the-analysis-on-mc-murphy-in-the-movie-one-flew-over-the-cuclkoo's-nest---分析飞跃疯人院中麦克.墨非.doc

The Analysis on MC. Murphy in the Movie One Flew Over the Cuclkoo's Nest
Management School, China West Normal University

Abstract

The American movie One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is a screen adaption of American novelist by Ken Kesey. The movie tells a story about patients’ rebellions led by MC. Murphy. This paper analyzes Murphy’s good-nature, bravery and spirit of resistance through the introduction of the social background and the summary of the film. At the same time, it depicts the normal persons’ oppression of the mental patients in the cuckoo’s nest and the patients’ sufferings. All of this analysis lead the main idea that the ending of the movie is not just a tragedy with the death of Murphy, but encouraging other patients to be brave to pursue freedom. When we faced unfair treatment, we should break the routine to strive for our own rights. Maybe most of us can’t be a hero like Murphy, but we should choose our own way of being.
Key words: MC Murphy; Good-nature; Bravery; Spirit of resistance

The Analysis on MC. Murphy in the Movie One Flew Over the Cuclkoo's Nest
分析《飞跃疯人院》中的麦克.墨非

摘 要

电影《飞越疯人院》是美国作家肯••••凯西的小说改编而成的。电影讲述的是主人公麦克•墨菲带领病人们积极反抗的故事。本文通过该电影的社会背景以及剧情简介来分析墨菲的善良、勇敢和反抗精神。同时揭露了精神病人们受到一大护士为首的“正常人”以及各种荒谬规则的束缚和压制。所有的分析都是在为了引出作者的观点，电影的结尾并非是一个以麦克·墨菲的死亡而结束的一个悲剧，而是鼓励更多病人勇敢的追求自由，当我们面对不公正的待遇的时候，我们应该打破常规去为了我们自己的权利而抗争。也许大多数的我们并不能都成为像麦克·墨菲那样的英雄，但是我们都应该选择我们自己的方式生活。
关键词：麦克•墨菲；善良；个人英雄主义；反抗精神

