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Examples Of Mcmurphy In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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Randall McMurphy, the protagonist of Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has an unlikely destination at a mental hospital in Oregon. There, he fights against the system that has been imposed on his recently made friends in the hospital, such as Billy Bibbit and Chief Bromden, who he helps overcome the unfair system imposed on them. With his imminent battle for power against the institution, McMurphy is an archetypal Christ-like hero, although some of his actions aren’t Christ-like. The duel between him and Nurse Ratched ends in the ultimate de-throning of Ratched and McMurphy achieving what he wants to do-- even if he wasn’t there to witness it. The willingness of McMurphy to sacrifice his own strength for his peers demonstrates his caring capabilities. McMurphy’s struggle for his peers’ individuality and sexuality regardless of Nurse Ratched’s oppressive force, which symbolizes modern society, determines his altruistic …show more content…

The determination he had for his “fellas” to be freed of Ratched’s dictatorship channeled his inner battle with a female “Pontius Pilate”. His crucifixion was the lobotomy at the end. Other symbols include taking the men fishing (“twelve of us patients headed towards the ocean," (203), since he wants to strengthen their confidence in him and being with Candy constantly throughout the story. Being with a prostitute may seem like it’s not Christ-like, but Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’ followers, was a prostitute as well, and witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection. In conclusion, McMurphy also died with a “crown of thorns”, or the lobotomy, and left behind change that he desired, and had an impact on many that he didn’t live to see. In Page 266, Ratched even accuses him of “trying to be God”. Billy even “betrays” him when he blames McMurphy for throwing a party, channeling Judas. Also, Jesus came down from heaven, willing to risk it all, like McMurphy did by being in the mental

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In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey uses the motif, Christ and Savior to find faults within society demonstrating that one should sacrifices oneself in order to save others from tyranny imposed by authority. In the beginning of the novel, the motif, Christ and Savior is not prevalent within the ward. However, as McMurphy appears, the figure of Christ and Savior starts to reveal by McMurphy’s actions. While the men think McMurphy is going to stand up for them against Big Nurse, he says, “I couldn’t figure it at first, why you guys were coming to me like I was some kind of savior.

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During McMurphy’s stay at the ward, he has created a name and reputation for himself as the tough guy. Despite the fact that the nurses perceived simply as a troublemaker and a disturbance to their daily routine, the other patients look up to him as their lifesaver. It is evident that this is the case when they begin to adopt his habits during the road trip. Kesey writes that they act “like he did” to articulate the way that others perceive him as superior and want to be like him.

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The party in the ward before McMurphy’s lobotomy is parallel to Christ’s last supper before he was crucified. The narcotic cough syrup mixed with vodka resembles the wine and the two prostitutes, Candy and Sandy, are analogous to Mary Magdalene. Judas’s betrayal of Jesus is referenced with Billy Bibbit’s “betrayal” of McMurphy. Bibbit's betrayal is not in his attempts to push the blame of his time with Candy on McMurphy; it is with his suicide that follows.

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In response, McMurphy strangles her, however, she sends him away and he received a lobotomy. While McMurphy is on a different ward, the men stand up for themselves and some even find the courage to sign out of the hospital. McMurphy’s lobotomy is equivalent to Jesus’s crucifixion because afterwards McMurphy is presented as a martyr. This shows that McMurphy choose to rebel, which proves that he chose to sacrifice

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His rebellious and free mind makes the patients open their eyes and see how the have been suppressed. His appearance is a breath of fresh air and a look into the outside world for the patients. This clearly weakens Nurse Ratched’s powers, and she sees him as a large threat. One way or another, McMurphy tends to instigate changes of scenery. He manages to move everyone away from her music and watchful eye into the old tube room.

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