Full Answer
What did Randle McMurphy do?
Randle Patrick McMurphy (April 22, 1925 – December 11, 1963) is an Irish American brawler found guilty of battery, gambling and statutory rape. He is a Korean War veteran who was a POW during the war and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for leading a breakout from a Chinese camp, but was dishonorably discharged for insubordination.
What happens to McMurphy after he strangles nurse?
Unfortunately, when McMurphy is sent to the hospital after attempting to strangle Nurse, he returns completely another man—part of his brain and all of his spirit were gone. or Maybe Help With Editing?
Why does McMurphy think he can outsmart Nurse Ratched?
On his first day on the ward, McMurphy explains to the inmates that he is not afraid of what Nurse Ratched could do to him—even send him for electric shock—because he’s not really insane but just chose the hospital over the work farm. Because of his subterfuge, he thinks he will be able to outsmart her.
How does McMurphy feel about Ratched's tactics?
McMurphy observes that Ratched's tactics are intended more to ensure her authority than benefit the patients, and that the most glaring example of this tactic is using the men to spy and report on each other. The other men realize that McMurphy is correct, and begin to dedicate their admiration and allegiance to him.
What treatment was McMurphy given at the end of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?
a lobotomyShe cannot regain her former power over the ward. Eventually the only patients left on the ward are Bromden, Martini, and Scanlon. 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.
Why was McMurphy shock therapy?
McMurphy apologizes to Chief for getting him involved in the fight as the two are led to electroshock therapy. Alluding to his stay in a Chinese prison camp in the Korean War, McMurphy refuses to cooperate with Ratched to prevent the electroshock.
Why does McMurphy go to the hospital?
Spivey explores with McMurphy the reason he has been sent to the mental hospital from the prison work farm, where he was held previously. The doctor asks McMurphy whether he is faking mental illness to get out of work, and McMurphy admits slyly that he believes there is nothing wrong with his mind.
How does McMurphy respond to the EST treatments?
Nurse Ratched tells McMurphy that he can avoid electroshock therapy by admitting he was wrong. He refuses, telling her “those Chinese Commies could have learned a few things from you, lady.” He and Bromden are sent for the treatment, but McMurphy does not seem afraid at all.
What types of therapy are used in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?
Everyone who works at the hospital in the movie has decided that ECT (electric shock therapy) should be used to punish unruly patients, instead of as actual treatment for schizophrenia (which used to be common) or depression (which is still fairly common).
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.
Is Chief mentally ill Why or why not?
First Person (Chief Bromden) Chief Bromden is a Columbia Indian who suffers from schizophrenia. Although he plays a central role in the story, he is largely an observer. Chief is an interesting narrator because he is certainly not unbiased, and his mental illness can also shed doubt on his reliability.
What does the nurse do to McMurphy?
McMurphy lunges at Nurse Ratched in an attempt to strangle her and tears her garment open, exposing her breasts to the other horrified patients. Nurse Ratched sends McMurphy to receive a lobotomy, and he is returned to the ward in a vegetative state.
What crime did RP McMurphy commit?
Randle Patrick McMurphy is an Irish American brawler found guilty of battery, gambling and statutory rape. He is a Korean War veteran who was a POW during the war and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for leading a breakout from a Chinese camp, but was dishonorably discharged for insubordination.
How many times is McMurphy given shock treatment?
How many total shock treatments does McMurphy undergo? Do they affect him? He undergoes 4 treatments. He acts like they don't affect him, but Bromden sees that they do.
What does McMurphy say he wants to do again at group therapy?
At the next group meeting, what request does McMurphy make? He wants to change the work ward to night so they can watch the World Series.
How did McMurphy help the patients?
"McMurphy helps the people in the ward find their way back from the fog and return back to the real world" (Lupack). McMurphy's laughter and jokes, along with his personality, cause a great change in the patients of the ward and he helps them cure their "mental illness".
What is Randle Patrick McMurphy's background?
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. His anti-authoritarian attitude has already caused him a dishonorable discharge from the U.S. Marines, a punishment subsequent to his leading a successful escape from a Chinese prisoner-of-war camp during the Korean War.
What does Harding say about McMurphy?
Harding explains to McMurphy that he has helped them regain their sanity at the risk of losing his own. McMurphy has ceased to be himself and is being forced to be what the others think he is.
Who is Randle McMurphy?
Fictional character biography. Randle Patrick McMurphy is an Irish American brawler found guilty of battery, gambling and statutory rape. He is a Korean War veteran who was a POW during the war and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for leading a breakout from a Chinese camp, but was dishonorably discharged for insubordination.
