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| “ | Jesus, I mean, you guys do nothing but complain about how you can't stand it in this place, and then you haven't got the guts just to walk out? I mean, what do you think you are for Christ's sake, crazy or something? Well you're not! You're not! You're no crazier than the average asshole out walkin' around on the streets, and that's it... | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy's most famous line. |
| “ | But, I tried, didn't I? Goddammit, at least I did that. | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy's second most famous line. |
| “ | Aw come on, you're not gonna say that now! You're not gonna say that now! You're gonna pull that hen house sh-t!? Now when the vote... the Chief just voted, it was 10 to 9. Now I want that television set turned on right now! | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy's heroic breakdown. |
Randle Patrick "Mac" McMurphy is the main protagonist of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and the film and play of the same name. He is a former criminal, who after pleading insanity when being charged for statutory rape and is eventually transported to a mental institution, and inspires the other patients.
In the film, he was portrayed by the legendary Jack Nicholson, who also played J.J. "Jake" Gittes in Chinatown and President James Dale in Mars Attacks! In the play, he was portrayed by the late Kirk Douglas, who also played Dr. Henry Jekyll in the 1973 TV movie, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Chester Lampwick in The Simpsons.
Biography[]
Background[]
Randle Patrick McMurphy was born in Salem, Oregon in 1925 to an Irish-American family. At a young age, Randle was extremely rebellious and charismatic, standing up to people who felt they had power over him. During the 1950s, Randle becomes a soldier in the Korean War as well as becoming a prisoner of war, with him getting awarded with a Distinguished Service Cross after attacking a Chinese camp. He was eventually dishonorably discharged for insubordination.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest[]
After being expelled from the army, Mac took to becoming a brawler, constantly partaking in street fights, prostitution and gambling, leading to his arrest where he is charged with battery, illegal gambling and statutory rape of a 15 year old girl. After 2 months at a prison work farm, he falsely pleads insanity.
When Randle is put in the institution, he realizes that his ward is run by the sinister Nurse Mildred Ratched, who bullies her patients by controlling toiletries, food and water, and has supreme control over medication.
Eventually, Mac starts standing up for himself and the other more insecure patients, including, Billy Bibbit, Martini, Charles Cheswick, Dale Harding, Max Taber and more importantly, the deaf and mute Native American, Chief Bromden. This eventually leads to Nurse Ratched to start restricting Mac and his friends' freedom, mostly due to Randle attempting to escape along with the patients and going on a fishing trip.
After one of the institution orderlies informs Mac about his long sentence, Mac starts planning to escape along with Chief and the other patients. After Cheswick throws a fit over not being allowed to have cigarettes, he, Mac and Chief are sentenced to electroconvulsive therapy, with Mac learning that Chief was faking him being mute and deaf, agreeing to Mac's plan to escape.
During Christmas night, Mac invites two prostitutes, Candy and Rose to the institution during their secret Christmas party. After partying for several hours, Mac says goodbye to the other patients, planning to leave immediately. Instead, Mac wakes up in the institution, with Ratched and the orderlies watching on in horror of the party. Eventually, Ratched finds Billy having sex with Candy, threatening to tell Billy's mother, causing Billy to kill himself. After, Ratched tries to calm everyone down, Randle attempts to strangle Ratched to death, in a blind rage.
Mac is sentenced to be lobotomized, where the patients start spreading rumors of Mac escaping. Chief feels hurt about this, until he sees Randle being walked to his bed in the middle of the night. Chief walks towards Mac, agreeing to escape with him. When Chief realizes that Mac was lobotomized, he puts Mac out of his misery, smothering him with a pillow, where he then throws a torn off hydrotherapy console through the window, escaping and letting Mac's inspiration to live on through the rest of the patients.
Personality[]
Randle is extremely rebellious, disobedient and unpredictable who believes that chaos is standard. Throughout the story, Mac is seen by his peers as being crazy, near sociopathic with his actions, with him always having a delusionally happy presence. Along with this, Mac has an extreme short-temper, yelling at the people who have to much power or are unfair.
