Did Mcmurphy Change In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

925 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Cuckoo's nest character analysis

In the story, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, patients live locked up in a restricted domain, everyday taking orders from the dictator, Nurse Ratched. Once McMurphy enters this asylum, he starts to rally everyone up and acting like this hospital is a competitive game between him and Nurse Ratched. McMurphy promotes negative behavior, such as, gambling and going against the rules, to mess around with the nurses and so he can be the leader that everyone looks up to. McMurphy soon learns that he might not be in control after all. Nurse Ratched decides who will be let out and when. After realizing why no one has stood up to Nurse Ratched before, he starts to follow rules and obey the nurses. This changes the whole mood of the hospital, …show more content…

He would always sneak in wine, gamble with them, and would have them play along on all his jokes. His need for freedom was refreshing to everyone else, that what kept them going. At points when he gave up from being a rebel, other patients gave up. McMurphy wins this war between him and Ratched because he helps other patients continue to be excited and helps them get out of there. McMurphy influences patients to stand up for themselves and not take orders from Ratched. Harding listened to McMurphy and did exactly that. He started to call her out on things and make fun of her, and she couldn't respond. It was clear that Nurse Ratched wasn't the same person and because of what McMurphy did, she couldn't get back in control. Ken Kesey writes, “She tried to get her ward back into shape, but it was difficult with McMurphy’s presence still tromping up and down the halls and laughing out loud in the meetings… she couldn't rule with her old power anymore… She was losing her patients one after the other” ( 320-321). McMurphy has always taught them to follow their own rules and not obey Ratched. In particular, he influenced Chief, a quiet patient that watches his surrounding carefully. After teaching Chief what it's like to follow your own rules, Chief begins to follow McMurphy’s role. After the incident of stripping Ratched’s identity, he learns that McMurphy was a hero to him and although he doesn’t physically help him out, McMurphy has taught Chief how to play this game. Chief tries to be like McMurphy by taking over. DOing so he tries on his cap, trying to be the new McMurphy. Ken Kesey writes, “I reached into McMurphy’s nightstand and got his cap and tried it on. It was too small” (323). Chief realized that no one could take over McMurphy's role, but that Chief would have to be in control over himself to make a statement. Chief does exactly that, he runs for it, making him happier than he has ever

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Individualism In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    1791 Words  | 4 Pages

    The novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey tells a story of Nurse Ratched, the head nurse of a mental institution, and the way her patients respond to her harsh treatment. The story is told from the perspective of a large, Native-American patient named Bromden; he immediately introduces Randle McMurphy, a recently admitted patient, who is disturbed by the controlling and abusive way Ratched runs her ward. Through these feelings, McMurphy makes it his goal to undermine Ratched’s authority, while convincing the other patients to do the same. McMurphy becomes a symbol of rebellion through talking behind Ratched’s back, illegally playing cards, calling for votes, and leaving the ward for a fishing trip. His shenanigans cause his identity to be completely stolen through a lobotomy that puts him in a vegetative state. Bromden sees McMurphy in this condition and decides that the patients need to remember him as a symbol of individuality, not as a husk of a man destroyed by the

    Read More

  • And Contrast Mcmurphy In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest and Luke from Cool hand Luke. Are both men that are similar to each other and that both can be used as examples of someone being a christ figure. The two of them in there own way we're able to be leaders of there peers and to have the trust from them, and to do it in a non violent way. Luke and McMurphy both get there men to stand up against the Boss and Big Nurse to do what is good for them. They both died while suffering. Just like Christ did.

    Read More

  • Nurse Ratched Power

    1140 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Ken Kesey’s novel, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, he engages the reader with Nurse Ratched’s obsession with power, especially against McMurphy. When Nurse Ratched faces multiple altercations with McMurphy, she believes that her significant power is in jeopardy. This commences a battle for power in the ward between these characters. One assumes that the Nurses’ meticulous tendency in the ward is for the benefit of the patients. However, this is simply not the case. The manipulative nurse is unfamiliar with losing control of the ward. Moreover, she is rabid when it comes to sharing her power with anyone, especially McMurphy. Nurse Ratched is overly ambitious when it comes to being in charge, leaving the reader with a poor impression of

    Read More

  • Importance Of Individualism In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    People often find themselves as part of a collective, following society's norms and may find oneself in places where feeling constrained by the rules and will act out to be unconstrained, as a result people are branded as nuisances or troublemakers. In the novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, the author Ken Kesey conveys the attempt McMurphy makes to live unconstrained by the authority of Nurse Ratched. The story is very one sided and helps create an understanding for those troublemakers who are look down on in hopes of shifting ingrained ideals. The Significance of McMurphy's struggles lies in the importance placed on individuality and liberty. If McMurphy had not opposed fear and autocratic authority of Nurse Ratched nothing would have gotten better on the ward the men would still feel fear. and unnerved by a possibility of freedom. “...Then, just as she's rolling along at her biggest and meanest, McMurphy steps out of the latrine ... holding that towel around his hips-stops her dead! ” In the novel McMurphy shows little signs like this to combat thee Nurse. His defiance of her system included

    Read More

  • One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Quote Analysis

    3070 Words  | 7 Pages

    From the moment McMurphy enters the ward it is clear to all that he is different and hard to control. He’s seen as a figure the rest of the patients can look up to and he raises their hopes in taking back power from the big nurse. The other patients identify McMurphy as a leader when he first stands up to the nurse at her group therapy, saying that she has manipulated them all to become “a bunch of chickens at a pecking party”(Kesey 55). He tells the patients that they do not have to listen to Nurse Ratched and he confronts her tactics and motives. The patients see him as a leader at this point, but McMurphy does not see the need for him to be leading alone. McMurphy is a strong willed and opinionated man, so when he arrives at the ward he fails to comprehend why the men live in fear, until Harding explains it to him by

    Read More

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

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the reader has the experience to understand what it was like to live in an insane asylum during the 1960’s. Kesey shows the reader the world within the asylum of Portland Oregon and all the relationships and social standings that happen within it. The three major characters’ groups, Nurse Ratched, the Black Boys, and McMurphy show how their level of power effects how they are treated in the asylum. Nurse Ratched is the head of the ward and controls everything that goes on in it, as she has the highest authority in the ward and sabotages the patients with her daily rules and rituals. These rituals include her servants, the Black Boys, doing anything she tells them to do with the patients.

    Read More

  • Control in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

    3216 Words  | 7 Pages

    Control in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey Ken Kesey?s masterpiece novel One Flew over the Cuckoo?s Nest uses many themes, symbols, and imagery to illustrate the reality of the lives of a group of mental patients. The element of control is a central, arguably the largest, and the most important theme in the novel. The element of control revolves around the two main characters of the novel, Randle P. McMurphy, and Nurse Ratched. These two characters are the exact antithesis of each other, and they both seek to get their own way.

    Read More

  • One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

    512 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the film One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest we get a glimpse of how a medical institution is run. Throughout, the film it shows how these characters have conformed to these now social norms that they live with everyday. The men have certain times each day they take their medicine, when they wake up, and overall what they do. They have become accustomed to these daily routines and rarely deviate from these, until a new member comes Randle McMurphy joins the institution.

    Read More

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

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    Victory is always good. This is an instinct that most people have, and in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” Kesey debunks the commonly held belief that winning is good with Randle McMurphy, a character who achieves a pyrrhic victory against Nurse Ratched in the novel. Since McMurphy’s entry into the mental ward, he challenges the authority of the Big Nurse and in doing so unintentionally alters the lives of the ward patients. Because McMurphy seems to empower the patients to rebel against the Nurse, readers think that McMurphy is the central hero in the novel. However, McMurphy only serves a catalyst for bringing about inner change in the characters; it is up to the characters themselves to be ready to accept the change. Out of all the ward patients, it is only Bromden who accepts the change and really