1.Introduction
Have you ever watched the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest？The movie reveals that human beings are greatly depressed and destroyed by intense industrialization and modern civilization. The movie is a screen adaption of the novel written by American Ken Kesey one of the most brilliant American novelists in the 1960s. First, the author will introduce the plot summary of the film. Secondly, The author will present the social ground of the movie includes American imperialism and existentialism. Thirdly, The author will make a specific analysis on my hero Murphy. Murphy, a red-haired, wild American of Irish descent, is sent to the hospital for "diagnosis and possible treatment." He is engaged in brawling, gambling, chicanery, and exercising his carnal nature. His primitive inclinations mark him as an iconoclast in a world that increasingly values conformity. It is perhaps part of Murphy's innate nature that he does not adhere to social strictures. His spirit of has already effected all the patients in the hospital and leads a successful escape. In author’s opinion, Murphy has helped them regain their sanity at the price of losing his own. Murphy ceases to be himself and isn’t willing to be what the others think he is . The patients can recognize themselves only through Murphy. Murphy is a hero who has a good-nature, individualistic heroism and spirit of resistance. Are you more interested in watching the movie?
1. 1The brief introduction of the film
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 comedy-drama film directed by Miloš Forman. The movie is an adaptation of the 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. It is said that the novel was inspired by his ideas and hallucinations that produced by the anesthetic drugs, including psilocybin, mescaline and lysergic acid diethylamide. The movie was the first to win all five major Academy Awards that includes Best Picture, Actor in Lead Role, Actress in Lead Role, Director and Screenplay. It is a movie which reveals the condition of America in 1860s. If you want to know more about American history, it will be a better choice. Before we watch the movie we should learn about the social aground which will help you catch the movie better.
In the author’s opinion, the movie isn’t only about American society and history, but also it can tells us something about the principle of life. We should try our best to change our life and get what we want.
You may think Murphy’s death is a tragedy. But the author thinks if we want to make a difference we have to pay the price. Although Murphy dies, it doesn’t mean he fails. He is bravery and spirit is always alive. Other patients influenced by his courage also follow them and try their best to pursue their own freedom and dignity, finally flying over the “cuckoo’s nest” successfully.
1.2 Some Comments from Variety Areas on the Movie
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has attracted abound of attention in the USA, as Martin Levin regarded the novel as “ a glittering parable of good and evil” in the New York Times Books Review. The “good” means the novel itself and the “evil” means the cruelty of society and the suppression of politic. As it is said that the movie is the reflection of American society which is under a depressing mood. The patients are like the ruled and the doctors are like the rulers, living under oppression. It is no doubt that all patients have lost their freedom, and they can’t do whatever they want to do, such as watching the game shows. Times said that the movie is a symbol of protest against the rules and restrictions that hamper people’s thoughts and actions. Many critics highly of it and regard it as the bridge to the counterculture movement of the 1960s. In my opinion, this movie has great value of research. We can learn more about Murphy and American social ground. I have both read the book and watched the movie. After watching the movie, I think the movie reveals the bad thing that we can’t easily see in our real life. Compared with the book, the movie removed lots of distorted and bloody parts and omitted much cruel violence to make it more acceptable and mild. Because something that we can be easily expressed by word may be difficultly express by movie. The patients in the hospital have all different kinds of experience, but Murphy is the most special one who pretends to be suffering from mental disease, it may be the reason for him to change all the people. The movie has shocked many people, including me. When we suffering from some unfair things in our real life, if we can be brave it we will have less complaining.
2. Background of MC. Murphy in the Movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
As a movie adapted from book, what it really wants to reveal is the unstable American society in 1860s, which isn’t regarded as a calm and peaceful state because of its tense political issues and complex social problems. In 1960s, there appeared counter-cultural movement whose supporters resisted political power. In order to show their dissatisfaction with the traditional authority, they conducted some rebelling activities. The movement has great effect on American literature. On the other hand, there were two piece of interesting news in the movie. The one is about The Berlin Wall which is political issue, and the other one is about a bomb attack which is social problem. Compared with the apparently prosperous phenomenon of America that we saw, we may be surprised with the hidden crisis of American state.
There are many unstable facts on American state and society. The American civilians are unsatisfied with the government and they don’t want to abide by the system. Murphy is one of them who want to struggle for freedom.
2.1. The Counter-Cultural Movement
Counter-culture movement is a protest movement conducted by American youth in the late 1960s and dribbled away during the late 1970s. The youth have a great disappointment to the society because of some social problems. In order to end the Vietnam War, eliminate racial discrimination and advocate more democracy, they began to take some measures which may be negative. At that time, the American mainstream culture was scorned by most of student. They even questioned and struggle against the authority and began to rebel by means of abnormal behaviors like taking drugs, wearing bizarre dresses, and nakedness… However, sometimes they still protested without so much great reason at all. It revealed the difference between their ideal expectation and cruel social reality. They just fight for what the society they want, although they are too crazy. Since 1946, the first “Baby Boom” had appeared in America which called “Baby Boom” generation. Because of the growing experience they concerned more about the movement, and they were the mainstream of counter-culture movement in the 1960s. Because of the widespread dissatisfaction, poster generation wanted to protest against all the mainstream cultures that America had come to represent, concerning sex, religion, the arts and the way of life in 1950s. Those people whose ideology had a great effect on the students in the 1960s were well-known as the “Beat generation”. During the period, many writers also created a bound of literature works on the movement include Kesey whose work also describes the society of America in 1960s.
