One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Pg 159-196

Summary•McMurphy continues to push Nurse Ratched’s buttons but little does he know that Nurse Ratched has a plan.

•There hasn’t been much work on the ward lately; McMurphy has been assigned to clean the latrines. It has given him another chance to mess with Miz Ratched.

•Bromden has been wondering why the Combine hasn’t broken McMurphy yet.

•One night Bromden got out of bed and gazed out a window to witness a dog outside. He notices geese flying overhead in a V-shape. The dog wanders off toward the highway where cars are passing by.

•After a couple group meetings, the patients are still making complaints about the rules.

•The patients of the ward were taken to the hospital pool to swim. We learn that Bromden is not a fan of water.

•McMurphy finds out from the lifeguard that someone who is committed to the ward can only be released by the staff’s judgement. He had thought that as soon as his sentence from the work farm was done he could go.

•The next group meeting, Cheswick brings up the rule of cigarette rationing but McMurphy doesn’t support him at all. Cheswick is then taken to the disturbed section for a while because of his behavior.

•As soon as Cheswick returns to the pool he commits suicide by drowning.

•Harding’s wife comes to visit and she is introduced to McMurphy, we find out she’s not the nicest person.

•Patients are lined up for X-Ray check up and McMurphy finds out about electroshock therapy and that the fact that the big nurse could send him there anytime.

•Finally, McMurphy realizes why people like Harding and Billy won’t leave the hospital because they’re afraid of the outside world. Billy runs off crying and upset down the hall.

Themes:Physical and Moral Courage/Strength

•One idea that happened in this section was the patients wanting to have the courage to escape the hospital because the only thing that's holding them back is themselves.

Quote: “You think I wuh-wuh-wuh-want to stay here?... But did you ever have people l-l-laughing at you? No, because you’re so b-big and so tough!” (195)

•Its unbelievable how negative they are about the appearance and there thoughts. The patients are probably just as smart as someone in there society.

•You think the motif of bullying probably impacted these people and gave them there lack of confidence.

Guided Questions

Quote: “because McMurphy’d entertain us for hours, sit and talk and tell all kinds of stories, like how he made a thousand dollars in one month driving a truck for a gyppo outfit and then lost every penny of it to some Canadian in an ax-throwing contest” (161)

1.Chief thinks McMurphy is confident and strong, like when he was telling stories in front of the TV instead of them watching the basketball game. Chief could probably take on the Big Nurse with McMurphy but he seeing weakness in McMurphy. What do you think they are? and how will they hold him back?

•McMurphy’s anger gets the best of him.

•He will determine the output of whether the patients of the hospital win or not.

2. When McMurphy shut down and stops supporting the new rules, why do you think the patients stop being courageous?

Quote: “I ain’t no little kid to have cigarettes kept from me like cookies! We want something done about it, ain’t that right, Mack?” and waited for McMurphy to back him up, all he got was silence. (172)

•McMurphy was there leader, without leadership the group fell apart.

•McMurphy is a big symbol in the novel, representing courage and bravery.

3. How do think It would affect the story if Bromden never pretended the be deaf and spoke what he thought? Do you think it would result as a positive or negative change?

4. Now that you have read more of the novel, have your thoughts changed on the definition of insane, sick and healthy?

Quote: “For the first time in years I was seeing people with none of that black outline they used to have, and one night I was even able to see out the windows. “ (162)

•This quote represents the motif of cartoon imagery, Bromden not seeing boring old patients that were stuck in routine, he's seeing a change in the patients personalities.

5.The chief notices that the fog machine has been turned off recently, why do you think this is?

Quote: “I was seeing lots of things different. I figured the fog machine had broke down in the walls when they turned it up high for that meeting on Friday, so now they weren’t able to circulate fog and gas and foul up the way things look.” (162)