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Cuckoo's Nest Characteristics

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In Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, one of the main characters can be depicted as a messiah figure for the men of the psychiatric ward. A messiah figure would be someone who has leader like qualities and can be seen as a saviour to a cause or group of people. Randle McMurphy, the newest addition to the hospital, changes things the moment he steps foot inside the institution and profoundly demonstrates the characteristics of a saviour through his actions and what he says. Although he is crude and boisterous, he takes the men out on a fishing trip, alluding to an actual bible tale where Jesus takes his twelve disciples out onto the boat. McMurphy also exhibits attributes of a leader or perhaps an individual whom all the other men trust more and leads them all on a journey to become proud and confident again. In the end, even though McMurphy suffers a great deal, he is shown as a capital figure he is willing to sacrifice what he has in order to save the other men in the hospital. One of the main times the men decide to defy the nurse and ward rules is when they decide to plan a fishing trip. This is an absolute crucial part of McMurphy’s story because of the fact that it references directly to the bible, Matthew eight. In the story, Jesus goes out on a boat with his twelve disciples when they are hit by a storm. It is not very different …show more content…

In a way, McMurphy recruited his own “twelve disciples” and brought them on his fishing trip, boosting their confidence and fuelling their sense of self-worth. He led and taught the patients countless times how to laugh more and stand up for themselves as well as paying the ultimate sacrifice for his actions: giving up his life. However, it is evident in characters like the chief that McMurphy will not be forgotten because there is no doubt that he can be perceived as a humorous, dynamic messiah

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Jesus and Cuckoo's Nest Parallels Jesus Christ led his apostles against a very oppressive government. In the movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, R.P. McMurphy leads an oppressed group of mental patients against an extremely oppressive medical staff. There are many parallels between R.P. and Jesus Christ. The main similarity is that, even in the face of adversity, both continued to fight for what was right. Additionally, both did not have a selfish personality.

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In between this transformation, however, McMurphy had to make many sacrifices to get the ward in this new state. The first of these sacrifices is one that McMurphy unknowingly made when he first showed up at the ward. He put himself out there, which made the Nurse notice him, which will only have him labeled as a threat to the Nurse, which puts him in danger. Another sacrifice McMurphy makes is for George. After the fishing trip, the orderlies are instructed to clean the attendees.

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To begin, similar to how Aquinas asserts that spiritual truths in the Scriptures are related through the use of figurative language, Kesey’s work utilizes figurative language to enrich and more effectively express its thematic content. For instance, consider when McMurphy, who provides much wisdom to both his fellow patients and the reader, dramatically imparts to the men the virtues of selflessness and sacrifice. Late in the novel, McMurphy is provided with a difficult ultimatum—he may apologize to Nurse Ratched, but lose the esteem of the men and, consequently, all of the progress he has made in building up their self-esteem, or he may suffer electroconvulsive therapy until he is willing to come to heel. McMurphy, of course, chooses martyrdom for the sake of the men. The importance of selflessness and sacrifice is effectively communicated to the reader by McMurphy’s decision, but this lesson gains more import as a result of McMurphy being developed as a symbol for Christ.

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After Jesus was crucified, he lay in his tomb for three days and then was resurrected. When he came across his disciples, they failed to recognize him. Once again, McMurphy symbolizes Jesus and the resurrection and McMurphy’s most dedicated followers, or Jesus’s disciples, cannot recognize the face of their savior. But, like Jesus on Easter Day, McMurphy must go to heaven as Chief Bromden lies on his body and suffocates McMurphy “until the thrashing stopped” (270). The ending of McMurphy’s life and his ascent to heaven demonstrates the conclusion of the Easter story allusion and the completion of the sacrifice to save the patients and allow them to feel as though they can leave the psychiatric ward and free themselves from the Combine and Nurse Ratched.

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In Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel ‘One flew over the cuckoo’s nest’ the main character and narrator, Chief Bromden, is noticeably stuck inside his own head as he acts deaf and dumb to escape the pressures of being a part of something. As the novel moves on, for someone who’s perception of living is to stay transparent and withdrawn totally inside himself the Chief takes a transformation from his delusional mind and gains strength physically and mentally, creating a journey towards freedom and finally, breaking free from the ward and from himself. Kesey uses the transformation to unravel a number of ideas about the importance of freedom and explores how the pressures of society can lead individuals to conform within themselves. The theories Chief believes

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This madness in Mcmurphy gives the men hope throughout the novel. The irrational behavior can be judge as reasonable in many cases. Mcmurphy is a big, loud and confident man. He’s different from many other patients in the ward. When he first entered the ward he was laughing and telling jokes.

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Conformity In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

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In the struggle between freedom and power, McMurphy’s sacrifice allows freedom to prevail. His leadership in a rising rebellion parallels many of the countercultures that arose during the 1960s. His rebellion fights against Nurse Ratched in the way that the countercultures fought against the government and society in the past to the present. The men in the asylum are unknowingly unhappy before the arrival of McMurphy. Through his antics, the men are saved from society in the form of Nurse Ratched’s regime.

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Cuckoo's Nest Symbolism

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CJ Johnston Pd.3 In the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, author Ken Kesey, claimed to shed a light on human nature throughout the book. I think this light was, the combine is everywhere and you can’t escape it, he shows this through the fog and the symbolism of religion. If you apply this idea to your day to day life. We go to school monday-friday from 8-3:20 you don’t act out in school or skip school because you're scared of the consequence, which in theory makes it part of the combine.

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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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1010 Words | 5 Pages

Another point to note was that McMurphy seems abnormal among the patients. Especially with his laugh, I kept thinking that he might be mentally ill and not fake it (Kesey). But if you just imagine his behavior outside of the asylum, then it seems normal. This phenomenon is well known in psychology. It says that person once convicted of mental illness have an uphill battle to prove that he is not.

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