A free spirited rogue. A tough, rebellious, cunning entrepreneur, looking out for himself. He is portrayed as the sort of person people admire for his daring, but secretly fear for his confidence and power. Later he is stereotyped as a Christ-like martyr, sacrificing himself to save the others in the ward.This is not an accurate representation; Mac is not a “good, pure person”, just the best man for the job of “saving” the patients. He has the strongest personality (because he is sane?) and is willing to speak/fight for his, and others, rights. Remember, he has many assault convictions, plus one for statutory rape. Is he really a suitable saviour?The patients see him as a leader and, after a while, they rally behind him in his battle against the nurse.

How does he fit the American image of masculinity?

Loud, confident, vulgar, physically tough. He is sure of himself and quite ready to talk about himself. Yet, he bucks this trend in the fact that he knows and acknowledges his faults, “I fight and fuck too much”, whereas the typical “manly” man sees nothing bad about himself. Mac is more than just a tough guy; he has embraced his shadow* and recognizes his whole identity, not just the “good bits”.

Check out how Mac relates to each separate person on the ward. How is his reaction to Billy different from his treatment of Harding, Ellis, etc? What do his responses to the men tell us about him and about who they are?

Mac interacts with others in accordance to what he thinks they need. He jokes about sexual things to the virginal Billy, calling him “Billy the club Bibbit, of the famous fourteen inches”, trying to get him to laugh at the irony. Mac knows that you must be able to laugh at yourself in order to deal with others’ criticism. He speaks to Harding, an educated man, in an altogether different manner, discussing matters more formally and politely. Mac also reaches out to Ellis, recognisnig him as a human being, not just a vegetable. Ellis thanks him for this care, revealing that he is not totally devoid of thought as everyone thinks. This adaptation of attitude around different people shows Mac’s ability to manipulate people, but in a different manner to nurse Ratched.

Claire, Cindy, Josh, Benji, Laura, Dale.