Randall Patrick Mac-Murphy

[drgoodtrips]

I recall a discussion I had not too long ago about this subject and wanted to solicit some opinions here. Specifically, I was wondering what people thought of the titular character of this thread in Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Is he a benevolent, neutral, or malevolent character, in your opinion? And, what do you think the "lesson" of the book is. Who is criticized, how, and why?

[Michael]

Well, I think McMurphy (which is the spelling I remember for his name) is benevolent, malevolent or neutral, depending on your perspective. ;)

From Nurse Ratched's perspective, or from the perspective of maintaining order and institutional authority, he's certainly malevolent. He does appear to cause quite a bit of additional suffering for many and Chief does end up dying as a result of it all.

On the other hand, from some abstract humanitarian perspective, he certainly appears to be benevolent - selflessly seeking to 'rescue' the dignity of the inmates from the tyrannical rule of Nurse Ratched.

And of course, one could also claim his acts were neutral in that no one else really was forced to react the way they did. All the actors choose their own paths. They were voluntary inmates - that's an important distinction there.

As for who the ultimate target of the book's criticism is, I'd suggest that it is perhaps directed at "do-gooders assuming change/improvement is always better". Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. Some of the other minor characters seem to have been quite accepting of the authoritarian rule (that McMurphy was disrupting).

That was my take on the book - the movie was pretty good too. Though I'll admit, it has been quite a few long years since I read this book - or saw the movie! :)