One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Study Guide

Note: There are no numbered chapters in this book, but each of the four parts is broken

down into scenes. For clarity in this Unit, the first few words of each scene are used as the heading.

✪ PART 1

They’re out there.

1. Why do the black hospital workers not “…bother not talking out loud about their

hate secrets when.” the Chief is around? (Pg. 10) In what ways does being half-

Indian help the Chief?

2. What does the following description of Nurse Ratched suggest to the reader about

her character?

“A mistake was made somehow in manufacturing, putting those big, woman-

ly breasts on what would of otherwise been a perfect work, and you can see

how bitter she is about it.” (Pg. 11)

Use the following passage from this section to answer the next three questions:

“(A blue tick hound bays out there in the fog, running scared and lost because he can’t see. No tracks on the ground but the ones he’s making, and he sniffs in every direction with his cold red-rubber nose and picks up no scent but his own fear, fear burning down into him like steam.) It’s gonna burn me just that way, finally telling about all this, about the hospital, and her, and the guys - and about McMurphy.…this

is too awful to be the truth!…But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen.” (Pg. 13)

3. What relationship is the author suggesting between the blue tick hound and Chief

Bromden?

4. Speculate on the significance of the fog in this story. What do you think it may

symbolize? How do flashbacks of the Chief’s childhood help him find his way out of the fog?

5. In what ways is this passage an example of foreshadowing? How does point of view factor into the story?

When the fog clears to where I can see, I’m sitting in the day room.

1. How does the Chief know the new Admission is “no ordinary Admission”?

2. What evidence is there in this section...