Examples Of Mcmurphy In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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Heroes are courageous, selfless, and caring. They can be humbled. Throughout Ken Kesey’s novel, Randle Patrick McMurphy proves himself to be courageous and, to a certain degree, caring for the other patients. At first glance, he seems to be the hero of the novel. However, McMurphy better suits the role of the antihero, a role defined as lacking conventional heroic attributes. A classic hero is typically, in American literature, a man raised from rags to riches. McMurphy is a working Irishman who rises in the eyes of his fellow inmates, but his heroic characteristics stop there. He is self-centered and flippant about his actions, lacking common sense and humility. McMurphy is not the hero, but the antihero, of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. …show more content…
He is on a first name basis with at least two prostitutes, having a strong enough relationship with them that he can convince them to sneak into a mental institution to have sex with at least one of the inmates. He gambles without restraint, even referring to himself as a “gambling fool” (11). One of his numerous tattoos is the dead man’s hand, a tribute to McMurphy’s cavalier view of the game of life. McMurphy would rather spend his time fishing with whores than fighting for the rights of his fellow inmates, though the two activities may overlap a little. When their chaperones are on their way to the institution, Chief Bromden notes that “the whores were late” (197). It’s no secret that McMurphy has hired a pair of prostitutes, as opposed to his “two sweet old aunts from a little place outside of Oregon City” (178) to chaperone the fishing expedition. McMurphy tends to lean towards less moral activities, as seen when he defends the accusations of statutory rape. According to McMurphy, the girl was “seventeen...and plenty willin’ ” (40) and the initiator of the liaison. McMurphy spends his time with whores, gambling, and portrays himself as a womanizer, actions typically lacking in the presence of a …show more content…
In classic literature, when a hero causes injury to others, he mourns his foolish ways and laments his actions. In McMurphy’s case, he often blames others and/or doesn’t take responsibility for his actions. For example, when Cheswick drowns, McMurphy isolates himself and never confronts the fact that his actions have consequences. He never talks to the other inmates about the death of their fellow inmate nor the series of events that led up to the incident. However, when the result is something like Billy Bibbit losing his virginity or the showing of the baseball game on the TV, McMurphy is first to take the credit. He only takes responsibility when the other inmates are in adoring awe of his actions. This behavior is irresponsible and vain. A hero is the one in charge and taking responsibility for his actions, not the one hiding from reality behind a mask of petulance. In all, McMurphy is a childish figure put on a pedestal by his fellow inmates. He is physically the part of a classic American hero, but his behavior points to a less gallant personality. Throughout the novel, McMurphy proves himself to be immature in his ways of thinking. Many of his personality traits counter those of a hero, especially his gambling, familiarity with prostitution, and refusal to admit to his errors. A hero should set a good example for others and McMurphy does the exact opposite of
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