The writers who work on the movement may look diffrent from the multitude of people. Although thier behaviour are not reasonable, they are just trying thier best to show thier wills. If you know more about the background of the movie, you won’t be surprised that Murphy used to be addicted in drugs and gambling.
2.2. The Crisis of American States
After WWII, America became an peaceful country from the wartime. Because of the changing, it also turned into a super power state among all capitalist at that time. In order to expand capitalist and solidify its hegemonic status in the whole world, in politic, American made antagonistic policy to oppose socialist countries led by the Soviet Union. In military, it set up North Atlantic Treaty to frighten other countries with its one and only atomic bomb. It was different from what the movie tried to express was that even small problems should not be neglected. For example, Opening the Berlin Wall as it mentioned in the movie may led by hidden crisis of American state because the government always present the cover of superficial prosperity. As everyone knows that the Berlin Wall, as a symbolic building of separation between socialist and capitalist, had caught much attention. However, perhaps you don’t know that it is also a tool to avoid war for Central Intelligence Agency to gather Intel against Soviet Union. Once opened, it may bring lots of danger to American. So, the government took it serious at that time, and the state was not so peaceful as we saw. The hidden war is on the verge of breaking out.
On the other hand, in economy, under the help of Bretton Woods system, American established its dominating position and controlled the economy artery. However, it was reported in the movie, three men of Alabama were arrested because of their relation to a church bomb, and their killing of three Negro children who are attending to pray. We can see the big difference between the rich and the poor by this news and combining with what we learn know. And the difference was gradually becoming more and more obviously in America. The condition of America was terrible including the complicated mixture of racial conflicts and too much difference between the rich and the poor. As the saying goes “Wherever there is oppression, there is resistance”. Under such oppression, more and more people rebelled. More and more Afro-Americans who were poor began to express their dissatisfaction. There was a famous song named “We Should Overcome” sung by them when they were conducting movements. For example, in Greensboro Sit-in, they affirmed their commitment to fight racial prejudice and social inequity. At the same time, many other movements also happened in 1960s, such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement, and Women’s Liberation Movement. The government created uniform system which with high expectation to stop the trouble-makers when it faced with so much domestic and international problems and wanted to settle these problems as soon as possible. The author---Ken Kesey himself was the volunteer to try this system.
2.3 The Brief Introduction of “The Beat Generation”
“The Beat Generation” is related to a group of writers who become prominence in the 1950s, after World War II and the cultural phenomena they wrote about and inspired. It is the same as “Lost Generation" of the 1920s, they are both movements about a literary current and a broader cultural phenomena or mood. It has great effect on American literature and history. The Beats make a try to challenge the limits of middle-class society, their central elements culture are about a rejection of mainstream values, experiment with drugs, alternative forms of sexuality, and an interest in Eastern Religion.
The primal Beats’ writers like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs are from New York, and Kerouac and Ginsberg both attended Columbia University in New York, and Burroughs (the eldest of the three) was a Harvard graduate. They concerned much about a bound of cultural events and attitudes, the most notable being World War II, and the ultra-conservative middle class. They took the visceral engagement seriously and they pursued the understanding of deeper spirit. They were partial to uncensored emotion and never subjected to the material society.
The main members of the Beats had the similar ideas and values that defied the mainstream social values with the members of counter-cultural movement. It referred that the Beats were a part of counter-cultural movement and the Beats were deeply affected by counter-cultural movement. They thought the manners and mores are corrupt and crass. They were tired of the conventional society, they broke up with such a controlled society by drink and drugs. There were a bound of colorful characters, shifting landscapes, dramas, and personal development because of the movement.
3. The Analysis on MC. Murphy
Murphy is sure a hero in all of our mind because of his good-nature，individualistic heroism，spirit of resistance. Murphy is sent to the hospital because he pretends to be suffering mental disease in order to avoid labor service on the farm after committing a crime and want to live a comfortable life. Maybe you think he is just a criminal who is immoral. It means that you can’t imagine that such a bad person can help patients find their freedom and dignity. In this chapter, I will make an analysis on Murphy’s changing in the hospital, besides the relationship between Murphy and “The beat Generation”. At the same time, I will research why and how Murphy struggle against big nurse.
The author thinks Murphy’s tragedy can owe to the unstable state. Murphy yearns for freedom, equality and democracy, but the condition society let him down. So he struggle with the institution with his own way. Unluckily, he is destroyed by the cruel system.
3.1. The Changing of Murphy
At the beginning, Murphy is a normal person who just wants to avoid labor service on the farm. Finally, Murphy is lobotomized by the