    Read More

  • Cuckoo's Nest Dictatorship

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nurse Ratched wants to control the ward, but she has competition from another patient, McMurphy. He is Nurse Ratched’s enemy who is taking all her power from her in the ward. When she needs that power and control she manipulates and plays the patients and the staff. If Nurse Ratched wants something done, she will use her her forceful will to fulfill her desires. She shows dictatorship by doing all of this. “She stops and nods at some of the patients come to stand around and stare out of eyes all red and

    Read More

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

    2241 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Who Is The Protagonist In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    McMurphy was not able to think logically and achieve what he wanted which was to get the best of the Nurse Ratched. McMurphy was determined to get the best of Nurse Ratched but his confidence turned to arrogance which ultimately led to his demise. After his constant attempts failed he decided that he had no choice but to end their little competition so McMurphy assaulted Nurse Ratched. When he assaulted the head nurse McMurphy was admitting defeat, he knew his emotions got the best of him and couldn’t live with defeat. If McMurphy took a slower and more cautious approach to the situation he would have came out on top much like Andy did. Andy used his beta male characteristics to his advantage, planning out every move and not striking until the time is right. When Andy escaped he not only go out of prison but he managed to steal $370,000 from the warden and sent a letter to the press explaining all the illegal schemes the warden has been doing. Andy didn’t rush into action like an alpha male, instead he took his time and thoroughly planned ahead. This ensured Andy’s success

    Read More

  • Theme Of Insanity In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    1739 Words  | 4 Pages

    Randle McMurphy shows the advantages of having mental illness. His disability gives him the ability to feel more powerful than he really is. Gives him the sense of ability to not be brought down by rules and regulations the ward offers. It also gives him the ability to control the patients in the ward. Since McMurphy gives all the patients a sense of hope and a feeling of freedom, they often make their decisions based on his influence. While McMurphy has the ability to do this, all of the patients still have the side of shame and fear of Nurse Ratched. Many time’s while breaking the rules, Nurse Ratched will undermine the patients which sends these characters into a state of shock. When they are being put down it makes them feel worse and worse about themselves and they look to McMurphy for a sense of direction. Nurse Ratched has a hold over the ward like no other, and even Randle McMurphy’s cunning ways aren’t going to stop her from ruling over the ward with an iron

    Read More

  • How Does Power Abuse Power In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    1615 Words  | 4 Pages

    This also demonstrates how much power McMurphy has gained so far over Ms. Ratched. In the novel, Ms. Ratched tries to take away all of the power that McMurphy has gained over her by blaming McMurphy for making the lives of the hospital patients worse, and that McMurphy was the cause for the deaths of patients William Bibbit and Charles Cheswick. This angers McMurphy, and causes him to choke her with the intent to kill her, in the novel, Chief Bromden describes, “Only at the last---after he’d smashed through that glass door, her face swung around, with terror forever ruining any other look she might ever try to use again, screaming when he grabbed her and ripped her uniform all the way down the front.

    Read More

  • McMurphy as Hero of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    There were no heroes on the psychiatric ward until McMurphy's arrival. McMurphy gave the patients courage to stand against a truncated concept of masculinity, such as Nurse Ratched. For example, Harding states, "No ones ever dared to come out and say it before, but there is not a man among us that does not think it. That doesn't feel just as you do about her, and the whole business feels it somewhere down deep in his sacred little soul." McMurphy did not only understand his friends/patients, but understood the enemy who portrayed evil, spite, and hatred. McMurphy is the only one who can stand against the Big Nurse's oppressive supreme power. Chief explains this by stating, "To beat her you don't have to whip her two out of three or three out of five, but every time you meet. As soon as you let down your guard, as sson as you loose once, she's won for good. And eventually we all got to lose. Nobody can help that." McMuprhy's struggle for hte patient's free will is a disruption to Nurse Ratched's social order. Though she holds down her guard she yet is incapable of controlling what McMurphy is incontrollable of , such as his friends well being, to the order of Nurse Ratched and the Combine.

    Read More

More about Did Mcmurphy Change In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Open Document