One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest

1017 Words5 Pages
On the surface someone that is a con can appear to be your friend but is really just acting this way so they can get something out of you. In Ken Keseys One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Randle McMurphy can be seen as a selfish con but is also a great friend to many of the patients and isn’t just friends with them for what they have. The main focus of this book is how McMurphy comes to the ward and befriends many of the patients. He also cons many of the patients out of their money and possessions during his time at the ward. Although he can be seen as a con he is also a great friend, through his befriending, he helps many of the patients re-build their self-confidence, which Nurse Ratched has obliterated. In addition to building their self-confidence, McMurphy also helps them regain their manhood, which has also been taken away for the most part while they are being ‘treated’. While he may appear on the surface to be a selfish con artist, Randle McMurphy is predominantly a helpful friend who helps and inspires many of the patients on the ward to gain stability in their lives. McMurphy can be seen as a selfish con artist throughout the book. He has a way of manipulating people in a way that he appears to be helping but really he is using them for his own benefit. His manipulation can be seen clearly especially with the acutes. McMurphy has had a bet with every acute on the ward and has gotten something out of each of them that can be used to his benefit. Nurse Ratched said “yes every acute on the ward has written you on IOU for some ‘deal’ of yours at one time or another. At first the patients might think that they are helping McMurphy but the truth is he’s used all of them for something. One of the greatest moments in the book that reveals his character as a selfish con is on the way to the fishing trip. McMurphy said “Hoo boy, you don’t miss a chance do you Miss

More about One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest

Open Document