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<title> A STRONG CHARACTER </title>
In the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I read about Randle Patrick McMurphy, who comes to a mental hospital and with his way of life alters the patients' values. I find him an interesting character and therefore I will write about him in this essay and give some examples of how he acts in different situations.

Already from the beginning of the book the reader understands that Randle Patrick McMurphy, "Mack", is no ordinary patient of a mental hospital. 
When he first enters the ward of the hospital we get to know that he talks in a loud voice and walks with steps that echoes through the corridors. This is a sharp contrast to the other patients in the ward, who behave in a quiet manner, scared to do something wrong. 

McMurphy doesn't allow anybody to decide over him and he only does things he feels like doing. He also has a strong will and doesn't give up that easy. If he can't have things as he wishes he tries to find a solution to the problem in one way or the other, because he hates to loose, as it implies that you are weak. An example of a situation where he acts in a certain way only to show that he still rules the game, is when McMurphy feels like brushing his teeth. It is early morning and he wants to brush his teeth, but a problem arises when he finds out that there is no toothpaste available. He asks one member of staff about some paste, but he is rejected and must therefore come up with another solution. Otherwise he has lost in this situation. McMurphy simply puts down his toothbrush in the soap water of a can, turns it round in the water, pulls it up again and says: "Well, I generally use paste, but this will do fine for me. I thank you. We'll look into that ward policy business later."
This is a good example of how he won't tolerate no as an answer and finds another solution to his request, which makes him a winner in the end.

McMurphy influences other patients in the way of thinking and behaving and they look up to him. They admire him because he is such a strong person, in the sense that he goes his own way and doesn't follow the ordinary stream. Some of them even try to be like him in certain aspects. It is as if the patients take part of his confidence when they are near him and they dare to do and say more things when he is present.
	 
McMurphy walks around on the ward joking with the men, laughing and looking as if he enjoys the stay on the hospital. He does all sorts of things to provoke the Big Nurse. For example he brings up the ward policy in the group meetings and tries to change it by means of votes among the patients.

This is something Big Nurse finds extremely annoying, as she doesn't like changes and wants to have the situation as it has been for several years. He also behaves very rudely to her and asks questions about the size of her bra. 

McMurphy never shows a sign of being afraid of her, not until he meets a lifeguard in the pool. They start talking about the difference between hospital and jail, with McMurphy in favour of jail. But after the guard has explained the situation of being committed, McMurphy suddenly understands the Big Nurse's power. Without her consent he will never get out of hospital again. Directly after their conversation "Mack" says a thing, which indicates that he now understands what effects his actions can have. It is when he comments on some of the patients' efforts to help a child in the shower to stand up. "Let him lay. Maybe he don't like deep water" McMurphy says. He has now realised that he has done a couple of things too many to give him trouble in the future as well. 
 After the meeting with the guard he changes his behaviour for some days. He starts to obey the staff, do the cleaning and behave in a friendly way.
This shows that he is a little naive and "childish" because he didn't understand the importance of being sentenced to a mental hospital before he talked to the guard. But this is the only time he acts "weakly"; otherwise he fights against the rules of the hospital.

McMurphy can be seen as a man, who fights for the little individual against the bigger forces in the hospital. He is admired by the men because of the independent way he talks, acts and doesn't let anybody decide over him.
He follows his own instincts and goes his own way, even though he knows that there can be a high price to pay; his own freedom.
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