One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: A Character Analysis

Beyond how Amir interacts with other people, actions that he intentionally has to carry out himself also have a considerable impact on his development, as well as how that development is formed based on what he’s learned from Baba. One such action is when he forces himself to toughen up and go after Sohrab, despite finding out from Rahim Khan that he’s been lied to his entire life. Shortly after refusing vehemently to get Hassan’s son, Amir changes his mind, saying “then I told him I was going to Kabul,” demonstrating Amir’s decision to make himself better, and more like how Baba tried to raise him to be (Hosseini, 227). Even though it’s likely one of the most frightening tasks Amir has had to undertake to date, he knows this is the type of

Where McMurphy functions as a father figure to the men on the ward, and especially to Chief Bromden, Baba functions as a literal father for Amir. Bromden starts out timid, and stays that way for most of the story, despite having the potential to be stronger than McMurphy himself. Such is also seen in Amir, who tends to back down from every altercation he comes across, despite being raised by someone like Baba, who pushes for him to be the exact opposite. The constant influence of McMurphy’s power eventually takes its toll on Bromden, who learns throughout the story how to be more outspoken, both literally and figuratively, as well as how to generally be more confident in himself, going so far as to break out of the ward and run for freedom at the end of the story. Despite his ultimate success, Bromden could never have completely reached his potential and broken out had it not been for McMurphy, the symbol of power in the ward, being taken down by another force, the nurse. Again, Amir finds himself in a strikingly similar situation, as he does eventually find it in himself to break from his daily routine and gain the courage to face his past. Although it takes a greater force than the man who raised him to bring that man down, this major loss for Amir reminds him that cowardice isn’t a thing to retain, and helps Amir return to Rahim Khan and repent for his past mistakes, both as a child and