Preview

Quest In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2279 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Quest In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Hero’s Quest Essay
A person must follow a certain quest to become a hero. The quest that a hero must take consist of seven traditional steps. By becoming selfless like McMurphy did in, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, in order to help the others around him to achieve the goal of becoming a hero. One is also considered to be a hero when he or she stands up against fear and shows courage towards a greater power. These basic concepts of hero are shown in the character Randle Patrick McMurphy. In the novel McMurphry sacrifices himself to go on his hero conquest to help the patients of a mental institution to become from from the struggles of Nurse Ratched.

In the book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy first confronts his call to
…show more content…
In the novel, McMurphy coming to know that all the patients on the ward are not not committed while he is meaning that they can leave whenever they want to unlike him exemplifies the stage of despair, darkness, and hopelessness. The stage is also exemplified when he finds out that Nurse Ratched is the one who decides when he will be able to leave the ward exemplifies the stage of despair, darkness, and hopelessness. After he realizes this, he starts to stop being rebellious which sets him back on his quest and main goal of helping the patients. McMurphy feels obligated to the Nurse and feels hopeless against her because he wanted to to leave and be able to help the patients out. He feels hopeless against Nurse Ratched after finds out that she decides if he leaves or not because he had always been rude and rebellious towards her the minute he first came in to the ward. He fears that she will use this reasoning against him so he doesn’t leave the ward. McMurphy feels that he has to do anything that Nurse Ratched wants and stop being rebellious if he wants to get out of the ward quickly. This can be seen when Harding says, “Why friends, you don’t suppose there’s anything to this rumor that Mr. McMurphy has conformed to policy merely to aid his chances of an early release?” (166). Here Harding is telling the other patients on the ward about how their “savior” McMurphy has lost and conformed to Nurse Ratched’s rules. He is saying that McMurphy conformed to Nurse Ratched and stopped trying to get rid of Nurse Ratched’s power and authority just because he found out that he is committed and that she is the one who decides whether he get to leave early or not. This supports the fact that this is the stage of hopelessness because him coming to the acknowledgement of Nurse Ratched being the one that decides

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    It all begins in an insane asylum with a half-Native American schizophrenic named Chief Bromden pretending to be deaf and dumb to avoid the typical harassment the other patients go through by the Black Boys, three African American patients conditioned to be Nurse Ratched’s bodyguards (more like lapdogs), and Nurse Ratched herself, the big breasted, fine-aged nurse who is known as “Big Nurse” in the asylum for having the reputation of running the asylum. The Black Boys are beginning their ritual shaving, as they do every morning, and they decided to start with Chief Bromden. In fear, Bromden goes to hide in the broom closet and he begins reminiscing about his past, growing up on the Columbia River with his father. This memory is cut abruptly when one of the Black Boys finds him in the closet; they put him in the chair to begin shaving him, then a fog begins to cover the room… As the fog clears up, he is relieved because he thought he was taken to the Shock Shop, the room where patients are given electroshock treatment. Right as he begins to relax on the chair, a brand new patient is admitted to the mental institution. He is known as Randall McMurphy, an Irish Ginger who has had a problem with gambling. When he gets there, Ratched makes it her mission to get the Black Boys to shower him, but he continually avoids getting that shower and introduces himself to all of the other patients. He shares his story about how he came from a work farm called “Pendleton” and that he is at this institute because he is “a psychopath”. After introducing himself to all the Acutes and Chronics, Acutes being the patients with temporary or short-term conditions and Chronics being the patients with more severe mental disorders, he circles the Acutes, asking for the “bull goose loony”, which is his fancy lingo for “whomever is in charge among the patients.” Billy Bibbit, one of the Acutes who has a stuttering problem, tells McMurphy that a…

    • 1822 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book, One flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, a main character named Randal McMurphy has several connections where he is portrayed as a Christ figure. The Christian faith teaches that life is either sin or salvation. Preachers teach that all humans are sinners, yet capable of salvation. McMurphy, throughout the novel tries to show the other patients on the ward that they can get better and lead their lives their own ways. He also says lifes miseries are redeemed through laughter.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    My character for the project was Dale Harding. I want my short story to be a prequel to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The setting will be inside the ward after a meeting. The meeting was focus once again on Harding’s wife and Harding is reflecting back on the meeting. He is laying down in his bed before sleep reflecting on his day. He is completely blind to how Nurse Rachet is playing them and he beginnings to overthink his situation with his wife. At first he denies it and then become more and more irritated with his situation with his wife. Eventually his issues spiral out of control from just his wife to everything going on in his life. He realizes everything in his life is not right, that everything is pointless. By the end of the story…

    • 165 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Hero’s Journey Defined is an article written and analyzed by Anthony Ubelhor. The article explains many things about a hero, characteristics and what they encounter in their journey. It describes many qualities a hero should have, and the many challenges they face, and how they handle them. It explains in detail, how the hero is called for the quest, and then the tasks they do to fulfill their mission. The article mentions that a hero is part of a cause bigger than himself, and they are supposed to give up their personal intentions and values for the greater good.…

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The One That Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey the nurses’ assistants have a unique initiation for the newcomers. The newcomers of the mental institute did not know what was coming when they walked through that door. The nurses’ assistants led them into the showers and inserted thermometers into their rectum and before they did that they turned on all the showers to muffle their screams. We chose this scene since not only it shows the cruelty that can go on in these types of institutions and its ability to describe effortlessly of the resident’s pain when they first come in. The set design in the shower scene is very simple and doesn’t need many elaborate props. The lighting in the scene is very dark, to show how chilling the scene is in the book. The cinematography shows how the scene looks with a high definition look to it.…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Cited: Currie, Ian. "Overview of One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest." EXPLORING Novels. Online ed.…

