McMurphy:the Anti-hero In Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

As Ken Kesey’s (1935-2001) most crucial work, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest waspublished in1962, during a period which Ken Kesey took part in the drug LSD experimentsupported by American government, and the novel was accomplished under such background.The film adaptation of the book by Milos Forman in1975bagged Academy Awards in fivecategories later, and helped Ken gain world fame.Foreign researchers tend to analyze the narrative structure and metaphorical patterns of thenovel by applying feminism, heroism, and the carnivalesque theory. The domestic studies onOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which starts later than abroad studies, tend to analyze therationality and indifference exist in modern American industrial society from the angle ofFoucault’s madness and power theory, New Historicism, and archetype of Jesus Christ. With theprevalence of American Counterculture Movement in1960s, the anti-hero becomes popular inpostmodern literature. The so-called anti-hero, who possesses his corruption and his humanityas well, is both evil and virtuous. McMurphy is a typical anti-hero. Ken Kesey tries tohumanize evil even if he is aware that McMurphy will never get rid of it. Through an analysisof the story’s plot, this thesis tries to dissect McMurphy’s anti-heroic characteristics pro and con,and is also expected to enrich and broaden the critics’ comprehension of McMurphy andanti-hero.This thesis is divided into six parts.Chapter One makes a general introduction to the author and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’sNest. The research purpose and the background of this thesis are also presented in this chapter.Chapter Two is the literature review of the novel, and the introduction to the theory—anti-hero. Different from previous studies, this thesis analyzes McMurphy from the perspectiveof anti-hero. Theoretic basis gives the definition, characteristics, and the background ofanti-hero, that is, the American Counterculture Movement in1960s.The main body of the thesis comprises three chapters. Chapter Three reveals the specificbackground for McMurphy’s emergence, that is, the countercultural manifestations in One FlewOver the Cuckoo’s Nest. Patients are forced to accept Big Nurse’s cruel control, for instance, theelectro shock therapy, therapeutic community meeting, lobotomy, etc.Chapter Four analyzes the disadvantages in McMurphy’s character, which is the villainousside of anti-hero. This chapter goes into four aspects: McMurphy’s hedonism, including hisindulgence in sex and revelry; McMurph’s escapism, including escape from the heavy farmlabor and the antipathetic mental ward; McMurphy’s wild-looking appearance; the threatbrought to others’ life, for instance, lives of Billy, Cheswick, or even McMurphy himself. Chapter Five analyzes the advantages in McMurphy’s character, which is the heroic side ofanti-hero. This chapter also goes into four aspects: McMurphy’s rebellion against Big Nurse’simpersonal rules, for example, voting for watching World Series, and organizing a deep-seafishing; McMurphy’s diction and laughter; McMurphy’s ethics; McMurphy’s impact on otherpatients, especially on the awakening of Bromden.Chapter Six is the conclusion of the thesis. It summarizes the findings, the limitation andthe future trend of the study. With the background of Counterculture Movement, a summary ofMcMurphy’s performance is accomplished, through which one could judge that McMurphy is atrue anti-hero. McMurphy is both villainous and heroic just like other anti-heroes.