The thrilling new Netflix series, “You”(2018), directed by Sera Gamble, has become very popular because of the captivating main character, Joe, played by Penn Badgley. The writers paint Joe as the perfect man, but as viewers continue to watch, that idea slowly unravels. Joe is a psychoanalyst, who studies peoples every move. While working his job at a bookstore, he observes a beautiful girl named Beck(played by Elizabeth Lail), and falls in love with her mannerisms and quirks instantly. Before Joe pursues Beck face to face, he practically dedicates his life to stalking her. Once Joe eases his way into Beck’s life and becomes her boyfriend, viewers are thrown into a deep state of confusion. Joe seemed to be the perfect boyfriend, and viewers start to think that despite the stalking, he’s still a good guy.

Modern progressivism in America dates back into the end of the 19th century in the 1890s as the nation underwent massive changes with urbanization and an uptick in immigration. With an industrialized nation, burgeoning businesses in railroad and steel prospered. Before this period, the role of government was minimal in the life of the everyday citizen with no federal income tax levied and the absence of a large governing apparatus. However, with the growth of businesses into large trusts, partly credited to the laissez-faire culture, calls for government intervention grew.

Human strength arises in the face of adversity, and Kesey’s life was full of just that. Adversity shows what an individual is capable of managing, and how far they can be pushed without breaking; strength builds off of this. With a son facing tragic death when he was forty-nine, operating under the effects of LSD, serving in the U.S. Army, and working at an unpleasant psychiatric ward, Kesey has experienced unideal circumstances and has found his strength from it. These events, however affront, led to the strength Kesey expresses in both “What a World” and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.