Having talked about hero, antihero, and villain in class, I am sure that you are completely clear on what all three are. And knowing that, you also are aware that how you classify chraracters into one of these categories is a very personal thing.
Hero: I don't really see a hero in the book. It is much like The Great Gatsby, there is not much of a hero, just a narrator. Chief, the narrator just tells things how it is, and does not really have any values that distinguish him as a hero. McMurphy can't be a hero either, because he has certain values that don't match up with the values of the audience.
Anti-Hero: McMurphy is obviously an anti-hero because he has values that do not match up with others. He is overly aggressive with his sex drive, and as shown on page 41, he pretended to be crazy to get out of farm work. While he has these bad characteristics, he want's to do good for the patients in the institution. He recognized that none of the patients have fun, nobody laughs, and the nurse controls everyone. He want's to change this for the patients.
Villain: Nurse Ratched is the villain of the story, because all of the patients view her as a controlling monster. Even though it is not out rightly said, she dehumanizes the patients, treating them like they are lesser than her. For example, on page 45 she manipulates the patients to reveal embarrassing secrets about their past by saying, "Am I to take it that there's not a man among you that has committed some act that he has never admitted?" When their secrets are revealed it is almost like the nurse has proved to herself that she is much better than these people.
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