One Flew Over Mcmurphy: The Ultimate Martyr

Jesus Christ was a person who has impacted the world for many generations. His actions and will-doings have been inspiring, particularly his precision to creating Christianity. He put his life to Christianity and finding a more prominent life. Everytime Jesus pursued a concept or idea, his followers followed. His followers looked up to him and did whatever Jesus said, because they had true belief in his actions. The sacrifice of his life to better the world inspired his followers which led to movement. In the end, Jesus Christ can be seen as the ultimate martyr, the one who made martyrdom famous. Being a martyr means being a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle. In One Flew Over

the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, McMurphy can be seen similar to a Christ figure. McMurphy, the main character, is a man who was sent to the ward because of his actions and behaviors.

At the ward, McMurphy disagrees with Nurse Ratched’s rules. He sees that the patients do not fight back and listen to whatever Nurse Ratched tells them to do. He also does not like how Nurse Ratched has so much power. Against the normality, McMurphy tries to diminish Nurse Ratched and the Combine’s power. Throughout the story, the patients start listening to what McMurphy says and not Nurse Ratched. They also start doing things they would not normally do at the ward. They are finally breaking into Nurse Ratched’s power, through the main character McMurphy. McMurphy can be seen as a Christ figure based on the events in the ward. It can be seen when he is killed by the Combine, the fishing trip, and through his leadership to the

patients.
One reason why McMurphy can be seen as a Christ figure is when he is killed by the Combine. Realizing that his efforts will be forgotten if he simply escapes after Bibbit's suicide, McMurphy attacks Ratched. This final, violent act, out of character with Christianity, is the sacrifice McMurphy makes to guarantee his martyrdom. Even though McMurphy had been betrayed, he still made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure Ratched could not use Billy's death to take away what he had taught the patients and what they had gained. The party held in the ward resembles Christ's Last Supper complete with transubstantiated wine, a narcotic cough syrup spiked with vodka, and the Mary Magdalene-like presence of the two prostitutes Candy and Sandy. Bibbit's betrayal does not lie so much in his attempts to lay the blame for his sexual interlude with Candy on McMurphy as it does with his subsequent suicide. Judas committed suicide after betraying Christ to the Roman soldiers. Bibbit, similarly betrays McMurphy by abandoning the spirit of rebellion and self-realization by killing himself out of fear of his mother's rapprochement. His sacrifice became an inspiration to the other patients and they finally had enough strength where the nurse could no longer "rule with her old power anymore" (page 295). Ratched cruelly lobotomizes him, relinquishing him of his very identity. Realizing this, Chief suffocates him, escapes, and lives to relate his gospel of the life and works of McMurphy. When Chief Bromden kills McMurphy, he is actually resurrecting McMurphy by placing him in the patients minds that he beat Nurse Ratched. Chief knows that McMurphy does not want his rewritten mind and body to be used as a toy for Nurse Ratched. Chief does this by breaking the glass window and escaping to Canada. Although, the patients will think that McMurphy escaped and beat Nurse Ratched.
Another reason why McMurphy can be seen as a Christ figure is through the fishing trip.

The number of men accompanying McMurphy on the fishing excursion is twelve, just like the number of Christ's disciples. The bravado displayed by the patients following the gas station incident is revealed by Chief to be a bluff, much like the actions of Christ's disciples prior to his crucifixion. During the actual fishing, however, the patients embrace their identities while McMurphy retreats into the background. This sequence serves as a Pentecost of sorts as the patients finally embrace the spirit of McMurphy much like the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit following Christ's crucifixion. When the boat is lacking enough life jackets for everyone, McMurphy takes one for himself to allow the patients most in need of asserting their own individuality to go without. McMurphy takes the "twelve of us towards the ocean," (page 239) just like Jesus' 12 disciples, to test and strengthen their faith in him and empower them. The bravado displayed by the patients following the gas station incident is revealed by Chief to be a bluff, much like the actions of Christ's disciples prior to his crucifixion. During the actual fishing, however, the patients embrace their identities while McMurphy retreats into the background.Fish have also been an important religious Christian symbol, as the fishing trip is an important symbol of the novel. When the trip is over, the Chief describes the sense of

