one flew over the cuckoo’s nest End of Part One

Questions: End of Part One What does Mack do early in the morning? How does he attract attention? How does he win his bet? He wakes up early to shower and brush his teeth, then starts singing loudly in the shower after an orderly tells him that the toothpaste is locked up and will stay that way (it’s ward policy). Ratched confronts him, and he talks to her wearing only a towel, explaining that his clothes were stolen in the night. He then indicates that he could go around without clothes just fine, which infuriates her to the point of finding him a proper uniform. He decides to dress right in front of her, and we see that he’s tricked her: he’s wearing his shorts with the whales on them (they’re just too “abnormal” for the Nurse to be able to stand). The Chief starts to see how laughter and a little rebellion can change things and the reader understands that he’s waking up from his fog a little bit at a time.

What does Ratched assume about how the men feel about their sexuality What does Ratched assume about how the men feel about their sexuality? How does this bet show this? She seems to assume that they are either embarrassed of it or that they will take advantage of any poor, unsuspecting nurse. She indicates that something bad would happen if a naked patient was walking around when a young nurse showed up for her shift – that he would take advantage of her. This is why the nurse emasculates the men and, according to Bromden, tries to hide her own sexuality (her large chest) – if she is sexless, then she’s not a target for the men and she can manipulate them instead of being manipulated herself.

Questions: End of Part One How did Mack manipulate the doctor? Why does the doctor fall for it? How is the doctor manipulated by Nurse Ratched? Mack tells the doctor that they went to the same high school, and he uses his ability to amuse to get the doctor on his side. He comes across as very understanding and sympathetic for not only those men who can’t hear the radio, but also for those men who want a quiet moment to themselves, and he uses the doctor to get a leg up on the nurse. The nurse remains calm during the meeting and has been known to emasculate the doctor just as much as she does with the patients. She allows the doctor and Mack to have this small victory, knowing that she will win the war.

Questions: End of Part One Does Kesey come out and tell you who is speaking through the Monopoly game? Explain. How is the Monopoly game better therapy than the talks? Kesey indicates who is speaking through the other men’s dialogue and through the diction – this is indirect characterization and gives you a little more insight into their characters through how they interact with each other. The game is more therapeutic because the men feel like human beings again and are not “pecking” at each other, but rather learning how to work together. They are slowly opening up and becoming friends.

Questions: End of Part One What get McMurphy really upset? Why didn’t the men do anything? Where else in society do we see activity like this? Mack gets mad when the men won’t vote to play the World Series on the TV during a non-TV time in the ward. The men are afraid of the Big Nurse and are used to just going along with policy. This can be seen with siblings or with classmates. What does Mack teach them in the Tub room? Does it work? What does he mean when states, “I tried, though. Goddammit, I sure as hell did that much, didn’t I?” He teaches the men that he’s not willing to give up, even when something seems impossible. He shows them that they should stand up against the Big Nurse, even when they’re afraid of failing. His comment only reminds them that they haven’t tried to stand up for themselves; and if they don’t try, then they’ll never know if they can succeed. He’s reminding them to be men.

Questions: End of Part One One critic has said that the men “hate” McMurphy. Why might this event show this? What does McMurphy force them to do? This event is forcing the men to act like men, something they haven’t been allowed to do in ages. It’s forcing them to see themselves as cowards and to go for something, even if they’re afraid. Explain the symbolic significance of Old Rawler’s death. Rawler literally emasculates himself, which is what the nurse has been doing all along. He bleeds out from his wounds, and the Chief wonders why he was so impatient – the ward is sucking them dry of their humanity, anyway.

Questions: End of Part One What will happen if the Chief lost himself in the fog? How does McMurphy bring the Chief back? What unusual thing happens to the Chief when Mac brings him back? What important event does Ratched miss in the voting? What trick does she pull? What do her actions here illustrate to the men?

Questions: End of Part One What insight does Ch. 14 provide with regards to Broom’s condition? You find out that he was in WWII at one point, and it indicates that he may have some shell shock (PTSD) associated with his time in the war. We also find out that he’s had quite a large amount of shock therapy. What happens to Nurse Ratched when the men stage the World Series Rebellion? Explain is in the metaphorical terms that the chief uses. The chief compares her to a bomb that’s about to blow apart at any moment, and that’s exactly what happens when all the men decide to ignore her yelling at them; she looks just as “crazy” as the rest of them are supposed to be.

Questions: End of Part One McMurphy has accomplished a two-fold victory. Explain. Not only has he won his bet by getting the best of the Big Nurse and making her lose her cool, but he has also gained the respect of the men. His show with the panel and then again with the re-vote and the TV-watching encourage the men to be brave around him and to work on getting a little of their humanity (and their manhood) back.