1. One Flew Over the Cuckoos’ Nest By Ken Kesey

2. Setting: a mental institution in Portland, Oregon Late 1950’s

3. Narrator: Chief Bromden  Been in the institution longer than any other character  Suffers from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder  Pretends to be deaf-mute  Schizophrenic: sees fog  Height: 6’7 Weight:over 300

4. Protagonist: RP McMurphy  Newest patient in the ward  Has an obsession with gambling, fighting  Independent thinker  Insubordinate  Pretending to be “insane” to stay out of jail  Con artist  Kesey’s idea of the “perfect” human

5. Antagonist: Nurse Ratched  Over bearing and passive-aggressive Author uses “machine imagery” to describe her  Ex-army Nurse  Symbolizes Kesey’s opinion of the US Government  Turns the patients against each other to keep control of her ward

6. Minor Characters:  Harding- an acute patient who is obsessed with his wife infidelity  Billy Bibbit-”Mama’s Boy” with a stuttering problem and lacks confidence  Martini-schizophrenic patient in a constant state of hallucination (comic relief)

7. Hospital Practices  Patients are divided into two categories: Acutes or Chronics  All Patients are Male  Common forms of therapy: Group Therapy Electric Shock Therapy Lobotomies (still practiced in parts of Europe)

8. Things to Annotate  Character Development  Author’s use of machine imagery  Topics: the role of individuality in society the impact of government Syntax and Diction Symbolism