One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Study Guide

Who narrates the events of the novel?

Chief Bromden

Why do the aides nickname Bromden "Chief Broom?"

They make him sweep the halls for them, and he is half Native American.

Who is the "Big Nurse?"

Nurse Ratched

What is Nurse Ratched's one feminine feature?

Her large bosom.

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

What is the irony surrounding the tours that the public relations man gives of the ward?

The PR man points out the cheery atmosphere and claims that the ward is run without the brutality exercised in previous generations; in reality, the ward is extremely brutal and cruel.

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.

How does Nurse Ratched select her aides?

She selects them for their anger and cruelty.

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.

At the beginning of the novel, why does Bromden hide in the mop closet?

Ratched told the aides to shave him, which terrifies him.

About what does Bromden hallucinate when he's being shaved?

A thick fog and snow coming down.

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.

Who do McMurphy and Harding say they voted for in order to prove their lunacy?

Eisenhower

In the beginning of the novel, what makes Nurse Ratched "swell up to the size of a tractor?"

She sees the aides standing around gossiping, and gets angry. She doesn't actually increase in size, but Bromden visualizes this as a symbol of the size of her anger and power.

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.

What memory does Bromden think about when hiding in the mop closet?

Chief remembers the time when he went bird-hunting with his father, hoping the memory will help him forget his current fear. He recalls how the bird was safe as long as he kept still, but if it moved because of his fear, Papa would be able to shoot it.

According to McMurphy, why was he labeled a psychopath?

He says that the courts told him that "a psychopath's a guy fights too much and f**ks too much."

How does Nurse Ratched begin the first Ward Meeting of the novel?

She begins by talking about Harding's difficult relationship with his wife, bringing up his feelings of inferiority and his fears regarding the attention his wife receives.

When Nurse Ratched reads McMurphy's file aloud to the group, on what charge does she focus? How does McMurphy defend himself?

She talks about the statutory rape charge. McMurphy regales the group with stories about the sexual appetite of his fifteen-year-old lover, calling her the aggressor and making everyone smile.

About what does McMurphy's file warn the ward staff? How does McMurphy respond?

The doctor reads from the file, "Don't overlook the possibility that this man might be feigning psychosis to escape the drudgery of the work farm," to which McMurphy responds, "Doctor, do I look like a sane man?"

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 McMurphy, who is a "ball-cutter?"

Nurse Ratched

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.

Instead of accusing directly, how does Nurse Ratched rule others?

Through insinuation and patronizing people.

According to Harding, what is the only power men hold over women?

Sexual violence

What bet does McMurphy make with the other patients?

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

What is Therapeutic Community? Who explains this term?

TC is the idea that a person must learn to get along in a group before he will be able to function in society. Nurse Ratched explains this to McMurphy.

What does Bancini repeatedly complain about?

Being tired.

Who says that s/he was "born dead?"

Bancini

Why does Bromden believe that Ratched can set the clock to any speed? How does he escape her pace?

Sometimes everything is painfully fast and sometimes painfully slow. His only escape is being in the fog where time does not exist.

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 McMurphy win from the other patients when they play cards?

Hundreds of cigarettes. However, he allows them to win the cigarettes back.

Who knows that Bromden is not really deaf?

McMurphy

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 get angry with the patients?

He says that they are too "chicken-s**t."

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.

Who is Old Rawler?

He is a patient in the Disturbed unit who killed himself by cutting off his testicles.

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.

At first, why do none of the patients vote to watch the World Series?

They are afraid of the repercussions from Ratched.

According to Harding, why can't the patients listen to the news?

He says that the nurse stated that the news may not be therapeutic.

How does McMurphy figure out that Bromden is not deaf?

He notices that Bromden jumps whenever McMurphy claims that one of the boys is coming for him.

When does Old Blastic die?

The night that Bromden had the dream about him dying.

How does McMurphy embarrass Billy Bibbit?

He says that Billy is known as "Billy Club" Bibbit of the famous fourteen inches.

What do Docter Spivey and McMurphy talk about during their interview?

They talk about how they went to the same high school, and they reminisced about their school's carnivals.

What does Doctor Spivey suggest for the ward? What is Nurse Ratched's reaction?

He suggests that they have a carnival. Nurse Ratched tells the doctor that an idea like this should be discussed in a staff meeting first.

How does McMurphy keep himself safe?

