Jack Nicholson as Randal Patrick McMurhpy in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Hero or Criminal?
By the end of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Kesey effectively establishes Randall Patrick McMurphy as the protagonist and hero of the novel. However, in today's society, I do not know if we could ever see a man like McMurphy as a hero. First of all, he has quite a temper and a tendency to start fights which landed him in jail on more than one occasion. He has a nasty gambling habit and manipulates mentally ill patients out of their money. Furthermore, he does not have the greatest work ethic; he could not even suffer through four months at the work farm and had a dishonorable discharge from the army. And, most disturbingly, he was charged with raping a fifteen-year-old girl, although he claimed "'she was plenty willin''" (45). All of these facts indirectly characterize McMurphy as a pretty unwholesome guy. However, Kesey ends up painting McMurphy as the tragic hero while Nurse Ratched, a seemingly respectable citizen, serves as the villain. I myself fully supported McMurphy throughout his escapades to undermine the Nurse and help the patients. But why do I, and so many other readers, so willingly dismiss McMurphy’s unattractive behavior? Well, one reason could be that McMurphy is infinitely preferable to the tyrannical Nurse Ratched. However, I think the acceptance of McMurphy goes deeper than the rejection of the Nurse. McMurphy has an infectious personality. People, with the a few obvious exceptions, automatically like him. All the patients look up to him and he even manages to charm the doctor. In stark contrast to the Nurse’s rigid schedule, McMurphy brings fun and excitement to the ward. I laughed out loud at several of the things he said and I could never wait to see what he would do next. Perhaps most importantly, the audience saw McMurphy grow and develop. He went from selfish and self-serving at the beginning to the selfless man that sacrificed himself for the patients at the end. He was not perfect by any means, but he was extremely interesting and dynamic; I could not help but root for him. That just goes to show that you cannot judge a character by their rap sheet.
Jack Nicholson as Randal Patrick McMurhpy in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Jack Nicholson as Randal Patrick McMurhpy in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
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Katie, after reading your post I began to realize how odd it was that the readers inevitably ended up rooting for the success of McMurphy and the demise of Nurse Ratched. As you said, McMurphy has numerous unsavory characteristics that would easily make him a villain in another novel, while Nurse Ratched, although stern, could be seen as a hero. It goes to show that society is willing to forgive or ignore bad aspects of someone if overall they are a personable or funny individual.
ReplyDeleteHello Katie! While I see your point about how society, in general, often chooses to hold a persons mistakes against them, I feel that they also love to root for the bad guy. Many movies play off this idea, like the Oceans series. The viewer takes the side of theifs and liars over those who live more in the bounds of socially accepted law. However, I can see both sides of your argument, and I think it's a really interesting observation about society as a whole.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I too found it interesting that McMurphy seems to be such a likable character. As you stated, his actions in the past are working against him. I feel like I forgave him because of the way he gave the patients hope when no one else seemed interested in them. He took the time to really know most of the men, and yes he still took advantage of the situation while he was there, but I definitely saw a marked positive difference in the men after his arrival.
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