RP McMurphy is not your average mentally ill person stuck in a ward of an institution. Indeed, McMurphy is one of the most unique patients the "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" ward has ever seen. While most of the men in the unit committed themselves, McMurphy chose to be placed in the institution instead of fulfilling his sentence to spend time on a farm. McMurphy is a portly man with remarkable confidence. Other men idolize and fear him from the first moment they spend in his presence. At the beginning of the book, McMurphy plays with the Big Nurse and the other hospital staff. He thinks he might as well have some fun with them, since he's under the mistaken impression that he only has "x" days until his release. Soon, however, he realizes that he will be at the mercy of the Big Nurse if he ever wants to be free again. Before this realization he was an inspiration, someone that others were in awe of and tried to emulate. When McMurphy realizes that he is destroying his chance at freedom and continues down this path anyway, he effectively becomes the savior of the department. Like Christ's decision to die for the sins of man, McMurphy gives himself up for the freedom of the other men in the ward. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay On several occasions in the book, the similarities between McMurphy and Christ are revealed through McMurphy's interactions with the other men in the department. For example, when McMurphy takes Chief by the hand and tells him that he will make him whole, only the imagery of the scene serves as a reference to Christ. McMurphy makes Chief, a Native American with a broken spirit and rampant insecurities, his project, embodying all those who need saving. At one point, McMurphy grabs Chief by the hand and Chief, deluded as he may be, feels McMurphy's blood pumping directly into his own arm. It seems to Chief that McMurphy is literally giving up his own blood to heal him again. Later in the book, another example of McMurphy's Christian behavior in Chief's presence occurs when Chief is admiring McMurphy's arms, commenting on the fact that they are similar to how his were when he played football as a youth. The chief is in awe of McMurphy and thinks, "I should touch him to see if he's still alive." Again, this is a scene where McMurphy's character is greatly influenced by Christ. Chief comments on the similarity between McMurphy's arms and his own, recalling how Christ was created in the likeness of man. People are encouraged to see Christ in themselves and others: He was brought into this world as a mere mortal so that He could spread The Word in a way that humanity could easily relate to. McMurphy is just a man, like all his friends on the ward. Elsewhere in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", the chief emulates the reaction of "Doubting Thomas" to the resurrection of Christ. He feels that he must be in physical contact with McMurphy to believe in him; this recalls Thomas' need to put his hand in Christ's wounds to feel for himself that the holes are real. McMurphy's cross is not easy to bear: although he does not fully accept his fate, he is aware of it. He knows that if he continues as he has done so far, he will become Big Nurse's main target. Men will be free to testify to their strengths and weaknesses, and will therefore grow as men and as people, free to be proud of their lives. Every time he is called for shock treatment.