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

Behind the destructiveness and psychopathic things that go inside his head, McMurphy is a brisk and dynamic character; throughout the novel he proves to others that he is worthy of being the main person in charge along with being a healer to the patients. He goes from being perceived as an arrogant person who only wants his ways, to a trustable person by the patients. McMurphy is the light of hope that the patients need in order to get their attention drawn away from the austere regulations of Nurse Ratched. In the novel, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, critics say that McMurphy is a destructive and psychotic character; I say that he is a larger than life character who appreciates the patients around him, is a deity, and someone was doomed to change the ward that he would soon die in.
The life that McMurphy has prior to being hospitalized tells the readers that he is confident and brave- his service in the military. “…distinguished Service Cross in Korea, for leading an escape from a Communist prison camp. A dishonorable discharge…” (Kesey 44).The sole reason why he does not want to stay is because of the manual labor. He abandons his assignment at the work farm and looks forward to his confinement in a mental hospital so he can relax and have a more simplistic lifestyle. When he arrives at the hospital, Kesey reveals McMurphy’s true identity: a “party animal” involved in drugs, sex and rock n roll. He lives in his own

world and stands by his own rules. Later on in the novel, we see the outcome of his personality. Upon his arrival he first is introduced to Cheswick, Billy and Dale Harding. “Yes sir, that’s what I came to this establishment for, to bring you bird’s fun an’ entertainment around the gamin’ table (Kesey 17). The three of them introduce McMurphy to the group: Chief, Pete, George, Fredrickson and Martini. McMurphy observes that Nurse Ratched uses humiliation, medication, and medical procedures (electroshock therapy) as a form of keeping everyone in control. He does not endorse using meetings to “interrogate” and humiliate the patients. He views Nurse Ratched as a thoughtful person and someone who must be overruled at their own game. “You know, that’s the first thing that got me about this place, that there wasn’t anybody laughing…man, when you lose your laugh, you lose your footing. A man goes around lettin’ a woman whup him down till he can’t laugh anymore…”(Kesey 68). McMurphy perceives the roles of women lesser than that of men. He believes males are the dominate gender is society. The most shocking of these tactics is using patients to spy on each other; she calls this a “pecking party.” “They spy on each other. Sometimes one man says something about himself that he didn’t aim to let slip, and one of his buddies at the table where he said it yawns and gets up and sidles over to the big log book by the Nurses’ Station and writes down the piece of information he heard” (Kesey 18).
McMurphy’s crossing of the threshold comes in early in the novel. He shows this in two different ways. Rebelling against Nurse Ratched and leaving to go on a fishing trip is the 1st. In one of Nurse Ratched’s meetings; which are intended as a form of therapy, McMurphy makes a joke and she reads his file to everyone. She cites that he has a history of brawling, assault and battery, arrests for drunkenness, and statutory rape. “… a history of street brawls and barroom fights and a series of arrests for Drunkenness, Assault and Battery, Disturbing the Peace, repeated gambling, and one arrest—for Rape” (Kesey 44). McMurphy claims that he didn’t know that the girl was 15 years old nor did she say anything about her age. “Said she was seventeen, Doc, and she was “plenty willin’ ” (Kesey 44). He jokes about this with the others, and Nurse Ratched doesn’t take it too kindly. He finds it humorous and furthermore helps show the type of person that he is. The second time that he crosses the threshold is when he and the orderlies escape to go on a fishing trip. Everyone was on board with McMurphy’s idea, but not Nurse Ratched. McMurphy took it upon himself to persuade her despite her ruling. She finally considers the idea, but under the circumstance that each patient has to vote for their preference. When the voting commences, it is only McMurphy, who has his hand up. It is at this moment that we see the true power of Nurse Ratched. According to Adler’s Compensation Theory, Nurse Ratchet is categorized under overcompensation- characterized by a superiority goal, leads to striving for power, dominance, self esteem and self-devaluation. He also states that much neurotic behavior is a result of feelings of inadequacy or inferiority. The patients are too scared of letting her hear their voice/opinions. They are frightened and intimidated by what might transpire. In the past, there was a patient named Taber, who had the audacity of asking Nurse Ratched what kind if MEDs he was receiving; she treated him a crude way and was later lobotomized. Already aware of electroshock therapy, raising their hand up or a slip of the tongue could be detrimental to their well-being. “The slightest thing messy or out of kilter or in the way ties her into a little white knot of tight-smiled fury… (Kesey 30). This show how an uptight person she is. On the fishing trip he gathers everyone and invites candy, a prostitute, to tag along on their journey. Inserting everyone at risk, it strengthened their faith in him. McMurphy introduces Billy to Candy, whom he promises a date with her sometime later. "'You think I wuh-wuh-wuh want to stay in here? You think I wouldn't like a con-con-vertible and a guh-guh-girl friend? But did you ever have people l-l-laughing at you? No, because you're so b-big and so tough! Well, I'm not big and tough” (Kesey 168). As they went along, their trip got cut short by the police. Soon after, everybody heads back to the hospital with no arrest being made.