change that most of the patients had and even claims that they "weren't the same bunch of weak-knees from a nuthouse anymore." (Page 241). This really shows the way McMurphy is starting to guide and lead the patients, just as Jesus lead his disciples.
The last reason why McMurphy can be seen as a Christ figure is through his leadership to the patients. This can be seen from the beginning McMurphy arrives at the ward. He is unlike the other patients, and possesses a characteristic the patients do not have, happiness. Chief Bromden describes McMurphy's laughter as "free and loud and it comes out of his wide grinning mouth and spreads in rings bigger and bigger till it's lapping against the walls all over the ward…. This sounds real. I realize it's the first laugh I've heard in years" (Page 13). His arrival with a laugh gives a sense that he is very different from everybody in the ward, and that he was bound to change the way of the Combine. Similar to Jesus, Jesus Whilst in the ward, McMurphy annoys Nurse Ratched to diminish her power. Christ's sabbatical in the desert and triumphant return are reflected in McMurphy's period of playing it safe and toeing the line to appease Nurse Ratched. When McMurphy returns to his old self, he forces his hand through the window of the nurses' station, which can be taken either as a metaphor of Christ's clearing the merchants from the temple or his last vestige of human glory when he returns to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Another time McMurphy shows leadership is when he holds the party. He brings Candy and Sandy along with some alcohol The party held in the ward resembles Christ's Last Supper complete with transubstantiated wine — a narcotic cough syrup spiked with vodka — and the Mary Magdalene-like presence of the two prostitutes Candy and Sandy. Bibbit's betrayal does not lie so much in his attempts to lay the blame for his sexual interlude with Candy on McMurphy as it does with his subsequent suicide. Judas committed suicide after betraying Christ to the Roman soldiers. Bibbit, on the other hand, betrays McMurphy by abandoning the spirit of rebellion and self-realization by killing himself out of fear of his mother's rapprochement.
McMurphy also gets Chief Bromden to talk for the first time in the Combine while he was faking his deafness. "Thank-you." (Page 217). This is showing that McMurphy "heals" Chief of his `deafness' and `dumbness'. McMurphy has been so inspiring and great that the Chief was willing to give up his biggest secret to thank McMurphy for bringing change to the ward. Billy Bibbit was also aided and empowered by McMurphy. As a disciple however, Billy does not show gratitude and betrays McMurphy claiming "McMurphy did it!" (Page 264) and blaming an entire mess on him. As a result of his betrayal, Billy takes his own life just like Judas did when he gave Jesus to the romans for crucifixion.
In the end, it can be concluded that there are many correlations that relate McMurphy to a Christ figure, which is very interesting. Kesey does a good job in adding very subtle things, that could be huge themes in the story. A Christ figure, by definition, is also known as a Christ-Image is a literary technique that the author uses to draw allusions between their characters and the biblical Jesus. More loosely, the Christ Figure is a spiritual or prophetic character who parallels Jesus, or other spiritual or prophetic figures. McMurphy can be seen as a Christ figure based on the events in the ward. It can be seen when he is killed by the Combine, where he is resurrected by the Chief. The fishing trip, where there are his twelve disciples and the symbolism fish. And finally through his leadership to the patients, where he shows Christ-like leadership. McMurphy passes the test of being one, and further being a martyr. After Chief Bromden kills McMurphy, Chief allows the patients to act on their own. The patients, whom are inspired by McMurphy, especially after his death, can now act against Nurse Ratched in honor of McMurphy. This is similar to Jesus Christ and his followers, as they were inspired by Jesus and were inspired to keep his religion going. They were true believers in not only Jesus, but what he believed in.
McMurphy and his way of being seen as a Christ figure can be seen as a message in Cuckoo’s nest that it not only overlays the idea of Christian concepts, but is a similar movement to Martin Luther King Jr. and the movement to equal rights. In this book McMurphy is constantly at war with Nurse Ratched. This is because McMurphy is trying to take away her power and bring equality and freedom to the patients. This is similar to Martin Luther King Jr. as he is trying to get rid of segregation that is hurting the colored people and benefiting the whites, and to bring equality in America.