This paper discusses the classic film “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest” that depicts life in a mental ward.
This paper states that the film, through imagery, dialogue and foreshadowing in the plot, presents the main character, Randle McMurphy, as a Christ-like figure. The paper concludes that McMurphy represents everything good in the life of the distinct society of mental ward patients. The author believes that, in the end, McMurphy is the savior who changed the entire system before sacrificing his life in order to save the lives of others.
“Again, McMurphy is not perfect by any means. He makes the other patients uneasy with his boisterous behavior, described by Bromden as “when one ornery kid is raising too much hell with the teacher out of the room McMurphy notices he’s making them uneasy, but he don’t let it slow him down” (17). But his actions are not viewed as hurtful or sinful, just different, at least to the other patients. He doesn’t follow the rules, which is exactly what Christ did as well. In His time, Jesus was viewed as strangely as McMurphy is when he first came onto the ward. Jesus was also labeled as a dangerous person by His enemies, which is exactly what Nurse Ratched does to McMurphy. She labels him a manipulator and someone who will use everyone and everything to his own ends.?