    • 1671 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    nurse characterizes him saying “He is what we call a manipulator, Miss Flinn, a man who will…

    • 1199 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    When discussing the theme of power in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy can’t be ignored. McMurphy’s power begins with the fact of his mental stability. He comes to the mental institution to escape the stress and difficulties of a prison work farm. He is not insane in the way society describes insanity. He tells the patients in the ward “…the court ruled that I’m a psychopath. And do you think I’m gonna argue with the court? Shoo, you can bet your bottom dollar I don’t. If it gets me outta those damned pea fields I’ll be whatever their little heart desires…” (13). McMurphy is also a con man for most of the novel (Foster 2). He is constantly gambling and winning money from the other patients. When first introduced to McMurphy, he claims “[he’s] a gambling fool” (11). McMurphy being a gambler is powerful because it gives the patients a goal or activity and is a form of entertainment. The monotony being reduced gives McMurphy power. The most important aspect of McMurphy’s power is in laughter. McMurphy is trying to explain the power of laughter to the patients when he says,…

    • 1403 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A hero is any man who combats adversity through impressive feats of ingenuity, bravery or strength, often sacrificing his or her own personal concerns for some greater good. "Although McMurphy sees confinement as a curtailing of his freedom, most of the patients find safety and freedom in being locked up in the asylum ward with him." McMurphy puts himself out for the patients and betters their life all while sacrificing his own with no attempt to be removed from the hospital. McMurphy allows the patient to gain the confidence to repress Nurse Ratched and live a happier life. McMurphy showed outright respect to the patients and shared the same hatred of the Nurse which allowed the patients to be more comfortable with his…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This film presents an individual that chooses not to conform to modern society, and the consequences of that choice. The main character R.P. McMurphy would be best described as the antihero, and Nurse Ratchet would be the antagonist.…

    • 1776 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mcmurphy

    • 1474 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A Byronic hero is disrespectful of rank, is highly intelligent and perceptive, and has a very cunning personality. These are three characteristics that McMurphy possesses and consistently displays, which is why he should be considered a Byronic hero. Ken Kesey provides ample evidence through his rebellious actions and smart way of approaching issues. He also makes sure to exhibit his tricky, deceiving personality. In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, McMurphy uses his qualities to become a backbone for the men on the ward, making him a Byronic hero.…

    • 1474 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout literary works, society seems to always be analyzed and distinguished differently by each author. The captivating way in which they can simultaneously use literal and figurative devices help to captivate each reader’s mind. Anthem by Ayn Rand can be a great example of this piece because it defies the way a reader understands and sees society as a whole. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest however, Ken Kessey defies how a reader sees the connection between a mental ward and a totalitarian society. Nurse Ratched’s ward can be seen as this because there are so many similarities that a reader has no doubt but to clearly see the connection. She is the one who controls all aspects of the ward and her patients are the prisoners, likewise she is the dictator. The dictator that many can connect her to is Hugo Chavez due to the similarities involved between both leaderships. Kessey uses the expanse of the mental patients under the control of Nurse Ratched as a connection to a society or country being controlled by a dictator in a totalitarian society.…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is Mcmurphy A Hero

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The definition of a hero is “a person who is admired or idealized for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey shows a blurb on the back of the book that refers to him as “heroic,” this statement is false through textual evidence in the novel. McMurphy is not heroic because he is destructive towards the people he has hurt before going to the mental ward, as well as tampering with the others recovery by taunting the nurse and trying to break her down which prevents treatment for the patients that are actually mentally ill, and lastly his actions are a direct cause of a patient committing suicide. These actions by McMurphy label him as an unheroic person.…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The theme of this story "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" according to Daniel Woods is "Power is the predominant theme of Ken Kesey's 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest': who holds power, who doesn't, who wants it, who loses it, how it is used to intimidate and manipulate and for what purposes, and, most especially, how it is disrupted and subverted, challenged, denied and assumed" (http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/cuckoosnest/essays/essay1.html). No, it is not McMurphy who flew over the Cuckoo's nest, or Harding, or Taber. It wasn't Martini or Cheswick, or Bibbit, Chief Bromden or Bancini. The journey of crazies that flew over the Cuckoo's nest was in the asylum, but they were not patients. The mad people in this scenario were paid to be mad. Nurse Ratched, Dr. John Spivey and other staff, like Washington, were salaried each day to come into the asylum and impose dreadful doses of mental (and sometimes physical) hurt on the so-called "nuts" whose lives consisted of white hallways and white floors. McMurphy lost his life because he saw the reality in the asylum, the Cuckoo's nest. He lost his life because he had not yet been in long enough to grow resistant to the brutal treatment that he received. He lost his life because he figured out who the real nuts were and, unlike the other inmates, McMurphy still knew enough of fairness to comprehend and want to remove the dreadful unfairness being done to the powerless patients inside the asylum.…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ken Kesey's use of symbolism in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest transforms the novel and the hospital within the novel a microcosm of society, a battle between the sane and insane, the conformist and the non-conformist. Randle McMurphy's arrival influenced the lives of almost every person, whether patient or employee. Whether or not his motives and actions were moral or good-hearted is difficult to conclude, however. On one hand, he undoubtedly saved the patients from losing their souls, so to speak, to Nurse Ratched and her ward. Without him, they would not have been able to stand up for themselves or grow a sense of self-appreciation and competence. On the other hand, there was a price to pay for these freedoms. McMurphy's and Billy Bibbit's deaths showed just how much control The Big Nurse had on her patients. The role each character plays in this showdown symbolizes the realistic confrontations between the mentally unstable and the rest of society that has been going on for centuries.…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays