One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Test

Who narrates the events of the novel?

Chief Bromden

Who is the "Big Nurse?"

Nurse Ratched

Who says, "It's still hard for me to have a clear mind thinking on it. But it's the truth even if it didn't happen."?

Chief Bromden

Where was Randle McMurphy transferred from?

The Pendleton Work Farm

Why was McMurphy transferred to the ward?

He says that he requested to be transferred to the hospital to escape the drudgery of the Pendleton Work Farm, and that life seemed easier at the ward.

Who is the president of the Patients' Council?

Dale Harding

Into what two groups are the patients divided?

The Acutes, who are considered curable, and the Chronics, who are considered incurable.

Who are the Walkers, the Wheelers, and the Vegetables?

Walkers: Chronics who can walk around unaided.
Wheelers: Chronics confined to wheelchairs.
Vegetables: Chronics who cannot leave their beds and give few signs of life.

How does the ward cause some patients to change from Acutes to Chronics?

They become mentally crippled by excessive shock treatment or brain surgery, common practices in the hospital.

How does Nurse Ratched get the Acutes to spy on each other?

If one reveals an embarrassing or incriminating personal detail, the rest race to write it in the logbook. Their reward for such disclosures is sleeping late the next morning.

What is the Combine?

Bromden's idea of society. He thinks it is a huge, oppressive conglomeration that works as a machine to enforce conformity.

According to McMurphy, what makes a person the "bull goose loony?"

The "bull goose loony" is the craziest person in the ward. In other words, he's the one who is really in charge.

Why does Bromden fool people into thinking that he's deaf and dumb?

In order to stay unnoticed. Also, people say things in front of him that he shouldn't necessarily know.

Why does McMurphy call the ward meeting a "pecking party?"

He states that the men acted like a bunch of chickens pecking at another chicken's wound, and that Nurse Ratched started it.

According to Harding, who are "rabbits" and who are "wolves?"

He says that everyone in the ward is a rabbit in a world ruled by wolves. They are in the hospital because they are unable to accept their roles as rabbits. Nurse Ratched is one of the wolves, and she is there to train them to accept their rabbit roles.

What bet does McMurphy make with the other patients?

That he can make Nurse Ratched lose her temper within a week.

What does Bancini repeatedly complain about?

Being tired.

According to Bromden, why has the number of instances of "the fog" decreased?

He states that whoever controls the fog machine has not turned it on as much since McMurphy's arrival.

What does Bromden have a nightmare about the night that he doesn't take his medication?

He has a nightmare that the hospital is a mechanical slaughterhouse. The staff hangs Old Blastic on a meat hook and slashes him open, and ash and rust pour out of the wound.

What does McMurphy do when one of the aides will not give him toothpaste?

He brushes his teeth with soap.

When McMurphy steps out of the shower, what is he wearing underneath his towel?

A black pair of boxer shorts with white whales on them.

Why does Ratched say she cannot turn down the music in the ward, after McMurphy asks her to?

She says that some of the Chronics are hard of hearing and cannot entertain themselves without the music turned up loudly.

How does McMurphy rebel against Ratched's refusal to turn the music down and to allow patients to play cards in a separate room? What is Ratched's reaction?

He goes into an interview with Doctor Spivey and charms him. When the pair go to the ward meeting, the doctor announces McMurphy's plan for the radio to be played at a higher volume, so that the hard-of-hearing patients can enjoy it more. He proposes that the other patients go to another room to read or play cards. Since the Chronics are easy to supervise, the staff can be split between the rooms. Ratched restrains herself from losing her temper.

Why does McMurphy declare that he is going to escape the ward?

McMurphy requests that Ratched allow them to watch the World Series, even though it is not the regulation TV time. In order to make up for this, he proposes that they do the cleaning chores at night and watch the TV in the afternoon, but Ratched refuses to change the schedule. He proposes a vote at the Group Meeting, but only Cheswick is brave enough to defy Ratched, since the others are afraid of long-term repercussions. McMurphy, furious, says he is going to escape.

How does McMurphy plan to escape the ward?

He plans to lift the cement control panel in the tub room and use it to break through the reinforced windows.

How does Bromden feel about the fog?

He says it makes him feel safe, but McMurphy keeps dragging him and the other patients out of it.

How does McMurphy win his bet with the patients?

When Nurse Ratched refuses to let the patients watch the World Series, McMurphy turns on the TV anyway. She cuts the power to the TV, but he sits in front of the blank TV and refuses to get up to do the cleaning chores. Soon, the other Acutes join him. Ratched screams and rants at them for breaking the schedule, and McMurphy wins his bet that he could make her lose her composure.

How does Nurse Ratched claim that the patients did not vote to change the schedule to watch the World Series?

McMurphy proposes another vote regarding the TV, with the support of some of the other patients. All twenty Acutes vote for it. Ratched declares the proposal defeated, however, because none of the twenty Chronics raised their hands and McMurphy needs a majority. McMurphy finally persuades Bromden to raise his hand, but Ratched says the vote is closed.

During the staff meeting after the World Series protest, what do the staff (other than Ratched) decide about McMurphy? What does Ratched think?

They decide that McMurphy is potentially violent and should be sent to the Disturbed ward. Ratched disagrees; she declares instead that McMurphy is an ordinary man, subject to the same fears and timidity as the others. Since McMurphy is committed, Ratched knows she can control how long he spends in the hospital, and she decides to take her time with him.

What does McMurphy learn from the lifeguard? What is his reaction?

He learns that someone who is committed to the hospital is released only at the discretion of the staff. He previously thought that he could leave at any time; due to this new knowledge, he acts more carefully around Ratched.

What events lead up to Cheswick drowning? Why is it possibly a suicide?

During a group meeting, Cheswick brings up the problem of cigarette rationing, but McMurphy does not support him. Ratched sends Cheswick to Disturbed for a while. After he returns, on the way to the pool, Cheswick tells McMurphy that he understands why McMurphy no longer rebels against Ratched. That day, Cheswick's fingers get stuck in the pool's drain and he drowns in what is possibly a suicide. It could be a suicide because of Cheswick's demeanor and him feeling betrayed by McMurphy.

Who are Sefelt and Fredrickson? How does Ratched make an example of them? How does the situation affect McMurphy?

Sefelt and Fredrickson are epileptics in the ward. Frederickson always takes Sefelt's medication, and Sefelt has a seizure. Ratched uses this as an example of why the patients must follow her rules. The situation greatly disturbs McMurphy, and begins to a "haggard, puzzled look of pressure" on his face.

How do Harding and his wife interact when she comes to visit?

Harding mocks her poor grammar, and she says she wishes his limp-wristed friends would stop coming to their house to ask about him.

Who says, "I've got worries of my own without getting hooked with yours. So just quit!"

McMurphy

What does Billy Bibbit tell McMurphy when McMurphy asks why he chooses to stay in the hospital?

Billy Bibbit begins to cry and shouts that he and the others are not as big, strong, and brave as McMurphy.

How does Ratched punish the patients for their World Series protest? How does McMurphy react?

She takes away the second game room. McMurphy smiles and tips his hat. Ratched thinks that she has regained control, but, after the meeting, McMurphy calmly walks to the glass-enclosed Nurses' Station where she is sitting. He says that he wants some of his cigarettes and punches his hand through the glass. He claims that the glass was so spotless that he forgot it was even there.

Why doesn't Sefelt take his medication?

He says it rots his gums and makes his teeth fall out.

During what events does Bromden hear ringing in his ears? What makes the ringing stop?

He hears ringing during the group meeting in which Ratched takes away the second game room. The ringing stops when McMurphy breaks the glass of the Nurse Station to get his cigarettes.

Are most patients committed voluntarily or involuntarily?

Voluntarily. The only involuntarily-committed patients are McMurphy, Scanlon, and some Chronics.

Who grants McMurphy's request to set up a fishing trip? How does Ratched react?

Doctor Spivey. Ratched pins newspaper clippings about rough weather and wrecked boats on the bulletin board.

Why does Bromden speak to McMurphy?

McMurphy gives Bromden some Juicy Fruit, and Bromden, before he can think of what he is doing, thanks him.

How does McMurphy relate to Bromden pretending to be deaf? What is Bromden's response?

McMurphy tells him that when he was a boy, he took a job picking beans. The adults ignored him, so McMurphy silently listened to their malicious gossip all summer. At the end of the season, he told everyone what the others said in their absence, creating havoc. Bromden replies that he is too little to do something bold like that.

What deal does McMurphy make with Bromden?

He offers to pay Bromden's share of the fishing trip fee if he promises to get strong enough to lift the control panel in the tub room.

What happens at the gas station on the way to the fishing? What do the patients learn?

The gas attendant tries to take advantage of them. The patients learn from McMurphy that they can use their "insanity" as a source of power and to intimidate others.

On the way back from the fishing trip, what do the patients pass by?

The house where McMurphy grew up.

What is McMurphy's demeanor after they pass his old house?

He seems exhausted and frantic.

What does Nurse Ratched post on the bulletin board to turn the patients against McMurphy?

Everyone's financial statements.

Why do McMurphy and Bromden get sent to Disturbed?

Ratched orders all the men who went on the fishing trip to be cleansed. George has a phobia regarding cleanliness and begs them to not put the smelly salve on him, and McMurphy and Bromden fight with the aides to defend him.

How can McMurphy avoid electroshock therapy? Does he?

He can avoid it if he admits to Ratched that he was wrong. He refuses.

What is the shape of the EST table? Why is it important?

It is cross-shaped, evoking the image of the Crucifixion--this suggests that extreme, undeserved suffering takes place on it.

How many total shock treatments does McMurphy undergo? Do they affect him?

He undergoes 4 treatments. He acts like they don't affect him, but Bromden sees that they do.

Why does Ratched eventually allow McMurphy to leave Disturbed?

She realizes that McMurphy is growing bigger in the eyes of the other men because he is out of sight.

How does Candy enter the ward the night of the party?

The patients bribe one of the aides, Mr. Turkle, to let her in.

What happens the night of the party?

Candy and Sandy show up with alcohol. Everyone mixes vodka with cough syrup, while Turkle and McMurphy smoke. Sometime after four in the morning, Billy and Candy go to the Seclusion Room.

Who says, "[the patients are] still sick men in lots of ways. But at least there's that: they are sick men now. No more rabbits, Mack"? Why is this important?

Harding says this as a way to explain that the men are no longer dehumanized and cowed by those in power; they are more independent and confident.

How do the patients get caught after the party?

McMurphy and Sandy climb into bed after asking Turkle to wake them up right before the morning staff arrives. However, Turkle falls asleep, and the aides discover them in the morning.

Why does Bromden think the after-effects of the party were inevitable, even if McMurphy escaped?

He figures that even if McMurphy had escaped, he would have had to come back and not let the nurse get "the last play."

What happens when Ratched threatens to tell Billy's mother about him sleeping with Candy?

Billy regains his stutter and begins to cry, begging her to keep it a secret and blaming Candy, McMurphy, and Harding for the whole thing. She sends him to Spivey's office to wait while she clears things up with the other patients. Billy commits suicide by cutting his throat.

What is Bromden's realization regarding McMurphy rebelling in the ward?

He realizes that nobody will be able to stop McMurphy from rebelling, because it is the need of the patients that has been encouraging him all along.

What does McMurphy do to Ratched?

McMurphy smashes through the glass door, rips open the front of Ratched's uniform, and tries to strangle her.

What is Ratched's condition when she returns after the ward after she is attacked?

She has a bandage wrapped around her throat, and cannot speak. She never regains power over the ward.

After the attack, who are the only patients left on the ward?

Bromden, Martini, and Scanlon.

What is McMurphy's punishment for attacking Ratched?

He is given a lobotomy and becomes a vegetable.

What does Bromden do during his last night in the ward?

Bromden suffocates McMurphy with a pillow. He throws the control panel through a window screen and escapes from the hospital, hitching a ride with a trucker.

Randle Patrick McMurphy

A manual laborer, gambler, carnival barker, Korean War hero with a dishonorable discharge, and con man admitted to the ward from Pendelton Prison Farm, diagnosed as a psychotic. Really not insane, he transforms the ward by teaching the other inmates to question arbitrary and repressive authority. Eventually lobotomized after attacking Nurse Ratched, he is killed in his sleep by Chief Bromden.

