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Cuckoo Nest

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In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Randall MacMurphy is said to have changed the life style and behavior of the insane people in the mental hospital. He came to the institution just so he would not be put in jail, but he later influences the insane people. His upbringing causes the other people to look at MacMurphy as their leader. The influence of MacMurphy is mostly important on Chief, Billy, Cheswick, and Nurse Rached. His ideas and leadership allow these four character's to change their old ways and become new people. The "cuckoo's nest" is referred to as the mental institution, and MacMurphy is definately the "one" who took control over the "nest" of insane people." MacMurphy had the greatest effect on Chief. Through most of the movie, Chief never talked or communicated with anyone because they all thought he was deaf. We started to see change in Chief when MacMurphy tryed to teach the Chief how to play basketball. The Chief obeyed all of the commands that MacMurphy had taught him. This was the early sign of MacMurphy's impact on big Chief. Not only does MacMurphy try to teach him basketball, but also MacMurphy wants Chief on his side because he is the biggest guy. Also, when MacMurphy gets in a fight, Chief is the first one to help him. The Chief went from not being noticed to getting in scruffles with the nurses. In the end, big Chief is a new person, who wants to explore the world. MacMurphy told him that they were going to go to Canada, and Chief listened and continued to escape threw the window. Billy was also effected by MacMurphy. Billy has no confidence and studders everytime he talks. MacMurphy changes Billy into a more confident person. On the boat, Billy begins to talk to MacMurphy's girlfriend. He shows a lot of confidence, which makes him a happier person. Also, toward the end of the movie, Billy has relations with MacMurphy's girlfriend. When he is done and comes out of the room, he does not studder for that very moment. It is a difficult thing to get someone who studders all the time, not to studder for that brief moment, and MacMurphy was able to accomplish it. Cheswick was always the nerdy guy, who was scared to stand up for himself. Cheswick became almost attached to MacMurphy throughout the movie. When on the boat, MacMurphy allows the insane people to have free will. At first, he calls most of them doctors, and they all feel important. With this being said, Cheswick tries to control the boat wheel because he finally is standing up for himself. Also, MacMurphy controls them when they play cards. He always wins because the insane people do not know the game so he plays for cigarettes. Cheswick stands up for himself to Nurse Rached demanding his cigarettes because they had got taken away. Some people might believe that Nurse Rached was the "one who flew over the nest," but I think MacMurphy manipulates her too. We see that when he is teaching Chief basketball, Rached is staring out the window at MacMurphy. She probably realizes that he is doing a good thing. Also, Rached still retains order in the institution, but MacMurphy takes a lot of her power away. He almost tries to turn the psycho's against Rached. MacMurphy has ultimately changed Rached too. She realizes that many of the things MacMurphy is doing, the insane people conform to his ways.

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