One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

How does the feud between Ratched and McMurphy resemble the gambling games McMurphy plays? Who wins in the end, and how can you tell?

Select one (or more) of the treatment types that the staff practice in the novel and then evaluate its presentation: What opinions do various characters have of the treatment? What are its effects? Consider consulting an external source to add historical context.

As an ambiguous character who mediates between Ratched and McMurphy, Dr. Spivey is the last to catch a fish, and his deep-sea specimen proves the most difficult to bring to the surface. In the context of the fishing trip’s liberating effects, what might Spivey’s difficulty symbolize?

Following Sefelt’s seizure, Sandy repeatedly asserts “with quiet awe” that she “never experienced anything like it” (262). What does her statement imply about the role of the hospital in erasing and excluding those who don’t function “normally” in society? What other evidence of exclusion can you find in the novel?

What seems to be Bromden’s central rhetorical purpose in recounting his experiences?

A nurse who works under Ratched is ashamed of a large birthmark on her neck and chest. What might the birthmark represent? Might it have any relation to her Catholic beliefs?

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was written and published at a time when traditional gender roles and sexual mores were subject to increasing scrutiny and debate. What attitude toward these issues does the novel present as a whole? Are allegations of misogyny warranted, or does Kesey portray women in a fair and accurate light?

McMurphy’s laughter is one of his most distinguishing features. Analyze one or more instances in which McMurphy uses laughter as a form of resistance to Ratched’s authoritarian strictures: What functions does humor serve, and at what risk?