One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: “The Combine”

“The Combine”
Name
Institution
“The Combine”
“The Combine” is used by the Chief to represent an entity or a system that represses other people. He first mentions “the Combine” in the first chapter when noting that “when you got something under your belt you’re stronger and more wide awake, and the bastards who work for the Combine…” (Kesey, 1963, p. 6). The next time he uses “the Combine” is in the third chapter when he notes that “across the room from the Acutes are the culls of the Combine’s product, the Chronics.” (p.15) In this case, one can now begin to understand that he uses the phrase to represent a system that oppresses the Acutes and the Chronics. The author does well to differentiate between these two groups and one can see how they are mistreated. In explaining more about Chronics, “the culls of the Combin...