“I know about how harmless and gentle and dreamy he was supposed to be, how he’d never hurt a fly, how he didn’t care about money and power and fancy clothes and automobiles and things, how he wasn’t like the rest of us, how he was better than the rest of us, how he was so innocent he was practically jesus….”, explained Marvin Breed. In the funeral shop, Marvin spoke to Jonah about the gossip that surrounded Felix Hoenikker when he first moved to Illium County. In the excerpt, Marvin’s emphasis on words like, “...supposed to be…”, and “...he was practically Jesus….”, reveal that Felix Hoenikker preconceived reputation was different from the Felix they all grew to know. In the novel “Cat’s Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut, his character Dr. Felix Hoenikker serves as an important villain in the story due to his lack of wisdom, his similarities to the real life Dr. Langmuir, and absence of humanity. Intertwined in the plot of the novel are characters that have influences from real life people, such as Dr. Felix Hoenikker inspiration
This sense of justice causes McMurphy to put his own self-preservation at the bottom of his list of importance, as Kesey writes, “—light arcs across, stiffens him, bridges him up off the table till nothing is down but his wrists and ankles and out around that crimped black rubber hose a sound like hooeee! And he’s frosted over completely with sparks” (Pg. 245). McMurphy stood up for the wellbeing of George and his fellow patients, and ultimately paid the price of numerous electro-shock therapy sessions. McMurphy put his well-being behind that of those in the facility because he knew that without him, the patients would not have stood up for themselves. McMurphy’s influence through his search for justice prompted an overall positive change for the
In addition to setting, McMurphy did what wanted, when he wanted, always being loud and disruptive (“One Flew Over The Cukoo’s Nest” 3). He admits himself into the ward only to get out of working on the work farm. Because McMurphy is not actually insane, he’s not fond of the rules of that are set in place on a daily basis; He doesn’t follow the “god damned policy” (Kesey 89). By acting the way he does, he gets under the skin of the Big Nurse, who is in charge of keeping a set routine Acutes and Chronics, such as “Six-forty-five the shavers buzz and the Acutes line up in alphabetical order at the mirrors, A, B, C, D….” (Kesey 26).
Throughout the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, a psychoanalysis is made through the character, McMurphy. There are several things you can infer from McMurphy through his speech and actions. McMurphy instantly perceives himself to be something he is not. When he first walks into the ward he says, “Since I'm thinking about taking over this whole show myself...maybe I better talk with the top man,” (19). Typically when someone is introduced to a new place, they are hesitant on how to respond.
He is big, loud, sexual, and confident, is an obvious foil for the quiet and intimidated Bromden and the sterile and mechanical Nurse Ratched. His loud, fee laughter stuns the other paitents, who have grown accustomed to repressed emotions. Throughout his introduction of the film, not a single voice rises to meet his. MacMurphy’s self-sacrifice on his behalf echoes himself on the cross to redeem humankind. He slowly gathers the patients around him as he increases his rebellion against Nurse Ratched.
In Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the main character, Randle Patrick McMurphy, is a perfect example of a tragic hero. Throughout the novel McMurphy sets himself up to be the tragic hero by resenting Nurse Ratched’s power and defending the other patients. He can be classified as a contemporary tragic hero, but he also includes elements of Aristotle’s tragic hero. McMurphy’s rebellious nature and ultimate demise are what truly makes him as a tragic hero.
All of McMurphy violent behavior was for the men to better themselves. He prepared them for real world outside of the ward. He helped them not to get pushed around and to not be afraid to do what they want. Mcmurphy’s madness is made reasonable as it provided the patients with hope and helped them return to a sane lifestyle. By the end, McMurphy managed to release many of the patients to their normal senses, Even though it caused him to lose his freedom.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, considers the qualities in which society determines sanity. The label of insanity is given when someone is different from the perceived norm. Conversely, a person is perceived as sane when their behavior is consistent with the beliefs of the majority. Although the characters of this novel are patients of a mental institution, they all show qualities of sanity. The book is narrated by Chief Brodmen, an observant chronic psychiatric patient, who many believe to be deaf and dumb.
The Fallacies of American Idealism A significant work of modernism and surrealism, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has received a myriad of literary criticisms and contrasting analyses. Illustrating the story of Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald becomes a literary architect as he designs the complex characteristics withheld by this protagonist. Developing as the story moves forward, Gatsby’s demeanor and personality establish imperative roles as they portray the character’s pathological narcissism and classic romantic undertones while exemplifying delusions of American ideals. Introduced to the reader by the narrator named Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby is described as having a mysteriously inherited opulence, invoking rumor among his innumerable guests.
The first time he is asked about his mental state he is very upbeat, joking, and has a lot of questions. After being institutionalized for sometime he begins to act differently and less like himself. He becomes quieter and more reserved although not completely losing himself quite yet. McMurphy fits in quickly with the other patients but has a hard time adjusting to the schedule.
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.
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.
Determining what defines an abnormal behavior is not simply black and white. To evaluate and diagnose someone it takes clinical assessment and observation of their character and behavior. This paper will review the character of Randle McMurphy from the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. By utilizing the DSM-5 criteria for Personality Disorders Randle could be diagnosed as Antisocial Personality Disorder because of the behaviors he exhibited throughout the movie.
Debra Crown once wrote that, “Arrogance is an illusion of superiority one perpetrates upon their self. Some may ultimately find their way through the illusion, but only after many losses.” One flaw that is seen throughout literature is narcissism, which is a personality disorder in which one views themselves superior to the reality in which they live. Within her book, Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte constructs the personality of a narcissist through the characters Heathcliff and Edgar Linton, which guide their choices that in time will leads to their own destruction and loss of mortality. Narcissism is a medical diagnosis in which one is too preoccupied in an alternative world to see the reality around themselves (Campbell).
We all have at least some idea about what narcissism is. Narcissism is the quest for satisfaction from vanity or self important reverence of one's own traits. The term began from Greek folklore, where the youthful Narcissus became hopelessly enamored with his own picture reflected in a pool of water. It was prevalently presented in Sigmund Freud's exposition “On Narcissism”. "On Narcissism: An Introduction" begins with Freud referring to a psychological state exclusively called auto-eroticism-and suggests that it might actually be a condition common in the psychology of all human beings.. "