What is the role of McMurphy in Nurse Ratched?
McMurphy becomes ensnared in a number of power-games with Nurse Ratched. He ends up as the clear winner, reminding the other patients how to enjoy life and stand up for themselves, and persuading them to act out against Ratched's bullying.
What is the significance of McMurphy's domination of Ratched?
McMurphy's domination of Ratched is described as a heroic sacrifice, for the redemption and freedom of the men of the ward. When Ratched returns to the ward following the attack, she is bruised and fearful, and no longer has the same measure of control over her patients due to McMurphy exposing her vulnerabilities.
Who played Randle Patrick McMurphy?
Jack Nicholson portrayed Randle Patrick McMurphy in the film adaption, earning him an Academy Award for Best Actor. He was nominated on the "Heroes" list of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains, but did not make the final list.
What does Ratched do to Billy's mother?
Ratched catches them and threatens to tell Billy's mother—the only woman he fears more than her—which terrifies him so much that he commits suicide by slitting his throat. Enraged, McMurphy assaults her and chokes her nearly to death, but is knocked unconscious by one of the hospital's orderlies.
Does Nurse Ratched keep McMurphy on the Disturbed Ward?
Nurse Ratched has kept McMurphy on the Disturbed ward and treated him with electric shock therapy in hopes of diminishing him, but to her dismay, and as explained here by Bromden, McMurphy only grows into more of a legend for the men on the ward. In his absence, his stature continues to increase in size and strength.
Does Bromden recognize McMurphy?
Devoid of his essence and lacking his lively, irreverent personality, Bromden and his friends can hardly recognize McMurphy. The McMurphy they once knew vanished even if Nurse Ratched has left him in the ward as a cautionary tale. Previous section Chief Bromden Next section Nurse Ratched.
What does Cheswick complain about?
When Cheswick begins to complain about the cigarettes at one of the Group Therapy sessions, McMurphy does not join the argument. Cheswick becomes so upset by this that he is removed and taken to the Disturbed Ward. When he returns, he seems to still resent McMurphy's refusal to join him in the cigarette fracas. Cheswick remarks on McMurphy's betrayal, and then he dives into the pool and commits suicide. Cheswick's suicide demonstrates to McMurphy that the stakes in this game are higher than he had imagined. As the following Group Therapy session ends, McMurphy decides to antagonize Nurse Ratched further.
Who is the ward's silent sentinel in the movie?
In fact, it's McMurphy's laugh that first captures the attention of Chief Bromden, the ward's silent sentinel and narrator of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.
Does Chief Bromden escape Nurse Ratched?
He does eventually manage to escape from Nurse Ratched's clutches, but not in the way he imagines. After he is given a lobotomy, Chief Bromden smothers him so that he can be free from the cruel nurse. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Create your account.
Does McMurphy want Nurse Ratched?
McMurphy eventually realizes that the men view him as some kind of savior, a position McMurphy does not want. McMurphy is also intelligent enough to know that he cannot win this game with Nurse Ratched. He decides to abandon the rebellion and escape from the ward.
Overview
Randle Patrick "Mac" McMurphy (also known as R.P. McMurphy) is the protagonist of Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962). He appears in the stage and film adaptations of the novel as well. Jack Nicholson portrayed Randle Patrick McMurphy in the film adaptation, earning him an Academy Award for Best Actor. He was nominated on the "Heroes" list of AFI's …
Fictional character biography
Randle Patrick McMurphy is an Irish American brawler found guilty of battery, gambling and statutory rape. He is a Korean War veteran who was a POW during the war and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for leading a breakout from a Chinese camp, but was dishonorably discharged for insubordination. He is sentenced to a fairly short prison term and decides to have himself declared insane in order to be transferred to a mental institution, where he expects to se…
Critical response
Richard Gray considers McMurphy "swaggering, bold, and with an incorrigible sense of humor" and an "authentic Irish rebel ... who offers the inmates the example and chance of independence." Further, Glen O. Gabbard and Krin Gabbard, the authors of Psychiatry and the Cinema, write that McMurphy "becomes a Christ figure for whom shock therapy is the crown of thorns and lobotomy the cross".
In other media
McMurphy has been played on stage by Jérôme Pradon, Kirk Douglas, Leonard Nimoy, Aleksandr Abdulov, Gary Sinise, Christian Slater, Shane Richie, Martin Sheen, Roman Wilhelmi, (Polish adaptation), Bernard Tapie (French adaptation), Ibrahim Amr, (Egyptian adaptation), Jeff Smith at the Performance Network, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1984 and Jiří Hrdina (Czech adaptation).