Despite this, Mac is almost holy like. Mac is very respectful to those he knows are lesser than himself, such as the patients. On the inside, Mac truly cares for people, such as Billy, Cheswick and especially Bromden. For instance, Randle is very loyal, never leaving the Chief's side. Mac also inspires the patients, despite having no need to and only doing it as he knows how horribly the people at the institution treat them.
Symbolism[]
In the novel, Randle is presented as a Christ-like figure, stating "Anointest my head with conductant. Do I get a crown of thorns?" just before partaking in electroshock therapy. Along with there being 12 men on the boat during Mac's fishing trip, similarly to Jesus and his 12 apostles. All together, Mac mostly symbolizes Jesus as both of them sacrifice themselves for the greater good. With Randle sacrificing himself in order for his idea of freedom for the rest of the patients to live on forever.
In the film, however, Mac does not realize he must inspire the patients after watching a squirrel walk across the barbwire fence surrounding the grounds of the ward. While Mac as a whole represents freedom, he himself is not entirely free, unlike the squirrel, as no matter how hard her tries, he dies before becoming fully free, while his spirit lives on freely through the patients and the Chief.
Quotes[]
| “ | Hi... | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy's first line in the film; him sarcastically greeting a patient on the ward. |
| “ | A little change never hurt, huh? A little variety...? | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy asking Nurse Ratched to watch the World Series. |
| “ | She was fifteen years old, going on thirty-five, Doc, and she told me she was eighteen, she was very willing, I practically had to take to sewing my pants shut. Between you and me, uh, she might have been fifteen, but when you get that little red beaver right up there in front of you, I don't think it's crazy at all and I don't think you do either. No man alive could resist that, and that's why I got into jail to begin with. And now they're telling me I'm crazy over here because I don't sit there like a goddamn vegetable. Don't make a bit of sense to me. If that's what being crazy is, then I'm senseless, out of it, gone-down-the-road, wacko. But no more, no less, that's it. | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy to Dr. John Spivey. |
| “ | Which one of you nuts has got any guts? | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy during a poker game. |
| “ | Well I don't wanna break up the meeting or nothin', but she's somethin' of a c-nt, ain't she Doc? | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy about Nurse Ratched. |
| “ | Koufax... Koufax kicks. He delivers. It's up the middle! It's a base hit! Richardson is rounding first. He's going for second. The ball's into deep right center. Davis cuts the ball off! Here comes the throw. He throws it to second! He slides! He's in there! He's safe! It's a double! Richardson's on second base! Koufax is in big fucking trouble! Big trouble, baby! All right. Tresh is the next batter. Tresh looks in. Koufax... Koufax gets a sign from Roseboro. He kicks once. He pumps. He fires. It's a strike! Koufax's curve ball is snapping off like a f-cking firecracker! All right, here he comes with the next pitch. Tresh swings. It's a long fly ball to deep left center! It's going! It's gone! Let's hear it! One way! | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy narrating an imaginary baseball game. |
| “ | Is that crazy enough for ya'? Want me to take a sh-t on the floor? | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy. |
| “ | McMurphy: Uh, we're from the, uh, State Mental Institution. Uh... this is Dr. Cheswick, Dr. Taber, Dr. Frederickson, Dr. Scanlon, the famous Dr. Scanlon, Mr. Harding, Dr. Bibbit, Dr. Martini and, uh, Dr. Sefelt. Boat Owner: How about you? Who are you? |
„ |
| ~ Randle Patrcik McMurphy lying to the owner of a fishing boat after escaping the ward. |
| “ | I'm a goddamn marvel of modern science. | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy about himself. |
| “ | When we get to Canada... | „ |
| ~ Randle Patrick McMurphy's last known words in the film. |
Trivia[]
- Jack Nicholson won Academy Award for Best Actor for playing as Mac.
- He was nominated for being on AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains, but sadly didn't make it.
- McMurphy was ranked #99 on the magazine, Empire's "Greatest Movie Characters of All Time" list.
External Links[]
- Randle McMurphy on the Wikipedia
- Randle McMurphy on the Villains Wiki
- Randle McMurphy on the Great Characters Wiki