McMurphy keeps high-class manners around the nurses and the boys in spite of what they say to him—in spite of every trick they pull to make him lose his temper. McMurphy also keeps his sense of humor. He continues to see how funny the rules are. As long as he can laugh at the ridiculousness of everything that is happening around him, he will be safe.

According to Bromden, what does the fog come from?

He says that it emanates from the fog machines he saw during the war. The machines obscured the surroundings so that nobody could see anything in front of him. Bromden would get lost in the fog and always find himself returning to the same place.

In what way does McMurphy remind Bromden of his father?

He uses a sense of humor to deal with conflict.

Where does Nurse Ratched go after her outburst about the TV?

The Nurses' Station

After what event does Bromden's fog disappear?

After the World Series protest in front of the TV and Nurse Ratched's outburst.

Why does Bromden fear that everyone knows that he is not really deaf?

He voted in the Ward Meeting about the World Series.

How does Ratched assert her power during the staff meeting?

She remains silent.

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 chore does Ratched assign to McMurphy?

Cleaning latrines

What do patients start to do during group meetings?

Talk about their complaints about the ward rules

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

After he learns about how Ratched can authorize electroshock and lobotomy for any patient she wants, why does McMurphy think the staff and patients didn't encourage him to stop rebelling? What is Harding's response?

He says that he now understands that they submit to Ratched not only because she is able to authorize these treatments, but also because she determines when they can leave the hospital. Harding informs him that, to the contrary, Scanlon is the only Acute aside from McMurphy who is committed. The rest of the Acutes are in the hospital voluntarily and could leave whenever they chose.

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 is Bromden responsible for cleaning the staff room during meetings?

Because the staff thinks he is deaf.

How well does McMurphy clean the latrines?

He does a miserable job at it, even going so far as to leave messages for the Nurse stuck in the toilet bowls.

What does Bromden imagine about the nurse with the strawberry-colored birth mark?

He imagines the nurse at home, trying to get rid of the mark by praying, and scrubbing at it with a wire brush, but it stays there in the end just the same.

How do the patients feel about McMurphy stopping rebelling and sticking up for them?

No one blames him for being cagey, because they know it's the only way he has a chance of getting released.

Why doesn't Sefelt take his medication?

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

Does McMurphy believe that things will change if Nurse Ratched leaves?

No. He realizes that it's the system that's behind everything, and tries to explain this to the other patients; how even if they got rid of the Big Nurse, things wouldn't change.

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.

How does Nurse Ratched feel about her breasts?

She works hard to conceal them, suggesting that she is ashamed of them.

Who is Harding's "counterpart and Nemesis?"

His wife

What is "frontal lobe castration?"

Lobotomy

According to Harding, what is the history of electroshock therapy (EST)? Is it painful?

It came about when two psychiatrists were visiting a slaughterhouse and watched how a blow to the head would induce an epileptic convulsion in a cow, and they concluded that if a seizure could be induced in non-epileptics, great benefits might result. Harding says it is not painful, but causes hallucinations.

Who says, "if Ratched can't cut below the belt she'll do it above the eyes"?

Harding

What does McMurphy propose as a "solution" for Ratched?

Sexual assault

Are most patients committed voluntarily or involuntarily?

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

How do the aides "fix" the glass at the Nurse Station? What does Ratched do about it?

The aides put a piece of cardboard where McMurphy broke the glass, and Ratched continues to sit behind it as if it were transparent—she looks like "a picture turned to the wall."

What is an Accompanied Pass? Why does McMurphy request one?

An Accompanied Pass is a permission to spend time outside the ward while attended by another person. McMurphy wants to leave the ward with a prostitute he knows from Portland, Candy Starr.

What does McMurphy do when Ratched rejects his request for an Accompanied Pass?

He shatters the replacement glass pane, claiming he did not know it had been replaced.

How does the Nurse Station glass break for the third time? What does Ratched do?

Scanlon accidentally smashes it with a basketball, which Ratched then throws away.

What memory shows the first time in a long time Bromden thought about his childhood? What makes him think about it?

He remembers that when he was ten, three people came to his home to talk to his father about buying the tribe's land. When Bromden spoke to them, they acted like he had not said a word. Bromden thinks about it because he wants to sign up for the fishing trip, but cannot because he doesn't want people to find out that he's not deaf. He figures that he has to "keep acting deaf if [he] wanted to hear at all."

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.

Who are the "aunts" accompanying the patients on the fishing trips?

Two prostitutes

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.