When everyone is back at the hospital, Nurse Ratched continues to follow up her daily routine of gathering the patients to a group meeting. McMurphy cannot make it to the meeting due to a phone call. She sees the advantage of him not being present, and makes it clear that no one is allowed to be around McMurphy. She orders them not to be subsequent in his treacherous courses of action and not ask him for anything. Harding, one of the more sophisticated gentlemen, argues with her saying that McMurphy has met with his end of the bargains-he is referring to the patients having to pitch in money to get aboard the boat. “Harding defends McMurphy, pointing out that McMurphy has more than repaid the patients’ financial losses by providing them with the means to resist Ratched’s influence”(Kesey 199). He is protecting McMurphy; it shows the readers the confidence he has towards him.
When Nurse Ratched orders everyone who went on the fishing trip to take a shower, we view the symbolism of Christ in McMurphy. George, who has a phobia of getting cleaned, pleads the warden to not spray him with water. “George never uses soap… (Kesey 228). Chief and McMurphy witness this and defend George. They get into a scuffle between the wardens, and ultimately get sent to electroshock therapy. As they are waiting outside to receive electroshock therapy, Chief gets anxious and starts to worry about his fate. McMurphy on the other hand, is completely composed and unequivocally gets on the table. His self-sacrifice for the benefit of the patients begins to emerge In this particular moment we see the perfect symbolism of Jesus Christ. The nurses lay him down with his hands, elongated horizontally across from his body; he even asks if they are going to place a crown of thorns on his head. His knees and wrists are clamped down as if it were nailed to a cross; ready to be executed. “They put the graphite salve on his temples. “What is it?” he says. “Conductant,” the technician says. “Anointest my head with conductant. Do I get a crown of thorns?”… Put on those things like headphones, crown of silver thorns over the graphite at his temples” (Kesey 237).
Towards the final incidents of the novel, McMurphy throws a party. He persuades the night aid, Mr. Turkle, to let in Candy and her friend Sandy, who is also a prostitute, in return for beer and sex. Little does he know about the chaotic mess and devastating events that are about to pursue. The patients get wild and drunk. They thrash the place like high school teenagers after the result of a football game. McMurphy notices Billy and remembers his promise that he made earlier. McMurphy escorts Bill and Candy to a room, so they can have some alone time together. As the night passes on, McMurphy decides it is time to finally leave. He encourages Harding to accompany him on his trip to Canada. “Harding looked at him in silence for a time and smiled, then said, “No, you don’t understand. I’ll be ready in a few weeks. But I want to do it on my own, by myself, right out that front door, with all the traditional red tape and complications. I want my wife to be here in a car at a certain time to pick me up. I want them to know I was able to do it that way” (Kesey 258). McMurphy respects his decision in wanting him to stay and receive an appropriate goodbye.
The final moments of McMurphy’s short time in the ward starts to kick in when Nurse Ratched arrives at the hospital. He thinks about leaving the orderlies behind, but realizes that he can’t. They have done as much as good for him than he has for them. He won’t tolerate the big nurse yelling at the patients without him standing up for them; she won’t be able to play the last move and last play. He stays and sure enough, she arrives. “The Big Nurse took our good humor without so much as a trace of her little pasted smile; every laugh was being forced right down her throat till it looked as if any minute she’d blow up like a bladder” (Kesey 261). She is flabbergasted at what she is seeing: pills on the floor, Mr. Turkle blackout in the linen room, Billy is with Sandy and McMurphy in the sofa cuddling with Candy. All of them are full of joy and happiness until she shows up like thunder in the night. As furious as she can be, she demands an explanation for what has occurred, but in the midst of looking at everyone she notices Billy missing from the group. The nurse reaches for the door of the Seclusion Room at the end of the hall, where he finds Billy and Candy together. “Good morning, Miss Ratched,” Billy said, not even making any move to get up and button his pajamas. He took the girl’s hand in his and grinned. “This is Candy… “Oh, Billy Billy Billy—I’m so ashamed for you’ “ (Kesey 265). She shames him for what he did like a little boy not knowing about the consequences.In desperation she threatens to call his mother to get a reaction out of him. “He shook his head, begging her. “You d-don’t n-n-need!” (Kesey 265). Quietness struck the room. Billy’s face began turning like a tomato. He appeared as if it was only the nurse and him in the room; it was Mexican standoff. Terrified of what his mom was going to say he ran and got a knife out of a doctor’s desk and cut his throat. McMurphy at this point has had about enough from the nurse’s antics. He stands up and speaks for everyone against Nurse Ratched. He truly shows courage and bravery. Without thinking twice, McMurphy begins to choke her with the intention of killing her. The night guards try helplessly prying the fingers off of her throat. They finally get him off of her and send him to electroshock therapy. When he is finally back, Chief is the first one to know. He sees a line across his head and realized that he has been lobotomized. Not wanting him to live his life practically in bed, he purposely kills by suffocation. This is where we see the struggles that he did for the patients, transfer to Chief. He gives Chief the strength to lift the control panel and fulfill his dream of going to Canada. McMurphy’s reference to Christ helps elevate the characters martyrdom to a high level of significance.
Although some readers may object to McMurphy being a hero, I would answer that he is a person that does not care about endangering his life for others that he truly cares about.

At the end of the day, he is the light of hope that the patients secretly needed to make them feel happy and secure. Through laughter, it helped the patients attain love and benevolence. My conclusion, then, is that R.P.McMurphy is a tragic hero and should be because of what he did to help others and defeat the mastermind that is Nurse

Ratched.