One Flew Under the Cuckoo's Nest

             The Father, McMurphy, and the Holy Ghost
             When Randle Patrick McMurphy first enters the insane ward in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it is the state-committed McMurphy who enters with his sanity and the current, self-committed patients who are without it. But by the end of the novel, McMurphy teaches the men of Nurse Ratched's ward to escape the fog that surrounds them. McMurphy is like Christ in that he heals the men and awakens them by showing them the wonders of life and giving them a chance to truly live, but in doing so, he brings upon his own downfall and in that way, becomes a martyr.
             McMurphy first helps the men become themselves when he takes them on the fishing trip. The twelve of them (an obvious reference to the Bible, that is, Jesus with twelve followers, a few of whom were fishermen) head out on a journey that, even though they may not know it, will change them. McMurphy, like Christ, shows the men how to be better people in subtle ways. He allows them to be the strong ones. When they realize that there is a lifejacket shortage, the men must make a decision as to who will go without one. In the end, Bill Bibbit, Harding and George go without jackets, "but everybody was even more surprised," states the narrator, Chief Bromden, "that McMurphy hadn't insisted that he be one of the heroes; all during the fuss he'd stood with back against the cabin, bracing against the pitch of the boat, and watched the guys without saying a word. Just grinning and watching (214)." In this instance, McMurphy is giving the other men a chance to prove themselves. He has allowed them to learn what it is like to be the brave one and no longer the quivering child in mother Ratched's command. The men return from their trip changed. They are now worthy of respect and have a sense of self-worth because McMurphy has led them away from the nurse and they have begun to find themselves. Th...

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One Flew Under the Cuckoo's Nest. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 12:34, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/79666.html