The Manchurian Candidate Study Guide & Plot Synopsis

The Manchurian Candidate Plot Summary

Preview of The Manchurian Candidate Summary:

During the Korean War, Sergeant Raymond Shaw and his patrol are ambushed and taken to a Chinese research facility. There, Shaw is brainwashed by Dr. Yen Lo, who installs a subconscious mental command that Shaw will obey any orders when he is told to play solitaire and then sees the queen of diamonds. Yen Lo gives a demonstration to an audience of Communist officials in which he has Shaw murder two men of his patrol. The other soldiers are fed a scenario in which Raymond Shaw saves their lives, and Shaw's commanding officer, Captain Ben Marco, recommends him for the Medal of Honor. On returning to the States, Raymond Shaw takes a job as an assistant to a newspaper columnist.

Raymond strives to keep his mother at a distance, as she seeks to use her son's heroism as a political boon for her husband, Senator Johnny Iselin. Raymond's mother controls...
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