McMurphy From “Flying Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Kesey: Character Analysis Research Paper

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Through the analysis of the character traits of the main character of any work, one can see the display of the attitude towards people, to the character as a person and build a picture of the world of the work. The use of psychological measurements for this process is especially important for drawing up a complete and detailed picture. For this study, the hero Patrick Randle of Ken Kesey’s widely known and profound work One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was chosen. This protagonist was chosen because he is a fascinating object for analysis since his character and personality as a whole differs from the generally accepted concept of the normal.

First, it is necessary to determine the setting in which the character of the work’s central character develops. Therefore, the main action takes place in a psychiatric hospital, in which the protagonist was placed from prison (Muncan & Mainescu, 2017). However, later, the reader understands that all the people present there do not have any severe psychological abnormalities. Most of them were placed there because of their inability to properly and fully interact with society. Thus, the main task of a psychiatric hospital is leveling all these people instead of helping them. The staff, and especially the head nurse, do everything to humiliate and subdue these people.

According to the dispositional theory of personality, there are two main aspects of personality character. Firstly, it says that people are predisposed to react in a certain way to various life situations. Secondly, this approach considers differences between individuals as a fundamental component of psychology. Hence, dispositional theory considers character traits as stable features that change little in different situations (Laumer et al., 2016). Therefore, according to the dispositional perspective domain, McMurphy reacts to the current situation and placement in a mental hospital with a protest.

It is worth noting that the main reason for his appearance in such a place was to simulate a mental disorder to avoid prison punishment. Seeing what lawlessness and injustice are happening in this institution, he is imbued with a desire to help the people imprisoned there. The rowdy, shocked by the inertia of the patients, tries to teach them to be free and love life (Beyad & Mirmasoomi, 2020). His humanistic character trait is manifested in this aspiration. However, all his initiatives were stopped by the employee Miss Knudsen. In the fight against the woman and the facility, the protagonist uses such tools as humor, frankness, and self-confidence, despite all kinds of punishments that the nurse prescribes for him.

Next, should be noted the character development and humanistic domain in the work of Ken Kesey. The author highlights such traits in the character as the desire to help people, the ability and openness to change, arrogance. Moreover, to some extent, the protagonist can be characterized by such character traits as bragging, anger, and laziness. McMurphy’s creative and inquisitive mind helps him find various activities to diversify the lives of his fellow mental hospital patients, but stupidity, on the other hand, does not allow him to realize the consequences of his initiatives. It can be concluded that even if the hero goes through some evolutionary process in his life, it is pretty insignificant. This is due to the fact that the hero acquires such a feeling as the ability to sacrifice himself for the sake of others but does not fully realize this. The hero’s life, thus, ends not with release from imprisonment but with the passage of a cruel procedure that makes him incapacitated.

Playing with the main character’s life throughout his stay in a psychiatric institution has significantly affected its span. Due to the high confidence in his strength, the protagonist is not aware of his actions, which turns into tragic consequences for him. At the same time, he shows leadership qualities, offering weak-minded brethren to change the long-established a psychiatric hospital. Thus, McMurphy violates all possible rules, crosses the boundaries of what is permissible, which manifests his desire not to conform to the established foundations of the society in which he is located. It is in this behavior that the rebelliousness and disobedient character of the main character manifest themselves. The sacrifice granted to the protagonist at the end of the work shows his changes and how this trait affected the life span domain of the protagonist. Due to the constant confrontation, the staff of the psychiatric hospital decided to prescribe shock therapy. This procedure leaves him incapacitated, and one of his associates has to kill him.

However, despite the death of the hero, his spirit and the intense energy that he instilled in the people of the hospital remain with them. Moreover, it is possible to draw a conclusion about the spiritual and emotional transformation of the protagonist himself, although not so significant. Violating the rules of a hospital institution, the hero leaves an exorbitant contribution, despite the consequences caused by his actions. Thus, the main character can be characterized with the help of the dispositional domain as violently reacting to changes in life and their motivator. These same actions lead him to evolve psychologically as a sacrificial personality for the sake of others. However, such a reaction has a direct effect on his life span.

References

Beyad, M. S., & Mirmasoomi, M. (2021). Fear of freedom: Erich Fromm and Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Critical Literary Studies, 3(2), 109-126. Web.

Laumer, S., Maier, C., Eckhardt, A., & Weitzel, T. (2016). Journal of Information Technology, 31(1), 67-82. Web.

Muncan, B., & Mainescu, C. (2017). Sexuality & Culture, 21, 1234-1237. Web.

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"McMurphy From "Flying Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" by Kesey: Character Analysis." IvyPanda, 10 Dec. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/mcmurphy-from-flying-over-the-cuckoos-nest-by-kesey-character-analysis/.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "McMurphy From "Flying Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" by Kesey: Character Analysis." December 10, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mcmurphy-from-flying-over-the-cuckoos-nest-by-kesey-character-analysis/.

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IvyPanda. "McMurphy From "Flying Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" by Kesey: Character Analysis." December 10, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mcmurphy-from-flying-over-the-cuckoos-nest-by-kesey-character-analysis/.

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