CUCKOOS NEST
The role of the hero in Ken Kesey's novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, is played by Randle P. McMurphy, a wrongly committed mental patient with a lust for life. The qualities that garner McMurphy respect and admiration from his fellow patients are also responsible for his tragic downfall. These qualities include his temper, which leads to his being deemed "disturbed," his stubbornness, which results in his receiving numerous painful disciplinary treatments, and finally his free spirit, which leads to his death. Despite McMurphy being noble man, in the end, these characteristics hurt him more than they help him. Throughout the novel, McMurphy displays that he has a wild temper. This temper aids him in his battle with the "Big Nurse" Nurse Ratched for control of the mental ward. However, his temper eventually works against him. Upon McMurphy's arrival to the ward he establishes himself as a con man and a gambler. One of his first bets with the other patients is to see if, within a week, he can put "a bee in [Nurse Ratched's] butt, a burr in her bloomers. Get her goat. Bug her till she comes apart at those neat little seams" (Kesey, Nest 69). McMurphy makes this bet after he learns about the Disturbed Ward where "assaultive"
A second important personality trait of McMurphy is his stubbornness. It is part of his fighting spirit as he will not accept defeat. This is portrayed when McMurphy makes a wager with the other men that he can lift a large control panel. Despite everyone's doubts, he tries to lift it, and fails. Following his defeat, he tells the others, "but I tried though...goddammit I sure as hell did that much, now, didn't I" (111). This shows his fighting spirit, taking the challenge and not admitting total defeat, but it shows his stubbornness as well. He attempts the impossible and refuses to listen to anybody who doubts him. McMurphy displays this temper throughout the novel, but one incident finally gets him into trouble. During an argument with one of the black aides to the Big Nurse, a punch is thrown and a fight breaks out. This is what the Big Nurse has been waiting for; an excuse to send McMurphy to the Disturbed Ward. Upon his arrival to the Disturbed Ward, Electro-Shock Therapy is administered to McMurphy as punishment. The Big Nurse is able to get the upper hand in her battle against McMurphy when he allows his temper to take over. When McMurphy is committed to the Disturbed Ward, he has the opportunity to return to his old ward as long as he admits to being wrong. This would give the Big Nurse the final victory, but McMurphy is too stubborn to allow that to happen. As a result, he receives numerous Electro-Shock Therapy treatments. Each time he comes to, the Big Nurse o
Some common words found in the essay are:
Electro-Shock Therapy, Disturbed Ward, Hicks Criticism, Randle McMurphy, Electro-Shock Therapies, Kesey Nest, Nurse Ratched, Knowing McMurphy, Despite McMurphy, McMurphy McMurphy's, disturbed ward, free spirit, electro-shock therapy, throughout novel, electro-shock therapy administered, mcmurphy makes, novel mcmurphy, fighting spirit, mcmurphy displays, mcmurphy's free spirit, stubborn allow, kesey's novel flew, mcmurphy's free, flew cuckoo's nest, novel flew cuckoo's,
Approximate Word count = 1000
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
