Randle Patrick McMurphy

is the main protagonist of the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and the film and play of the same name. He is a former criminal, who after pleading insanity when being charged for statutory rape and is eventually transported to a mental institution, and inspires the other patients.
In the film, he was portrayed by the legendary , who also played J.J. "Jake" Gittes in Chinatown and President James Dale in Mars Attacks! In the play, he was portrayed by the late , who also played Dr. Henry Jekyll in the 1973 TV movie, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Chester Lampwick in The Simpsons.
==Biography==
===Background===
Randle Patrick McMurphy was born in Salem, Oregon in 1925 to an Irish-American family. At a young age, Randle was extremely rebellious and charismatic, standing up to people who felt they had power over him. During the 1950s, Randle becomes a soldier in the Korean War as well as becoming a prisoner of war, with him getting awarded with a Distinguished Service Cross after attacking a Chinese camp. He was eventually dishonorably discharged for insubordination.
===One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest===
After being expelled from the army, Mac took to becoming a brawler, constantly partaking in street fights, prostitution and gambling, leading to his arrest where he is charged with battery, illegal gambling and statutory rape of a 15 year old girl. After 2 months at a prison work farm, he falsely pleads insanity.
When Randle is put in the institution, he realizes that his ward is run by the sinister Nurse Mildred Ratched, who bullies her patients by controlling toiletries, food and water, and has supreme control over medication.
Eventually, Mac starts standing up for himself and the other more insecure patients, including, Billy Bibbit, Martini, Charles Cheswick, Dale Harding, Max Taber and more importantly, the deaf and mute Native American, Chief Bromden. This eventually leads to Nurse Ratched to start restricting Mac and his friends' freedom, mostly due to Randle attempting to escape along with the patients and going on a fishing trip. 
After one of the institution orderlies informs Mac about his long sentence, Mac starts planning to escape along with Chief and the other patients. After Cheswick throws a fit over not being allowed to have cigarettes, he, Mac and Chief are sentenced to electroconvulsive therapy, with Mac learning that Chief was faking him being mute and deaf, agreeing to Mac's plan to escape. 
During Christmas night, Mac invites two prostitutes, Candy and Rose to the institution during their secret Christmas party. After partying for several hours, Mac says goodbye to the other patients, planning to leave immediately. Instead, Mac wakes up in the institution, with Ratched and the orderlies watching on in horror of the party. Eventually, Ratched finds Billy having sex with Candy, threatening to tell Billy's mother, causing Billy to kill himself. After, Ratched tries to calm everyone down, Randle attempts to strangle Ratched to death, in a blind rage. 
Mac is sentenced to be lobotomized, where the patients start spreading rumors of Mac escaping. Chief feels hurt about this, until he sees Randle being walked to his bed in the middle of the night. Chief walks towards Mac, agreeing to escape with him. When Chief realizes that Mac was lobotomized, he puts Mac out of his misery, smothering him with a pillow, where he then throws a torn off hydrotherapy console through the window, escaping and letting Mac's inspiration to live on through the rest of the patients. 
==Personality ==
Randle is extremely rebellious, disobedient and unpredictable who believes that chaos is standard. Throughout the story, Mac is seen by his peers as being crazy, near sociopathic with his actions, with him always having a delusionally happy presence. Along with this, Mac has an extreme short-temper, yelling at the people who have to much power or are unfair.
Despite this, Mac is almost holy like. Mac is very respectful to those he knows are lesser than himself, such as the patients. On the inside, Mac truly cares for people, such as Billy, Cheswick and especially Bromden. For instance, Randle is very loyal, never leaving the Chief's side. Mac also inspires the patients, despite having no need to and only doing it as he knows how horribly the people at the institution treat them.
==Symbolism==
In the novel, Randle is presented as a Christ-like figure, stating "Anointest my head with conductant. Do I get a crown of thorns?" just before partaking in electroshock therapy. Along with there being 12 men on the boat during Mac's fishing trip, similarly to Jesus and his 12 apostles. All together, Mac mostly symbolizes Jesus as both of them sacrifice themselves for the greater good. With Randle sacrificing himself in order for his idea of freedom for the rest of the patients to live on forever.
In the film, however, Mac does not realize he must inspire the patients after watching a squirrel walk across the barbwire fence surrounding the grounds of the ward. While Mac as a whole represents freedom, he himself is not entirely free, unlike the squirrel, as no matter how hard her tries, he dies before becoming fully free, while his spirit lives on freely through the patients and the Chief.
==Quotes==
==Trivia==
*Jack Nicholson won Academy Award for Best Actor for playing as Mac.
*He was nominated for being on , but sadly didn't make it.
*McMurphy was ranked #99 on the magazine, Empire's "Greatest Movie Characters of All Time" list.
==External Links==
*Randle McMurphy on the Wikipedia
*Randle McMurphy on the Villains Wiki
*Randle McMurphy on the Great Characters Wiki
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