Abstract

This paper studies discourse-resistance nexus in Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by employing Foucault’s insights about power. Belsey’s method of Textual analysis is applied to study the negotiation between the central and the peripheral in the novel. Foucault believes that power is a dynamic process and not a static product and its discourse not only promotes but also hinders its dissemination. He asserts that resistance is engraved within the very discourse of power and an act of resistance is itself an expression of power. This paper explores the inherent contradictions of discourse concealed under its seemingly seamless façade by examining the two antagonistic characters located in a power ridden situation of the novel. Textual analysis of the novel establishes that both the central and the peripheral are constrained in a discourse driven environment in which discourse produces its reverse discourse in form of resistance.

Key words: Power, Discourse, Reverse discourse, Resistance, Central, Peripheral, Constraint