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

Upon his arrival at the asylum, McMurphy causes a rather large disturbance to the regular and mechanised schedule of Nurse Ratched’s ward. During his time there, McMurphy manages to change the scene in the ward so that the patients become more empowered. In Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy evolves from a regular gambling con man to a hero to a saviour, characterised by his many selfless acts to protect and bolster the other patients. Although McMurphy seems to be just another reckless, selfish, and gambling con man during his time here, he transforms into a hero and eventually a saviour to the other patients. At first, McMurphy merely establishes himself and makes some personal gains through cards and bets. While trying …show more content…
With Nurse Ratched out of the way for a while, Mack plans a fishing trip for the patients to the sea, albeit with a price tag of ten dollars. Explaining the trip, Mack says the sea is the place “where men are men” (Kesey 209). In addition to getting at Nurse Ratched, Mack sees the fishing trip as a method to bring back the repressed masculinity in the patients. Later, when Mack sees Chief’s only gum taken away, Mack gives his only gum to Chief, saying, “Here... Juicy Fruit is the best I can do for you at the moment, Chief” (Kesey 217). Mack gives his only gum to Chief like any good elementary school student would do. At the gas station en route to the sea, the patients encounter tough attendants. Seeing that his boys and the doctor are being mistreated, Mack protects the men by saying, “we’re every bloody one of us hot off the criminal-insane ward” (Kesey 236). By telling the attendants he and the patients are criminally insane, Mack allows the men to circumvent their vulnerabilities, meanwhile bolstering their confidence. On the boat, after the men catch a large fish, everybody feels like men and starts laughing. Chief points out that the laughter is “swelling the men bigger and bigger” (Kesey 250). By taking the patients on the trip, Mack empowers the men to laugh heartily and feel free, which makes them psychologically bigger and stronger than before. Furthermore, in accordance to his parallelism to Jesus Christ, Mack manages to fish back the ‘men’ in the patients. When the patients are quarantined in the showers, the orderlies are pressuring George into having salve applied. Mack sees the bullying and proceeds to intervene, telling the orderlies “that’s enough” (Kesey 273), which ultimately results in a all-out brawl between him and Chief against the orderlies. Despite facing personal danger in a three to two fight, Mack protects George from the forceful