Show:
Symbols
Themes
Plot
Characters
Quotes
100
Though McMurphy keeps trying to "pull them out of it," Bromden admits that it is sometimes easier to just hide in this symbol of the ward's overpowering control.
What is the fog?
100
The tattling in the log book, as well as the "pecking party" during patient meetings, represent this theme in the ward's small-scale society using the manipulation of fear to maintain control.
What is "Social Pressure and Shame?"
100
McMurphy encourages the men to take a vote on this particular issue.
What is changing the TV time in order to watch the World Series on TV?
100
This Chronic raised his or her hand as the "tie-breaker vote" during the issue of the World Series, even though the Nurse did not count the vote as valid.
Who is Chief Bromden?
100
This character said, "[y]ou know, that the first thing that got me about this place, that there wasn’t anybody laughing ... Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing."
Who is McMurphy?
200
McMurphy "infects" Dr. Spivey with this symbol of hope and genuine freedom after their discussion, leaving the doctor to wipe the tears from his glasses.
What is laughter?
200
This theme is demonstrated when McMurphy parades around the ward with what seems to be only a towel on, causing the Big Nurse to momentarily lose control over herself.
What is "Emasculation and Sexuality"?
200
McMurphy discovers this about the Chief when he verbally warns him that the black aide is coming and Bromden quickly reacts.
What is the Chief is not really "deef"/deaf?
200
McMurphy kindly includes this person in the Monopoly game by letting him or her roll the dice and always landing on his or her own spot.
Who is Martini?
200
"If somebody’d of come in and took a look, men watching a blank TV, a fifty-year –old woman hollering and squealing at the back of their heads about discipline and order and recriminations, they’d of thought the whole bunch was crazy as loons" is a statement made by this character.
Who is Bromden?
300
McMurphy gives the men a little piece of self-control when he gets them to take part in this symbol of entertainment and mental escape (such as when he adds pennies to "raise the stakes" of the Monopoly game).
What is gambling?
300
The "machinery" that Bromden hears in the walls -- as well as the image of the rust pouring out of a dead Blastic -- symbolize the control that Nurse Ratched has over this theme.
What is the "Combine: Machine, Nature and Man"?
300
McMurphy continuously does this during the patient's meeting in order to "get under the skin" of the Big Nurse.
What is interrupts and dominates the discussion?
300
McMurphy attempts to override Nurse Ratched's verdict on the volume of the music by appealing to this person for help in the matter, an issue which is then discussed during the patient's meeting.
Who is Dr. Spivey?
300
This character says, "“The flag is ... Ah-mer-ica. America is ... the plum. The peach. The wah-ter-mel-on. America is ... the gumdrop. The pump-kin seed. America is ... tell-ah-vision."
Who is Colonel Matterson?
400
McMurphy makes a bet with the men that he can lift this symbolic item, even though it's obvious that he will not win.
What is the control panel?
400
Nurse Ratched's strict schedule helps to reinforce this theme, showing that on the ward, men are treated not as individuals but as just multiple parts of a larger system with no freedom of choice.
What is "Institutional Control vs. Human Dignity?"
400
McMurphy does this to "make the clock move" again at breakfast time.
What is "shoots" a slab of butter at the clock?
400
This daytime ward aide is the one that brings McMurphy his "greens" when demanded to do so by Nurse Ratched after the towel/shower incident.
Who is Washington?
400
This character states, "So you see my friend, it is somewhat as you stated: man has but one truly effective weapon against the juggernaut of modern matriarchy, but it certainly is not laughter."
Who is Harding?
500
These are a symbol of R.P. McMurphy's masculinity, but also represent the disruptive force to threaten Nurse Ratched (They also allude to a classic piece of literature written by Herman Melville).
What are McMurphy's black "whale" shorts?
500
DAILY DOUBLE: The symbol of the fog and the symbol of gambling as freedom or rebellion represent the struggle of this theme, dealing with multiple parts of reality on the ward versus "how it should be."
What is the "Combine: Machine, Nature and Man"?
500
DAILY DOUBLE: If McMurphy is considered the protagonist, this character -- considering his or her symbolic value -- would be considered the antagonist.
Who is Nurse Ratched?
500
This Disturbed patient's death by suicide toward the end of Part One symbolizes a victory for both the Big Nurse and the Combine.
Who is Rawler the Squawler?
500
This character asks, "What do you think of the idea, Miss Ratched? Of a carnival? Here, on the ward?"
Who is Dr. Spivey?