Critical Essay on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Randle McMurphy

The character is the film's protagonist, displayed as a confident criminal. After serving a jail term for a short time, McMurphy transfers to the hospitals following a diagnosis that confirmed he is mentally ill. He welcomes the opportunity since he thinks that he wouldn't have to do hard labor within the hospital environment. Randle is a noisy and confident character whose behaviors and loudnessclashes with those of other patients who have grown used to repressed emotions. His self-determination, freedom,and sexuality threaten Nurse Ratched's ability to control the ward, thus, portraying him as a potential threat. Through his role, the film canreflect on the systems used in mental illness institutions. Also, the character plays the role of a savior. At the beginning of the film, McMurphy joins the hospital as a strong man willing to change impact changes and improve the well-being of the other patients thus engaging in risky activities that got him electroshocked and committed to serving at the hospital. However,towards the end of the film, he sacrifices his freedom for the sake of the other patients (One Flew over theCuckoo's Nest, 2017).

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Chief Bromden

The character has been in the long for a long time,and the other patients believe that he is deaf and dumb. However, as reflected in the film, engagements with McMurphy help him regain his original form. He is the tallest and most influential character in the movie, but due to the struggles with hallucinations and paranoia, Chief lost his self-confidence and begun acting like he cannot hear or speak managing to fool everybody in the hospital except McMurphy.After the death of Billy, McMurphy chokes Nurse Ratched, an action that gets him into the trouble of having to go through a lobotomy. Seeing this, Chief promises never to let him down and smothers him with a pillow and escapes thus opening a chance for the others who wish to free.Through this role, Chief portrays the impacts of lousy childhood on individuals and how the challenges brought about by the societal expectationsaffect a person's self-esteem (One Flew over theCuckoo's Nest, 2017).

Nurse Ratched

She is a practitioner at the mental facility who uses his power to dictate how the patients should live their lives while in the facility. Her character is a reflection of the dehumanizing and oppressive modern society. For instance, she often sends patients for electroshock sessions that continue to damage their brains rather than offering helpful assistance. After the suicide of Billy, for example, she takes McMurphy for neurosurgical operations that live him destroyed. A man, who was once the strongest and the most confidence,turn to a miserable nobody compelling Chief to kill him before escaping. Rather than focusing on the good deeds of McMurphy and his w,willingness to help the other patients, the Nurse saw him as a threat and begun taking him through medical procedures meant to destroy him. The Nurse had control over the entire ward and oppressed the patients instead of helpingng them through their challenges (One Flew over theCuckoo's Nest, 2017).

Types of Leadership Displayed in the Film

Leadership is a concept applicable to all kinds of organizations. A leader is an individual with ethical and moral courage and willingness to lead by example (Mahdinezhad, & Suandi, 2013). Thus, he or she engages in activities that motivate others to do and be better than they already are and thus building a personal and organizational reputation. The film portrays two types of leadership which include autocratic and transformational.Characters represent their leadership skills under different capacities and therefore directly contributing to the enriching of the films script and the general strength of the story.

Nurse Ratched applies an autocratic form of leadership in managing the hospital ward. She takes control of the department and the patients leaving no room for them to exercise their rights. For instance, at some point, the patients seem not to understand why the facility's doors are always closed yet some volunteered to live at the hospital. Under normal circumstances, the viewer would expect since the patients are just volunteers to have a prior understanding of the conditions of their commitment an aspect which is missing. Also, she gives orders on what the patients should do or not and threatens those who go against her wishes. For instance, she uses her power to intimidate Billy when she finds him with Candy causing him to commit suicide. She also threatens McMurphy with her ability to have him committed to the facility for life as a way of discouraging him to against her will. However, as a mental facility nurse, she probably uses this strategy to closely supervise the progress of the patients while at the same ensuring that things are under control. Mental illness patients need close supervision as well as the freedom to exercise their rights.

McMurphy uses transformational leadership to motivate and reinstate the patient's self-confidence. Though portrayed as a criminal, the character strives to bring changes to the system that denies the patients opportunities to engage in activities that would help them get off their miseries and become more sociable. For instance, upon joining the facility, he asks for permission to watch the World Series which the nurse argues that would change the hospital's schedule and thus requires a majority vote. After trying to prove to the patients that they have every right to watch and enjoy, they agree to participate in voting,and the applauses are evidence of their excitement. After this incident, the patients are more active and even begin to ask questions regarding the problems tormenting them and their general well-being. He also uses his personality to positively influence Chief who finally finds the courage to live the facility and begin life anew. In transformational leadership, the leader affects positive changes in assumptions and attitudes of the followers (Daft, 2014).

