McMurphy represents sexuality, freedom, and self-determination —characteristics that clash with the oppressed ward, which is controlled by Nurse Ratched. Through Chief Bromden’s narration, the novel establishes that McMurphy is not, in fact, crazy, but rather that he is trying to manipulate the system to his advantage.
How is McMurphy a symbol of freedom?
McMurphy was not only a symbol of freedom, but he was also the meaning of it. McMurphy’s determination for freedom encouraged the other patients to be more carefree about living life . His strong character is what the others needed to make their stay in the ward worthwhile.
How does McMurphy symbolize Jesus?
McMurphy is a Christ-like figure because the patients in the ward are in need of someone to ‘save’ them from the situation they are in – without McMurphy’s encouragement, none of them would have found the courage to rebel against the tyrannical regime of Nurse Ratched.
What does McMurphy’s death symbolize?
The meaning in McMurphy’s death. The events leading to McMurphy’s death accentuate his Christ-likeness . Because McMurphy fights the aides to protect George, Nurse Ratched sends him to be electroshocked.
How is McMurphy the symbol of a savior in the novel?
As intended by Ken Kesey, McMurphy is a savior who has the express purpose of helping the patients at the cost of his own life , a journey that resembles that of Jesus in the Bible.
What is McMurphy diagnosed with?
Each film takes up specific gendered mental illnesses – Susanna is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, seven times more likely in women than men, and McMurphy with Anti-Social Personality Disorder , three times more likely in men than women.
What does Nurse Ratched symbolize?
A former army nurse, Nurse Ratched represents the oppressive mechanization, dehumanization, and emasculation of modern society —in Bromden’s words, the Combine. Her nickname is “Big Nurse,” which sounds like Big Brother, the name used in George Orwell’s novel 1984 to refer to an oppressive and all-knowing authority.
Is McMurphy a Jesus?
After Nurse Ratched provokes Billy, leading to his suicide, McMurphy truly does become a Christ figure for the patients . Under the invisible but heavy pressure of the other patients’ expectations, McMurphy makes the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that Ratched cannot use Billy’s death to undo everything they have gained.
Why was McMurphy killed?
When Chief Bromden sees McMurphy’s lobotomy scars at the end of this movie, he realizes that the hospital has made McMurphy into an obedient zombie for life . ... That’s why Chief decides to kill McMurphy. In his mind, this is the only way to give Mac back his freedom.
Who betrayed McMurphy?
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.
Is Nurse Ratched evil?
If McMurphy serves as a Christ figure, Nurse Ratched is the Antichrist . She represents authority, conformity, bureaucracy, repression, evil, and death. As the film progresses, McMurphy rallies the patients to rebel against Nurse Ratched’s authority and question the therapeutic value of her rules. ...
Why does McMurphy strangled Nurse Ratched?
Ratched and her crony are the only female characters important to the film’s central conflict, and they’re the antagonists. ... McMurphy’s attempted revenge on Ratched after Billy’s body is found is also gendered – he chokes her, trying to remove the two things that give the nurse her power: her distance and her voice.
What happens to McMurphy after Cheswick dies?
However, after Cheswick commits suicide, McMurphy realizes that Nurse Ratched’s control is a life-and-death matter . At that point he steps up his rebellion. ... When McMurphy is sent to the hospital after attempting to strangle Nurse Ratched, he returns a different man—part of his brain and all of his spirit are gone.
Why did McMurphy get lobotomized?
McMurphy is given a lobotomy for his attack on Nurse Ratched . When he is returned to the ward after the operation, he is a vegetable. That same night, Bromden suffocates McMurphy with a pillow.
Do I get a crown of thorns McMurphy?
McMurphy even refers to himself as a Christ figure when he asks, “Do I get a crown of thorns?” McMurphy sacrifices himself for his friends in the wards. He gives up his own mind and life for Bromden, George, Billy, and the others so that they could have hope, a daring light breaking the austere darkness.
What does McMurphy look like?
Randle Patrick McMurphy is a red-haired, wild American of Irish descent . He unself-consciously engages in brawling, gambling, chicanery, and exercising his carnal nature. His primitive inclinations mark him as an iconoclast in a world that increasingly values conformity.
