every good thing has its negatives, and humans are not the exceptions. Hand in hand with evolution, has been the oppressed of the weak and their struggle to break the injustices. Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening,” and Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” both show injustice oppressions made by society on people who are considered less.

In the first, we see the oppression of women, and in the latter, we see the oppression of people who do not seem to fit society’s rules, and are seen as mad, and how the people try and break the ties of society that are holding them down. In “The Awakening,” there’s Edna an atypical women for her era, who goes against the role of women during her time. The book was written in 1899, were women were supposed to be two things: wives and mothers. Their life revolved around their family and they were the ones in charge of making the household work. On the contrary, Edna decides to forget her house duties, and “completely abandons her Tuesdays at home, and does not return the visits of those who call upon her.” (pg. 110) On the other hand, in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” two characters are the ones responsible to go against society. For many years, people have been placed in a mental ward because they are not considered normal; they have traits that go against what was accepted by society. One example is a man called Harding that was put in the ward because he had feminine attributes and liked men. The Chief, with McMurhpy’s help, take “arms” against the combine and disturb the running of the hospital. They end up winning because the Chief escapes. In both books we see the struggle that the oppressed groups have to go through to win the battle against the injustice. Through history, people have been degraded fro being what they are. Even though there can be people that support them, the common view of society is a phenomenon that controls many. It is this common view that ends up degrading the oppressed, and they alone have to stand up for themselves and beat society.

This phenomenon has been seen all through history. Various groups, such as women, black, gay, Indians, have been affected by the rules of society. Unfortunately, masses of people go with the current and fear what’s different. Most of the people follow society’s law, and look down at the people that don’t, and here is where the oppressions starts. With these two books we can see the injustice that these two groups suffered, and we can see that it had no reason to be. Never the less, it seems as though we don’t learn fro our mistakes, because as some oppressed groups win the battle and gains acceptance, another starts being oppressed.