Nurse Ratched

The "Big Nurse," and former Army nurse. She maintains order by exercising absolute authority over the hospital staff and its patients. McMurphy compares her techniques with the "brainwashing" used by the Communists during the Korean conflict.

Billy Bibbit

A 31-year-old man dominated by his mother to the extent that he is still unmarried and a virgin. Bibbit is also a voluntarily committed Acute, despite the fact that his wrists reveal a previous suicide attempt, has a strong stutter

Max Taber

A rebellious patient whose presence on the ward preceded McMurphy's. He was released from the hospital after being made docile by electroshock therapy.

Scanlon

The last of McMurphy's followers left on the ward, he assists in the Chief's escape after McMurphy's death.

Martini

A delusional man, who, nonetheless, learns to laugh at himself and the world around him.

Sefelt and Frederickson

Both men are epileptics. Sefelt refuses to take his medicine because it causes his gums to rot and his teeth to fall out; Frederickson, on the other hand, takes double dosages.

Big George (Rub-a-Dub)

A Scandinavian former seaman with a morbid fear of dirt. He is captain of the boat on the fishing trip, and his fear of an enema causes McMurphy and Chief to defend him against the hospital aides.

The Lifeguard

A former football player given to fits of violent behavior. Like McMurphy, his commitment is involuntary. He explains to McMurphy that they can only be released when Ratched signs their releases.

Chief Bromden

narrator, half Indian man, patient of the psychiatric facility for 10 years, extremely tall, gripped with paranoia

The Combine

In Bromden's mind, a huge conglomeration that controls society and forces people into conformity.

Acutes

patients who can be cured

Chronics

patients who cannot be cured

What handicap does Bromden pretend to have?

He pretends to be deaf and dumb

What are the consequences when patients rebel?

Electroshock or lobotomy

Cheswick

one of the Acutes, the first patient to support McMurphy when he pits himself against Nurse Ratched. He drowned himself

Dale Harding

college-educated patient and president of the Patients' Council. Until McMurphy shows up, the natural leader among the Acutes—the one everybody looks up to and follows in times of crisis. He doesn't seem to resent McMurphy taking over. Harding is relatively normal, and is in the hospital voluntarily, has a beautiful wife.

World Series Rebellion

McMurphy wanted to change the schedule around so the men could watch the World Series during the day and do the cleaning work at night. McMurphy expects the nurses to oppose him and his fellows to support him. But when McMurphy attempts to round up a vote for the schedule change, the Acutes fail to see the purpose in doing any such thing. He confronts Harding, whose failure of support suggests to McMurphy that he is afraid of Nurse Ratched. Billy Bibbit claims that nothing they do will be of any use in the long run.

Why does McMurphy request that Nurse Ratched change the men's schedule?

He climbs over the fence on the Chief's back

What animals does McMurphy compare the patients to?

Chickens

What animals does Harding compare the patients to?

Rabbits

What pattern covers McMurphy's boxer shorts?

White Whales

Which patient has been on the ward the longest?

Chief Bromden

What are the symbols of Bromden's insanity?

Fog machine and Machines

Who does McMurphy protect in the shower from the orderlies when they try to shave him?

George Sorensen

What is McMurphy's excuse for breaking through the glass of the Nurses' Station?

The glass was so clean that he did not see it

What important information does the lifeguard give McMurphy?

That committed patients can leave only at the Nurse's discretion

What punishment do McMurphy and Bromden receive for fighting with the aides?

They are given electroshock therapy

Why doesn't Harding want to escape with McMurphy?

He wants to leave through the correct procedures

How does Charles Cheswick die?

He drowns in the hospital swimming pool

What are the Chief's first words?

Thank You

unreliable narrator

a narrator whose account of events appears to be faulty, misleadingly biased, or otherwise distorted

Chief Tee Ah Millatoona

Chief Bromden's father, also known as The Pine That Stands Tallest on the Mountain, is chief of the Columbia Indians. He married a Caucasian woman and took her last name. She made him feel small and drove him to alcoholism. The chief's marriage and submission to a white woman makes an important statement about the oppression of the natural order by modern society and also reflects white society's encroachment on Native Americans.