This essay aims to ascertain the extent to which Kesey models McMurphy after Christ. It also aims to examine the effect this has on plot development and readers’ reactions. It will do this by answering the question: Many critics believe that McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey is deliberately portrayed as a Christ-figure.
In the 1950’s to 1960’s, the time setting of The Bell Jar and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, mental health was a topic no one talked about and anyone who was not fine mentally was immediately scrutinized. In both stories the struggle of conforming to societies norms and the negative effects of not being able to do so are highlighted.
A proponent of rebellion against conformity himself, Ken Keyes expresses his views on the demutualization of society in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest through vivid imagery. More than a novel about the struggles of the individual characters or a representation of the dilemma of insane versus sane, One Flew is a statement about the cause f insanity.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a novel by Ken Kesey that was first published in 1962. Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis. See a complete list of the characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and in-depth analyses of Chief Bromden, Randle McMurphy, and Nurse Ratched.
While retaining many of the novel's themes and motifs, the filmed version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest differs in several significant ways. The film, released in 1975, won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress (Louise Fletcher), Best Screenplay Adapted from Other Material (Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman), and Best Director (Milos Forman).