Randle McMurphy as the Leader in the Film: Evidence and Sources of Influence

He has the capabilities to transform the patients and courageous seek what is best for them.The first quality that McMurphy uses to show his capacity as a leader is the ability to inspire others. When he joined the facility, all the patients looked depressed and withdrawn. His lively and rebellious personality encouraged them to participate in activities that would eventually help them recover. For instance, McMurphy would not hesitate to speak his mind and thus strengthening the rest of the group to be better. When he takes a group of patients for fishing, he happily tells them that they cease to be crazy people and become fishermen. He taught them how to fish thus boosting their moods and encouraging them to remain active.

McMurphy's passion and commitment towards helping the patients make him a good leader. Though he consistently engages in activities that were unacceptable to the facility such as sneaking the patients away and hosting a party, his intentions were genuine. For instance, in the basketball field, he helps Chief who was believed to be deaf and dumb to learn how to play. Though at the beginning Chief doesn't seem to understand what McMurphy was trying to do, he finally caught and actively participated. McMurphy never gave up on him but wanted to show him that he can do it. Good leaders are committed to improving the lives of their followers by helping them through the most challenging tasks with judging or giving up (Mahdinezhad& Suandi, 2013). McMurphy achieved this throughout the film and is evident from the last scene which portrays Chief as a better person as compared to his personality at the beginning of the film.

Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Processes Displayed in the Film

In life and workplaces, people solve problems and make decisions in times of crisis or when need to make changes arise. The skills applied in these processes are essential parts of people's daily lives and thus requires critical and creative thinking as well as the ability to evaluate all the alternatives (Bateh& Heyliger, 2014). Due to the patient's mental instability, the processes of decision-making and problem-solving in the play seem to rely more on the capabilities of the sane people. Randle McMurphy and Nurse Ratched seem to make most of the decisions in the film. The patients rely on them for guidance on what to do and when to do it. However,characters such as Dr. Spivey use a different decision-making approach. For instance, he consults on issues affecting McMurphy,especially about his sanity before deciding to either retain him in the hospital or send him back to continue his sentence. The application of this approach in organizations helps in ensuring that the decisions made meet the mutual interests of the parties involved (Daft, 2014). Thus, consultations in decision-making and problem solving improve the quality of the ideas settled on as well as fastening the process.

However, the approach of brainstorming applies in a few situations within the film. For instance, when McMurphy and the rest of the patients are discussing the means of getting out of the facility, they share ideas and even dares him to lift the hydrotherapy cart.Brainstorming brings together group members to address the problem and share practical ideas that offer potential solutions. Nurse Ratched uses the concept during her therapy sessions. For example, she shares a problem experienced by one patient and encourages the others to share their ideas about it. In this case, the patients canopen up and thus to reduce their mental and emotional burden.

Other's expectations have different impacts on various people's personal perceptions and actions. For instance, the condition of the Chief worsened due to his own experiences with people since childhood which lowered his confidence.As explained from the original book, Chief began withdrawing from the world at the age of ten when some officials who had come to talk to his father decided to ignore him. The people treated him as if he did not exist thus prompting him to act accordingly. This condition encouraged him to avoid social interactions which consequently hindered him from achieving maximum recovery. When McMurphy appeared and gave him attention, he began participating in the activities around the facility such as playing basketball (One Flew over theCuckoo's Nest, 2017).

While explaining the social psychology of groups, Thibaut (2017) explains that interactions between two or more people rely on the outcomes of their initial engagements. Thus, if the results of the initial interpersonal communications were good, the people are likely to engage more and become more sociable. For instance, the film, McMurphy depicts freedom and impacts positivity on the people in the facility. Therefore, his easy to approach and talk to personality combined with his jovial moods and laughter encouraged people to get out of their bondage. He consequently attempts to help them to live a fulfilling life. For instance, when he asks Billy what he was doing in such a facility yet, he was young and had the freedom to leave anytime. He tells him that he should be out there making a life for himself rather than remaining stuck in such a dehumanizing institution. Due to this characters high expectations of the others, he can uplift their spirits and thus giving them purpose and confidence to face reality.

Fiske (2018) explains that stereotypes are a contributing factor towards controlling of others and thus limiting their freedoms and constraining their lives and the outcomes. This theory can relate to by the actions of Nurse Ratched in the film and the impacts her actions have on the patients she...