Theme Of Christ Figure In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

A Christ figure is an element of literature that draws an allusion between a character and Jesus. A Christ figure is often used in to demonstrate how one should act in society. The idea of a Christ figure is presented in the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey through the character Randal McMurphy. The idea proven in this novel is that sometimes one must sacrifice himself for the greater good. In the beginning of the novel, like Christ, McMurphy came from wilderness and he begins to collect followers by rebelling against Ratched. In the middle of the novel, McMurphy takes the men on a fishing trip and creates miracles. At the end of the novel, McMurphy proves to be a messiah because of how he sacrificed his life for the men.

One man, George, was a germaphobe and was scared of being hosed off. McMurphy stands up for George and ends up getting into a fight with one of the aids. Bromden backs McMurphy up in the fight, so they both had to get EST treatment. As previously described, the table is shaped like a cross which helps prove that he is a Christ figure because Jesus was hung on a cross. Another instance where McMurphy is presented as a Christ figure is when Ratched found Billy Bibbit with Candy in the Seclusion room. By representing Jesus, McMurphy was betrayed by Billy when he says that “McMurphy! He did” to Ratched when she asked who made him lose his virginity (Kesey 315). This proves that Billy is Judas because Judas turned on Jesus. After this, Billy kills himself and Ratched blames McMurphy. Ratched states to McMurphy that “[she] hope[s] [he is] finally satisfied” because since he has been in the ward, there has been two suicides (318). 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

In the beginning of the novel, McMurphy came from wilderness and begins to gain followers by teaching the men that it is good to rebel against Ratched. In the middle of the novel, McMurphy chooses to rebel, takes the men on a fishing trip, and creates miracles by making Bromden break his twenty years of silence. At the end of the novel, McMurphy proves to be a Christ figure because he stands up for George and in return gets EST, gets betrayed by Billy, and receives a lobotomy. The idea that sometimes one must sacrifice himself for the greater good is still a relevant message in today’s society because it is important to stand up for other’s who cannot stand up for themselves. For example, Nelson Mandela peacefully protested in South Africa against apartheid and was jailed in doing so, but he did it for the sake of