The author, Ken Kessey, in his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, describes how cruel and dehumanizing oppression can be. Kessey's purpose is to reveal that there are better ways to live than letting others control every aspect of a person's life. She adopts a thoughtful tone and, using the techniques of imagery and symbolism, encourages readers, especially those who regularly see or face oppression, to realize how atrocious it can be and even take action against it. Kessey's vivid imagery is a crucial part of Bromden's perceptions as it provides insight into why Bromden resents the Combine, a metaphor he uses for society. For example, in one of his nightmares caused by lack of medication, he imagines something “like the inside of a huge dam… [with] engines and dynamos as red and black as coal” (P87). What Bromden is visualizing is most likely what he imagines the Combine to be like because previously, on numerous occasions, he has described anything related to the Combine as having mechanical aspects. However, unlike before, this is the first time the full magnitude of the Combine is shown. Using such vivid imagery, every aspect described, from color to working parts, helps the reader understand why Bromden fears the Combine so much. To illustrate, the author uses the colors red and charcoal black to associate the Combine with the image of a fire burning everything in front of it to ashes. Parts such as engines and dynamos create the idea that the combine is powered by extremely complex, even incomprehensible mechanisms, against which no one can compete. Additionally, Bromden describes the workers in his dream as having faces “brutal and waxy like a mask,” raising a key point about how he views those under the influence...... middle of paper......es those who diverge from the norm and would quickly separate from them. Bromden's description of workers implies that society prefers order and efficiency to anything else, including individual freedom. The furnace would symbolize society's method of removing the different and the pace of the factory would symbolize society's obsession with order and a uniform identity. In conclusion, through the use of symbolism and imagery, Kessey illustrates how everyone should value their individualism despite the horrors. with which society might try to oppress them. Conforming to society and simply doing what others say is more like a robot than a human. However, fighting these injustices would be an incredible act of heroism that many fear doing. Works Cited Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, novel. New York: Viking, 1962. Print.