McMurphy consciously seeks a leadership position upon entering the ward. Declaring "I'm accustomed to being top man", he looks for the "bull-goose loony" so he can challenge that man's leadership (Ch.1,Sec.3). McMurphy best shows the depth of his leadership capabilities in trying to lead the patients, who are paralyzed by fears, beyond their limits by "trying to drag (them) out of the fog, out in the open" (C1/S3).
McMurphy demonstrates self-preservation with self-restraint to keep from suffering dire consequences. At first, "he thinks he'll just wait a while to see what the story is...before he makes any kind of play". When he finds out that shock therapy is used as punishment, he decides, "I...don't want to have some...nurse after me with three thousand volts...when there's nothing in it for me but the adventure" (C1/S5).
The strength McMurphy shows is strength of spirit. He fails to physically lift the control panel, but notes what is important, saying, "I tried, though...I..did that much, now, didn't I?" (C1/S11).
McMuphy consistently shows ingenuity at every occasion. Examples include addressing his own hand after it has been refused by Big George (C1/S3), shooting a dab of butter at the mess room clock for entertainment (C1/S9), and organizing a basketball team and fishing trip for the patients (C3/S1).
(As pages differ from edition to edition, Chapters/Sections have been used as reference).
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