Ken Kesey’s

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

Key Facts:

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Allegorical novel Written in late 1950s Published 1962 First person

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Narrator —Chief Bromden

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Told as a flashback after his escape Setting —mental hospital, Oregon Protagonist —Randle P. McMurphy

Theme: —the central idea or ideas explored by a literary work.

Themes:

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Struggle for power/control

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Women as Castrators

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The Power of Laughter

Themes (contd.):

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Imagination vs. Reality

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Violence

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Altruism vs. Selfishness

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Fear of experience vs. Experience

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Euthanasia

Motifs: —recurring elements that develop and inform the major themes.

Motifs:

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Invisibility

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Bromden’s deaf and dumb act

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Fog

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Hallucinations

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Power of Laughter

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Reality vs. imaginary

Symbolism: —

use of objects to represent things such as ideas and emotions —something that represents itself and something else

Symbols:

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The fog machine

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The white whales on McMurphy’s boxer shorts

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The electroshock therapy table

Symbolism

(contd.):

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McMurphy as Jesus Christ

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Other men on the ward as Christ’s disciples

Foreshadowing:

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The story of Maxwell Taber Electroshock therapy table shaped like a cross The deaths of Rawler, Cheswick, and Billy Bromden’s dreams and hallucinations

Types of Characters:

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Flat or Static Characters —

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Minor characters who do NOT undergo substantial change.

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Round Characters —

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Major characters who encounter conflict and are changed by it.

Chief “Broom” Bromden:

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The narrator

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Six feet seven inches tall, but believes he is small and weak

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Son of the chief of the Columbia Indians and a white woman

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Faked being deaf and dumb Has paranoia and hallucinations, received multiple electroshock treatments, been in the hospital for ten years —longer than any other patient in the ward

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Bromden sees the hospital as a place meant to fix people who do not conform

Billy Bibbit:

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31 years old Stutters Paranoid Immature Deathly afraid of his mother Shy and impressionable Looks up to McMurphy

Charles Cheswick:

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The first patient to support McMurphy’s rebellion against Nurse Ratched’s power Talks a lot… does little Drowns in the pool as a possible suicide

George Sorenson:

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Big Swede Former seaman; recruited to captain the fishing excursion Nicknamed “Rub-a-Dub” because of his cleanliness fetish

Dale Harding:

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A college-educated patient who voluntarily entered the institution A homosexual He checks himself out of the ward

Maxwell Taber:

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A former patient before McMurphy arrived Like McMurphy, Taber questioned the nurse’s authority Made docile by the electroshock therapy Permitted to leave

Sefelt and Fredrickson:

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Two epileptic patients They don’t receive the care they require

Rawler:

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A patient on the Disturbed ward Commits suicide by cutting off his testicles

Doctor Spivey:

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Mild-mannered doctor Addicted to opiates Easily cowed; dominated by patients Often supports McMurphy’s unusual plans for the ward

Warren, Washington, Williams, and Geever:

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Hospital aids Hired because they are filled with hatred

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Completely submissive to Nurse Ratched

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PROTAGONIST —

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The main character and one the author wants you to cheer on.

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ANTAGONIST —

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Villain or character that causes trouble for the character the author wants you to support.

Anti-hero:

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ANTI-HERO —Character whose actions or morality may be flawed, yet he/she is not a villain. The Anti hero accomplishes a useful deed or even does good deeds, so the audience supports him/her even though there are no traditional heroic qualities.

Randle P. McMurphy:

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Thirty-five years old, built, with red hair, a scar on his face and tattoos on his body Transferred from a work farm Diagnosed as a psychopath, but he is not really insane Loud, confident, laughter Outgoing and uninhibited

Anti-hero Qualities:

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Accused of Statutory Rape

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Five fights

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Vulgar/sexual comments

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Racist behavior

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Insults Dr. Harding

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Uses the men

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Self-serving

Nurse Ratched:

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The head of the ward; middle-aged; former army nurse Very harsh and controlling Hires staff if they are submissive, and easily controlled

Antagonist Qualities:

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No World Series.

No changes.

Belittles the patients.

Makes patients worried.

Offers no solutions to the problems.

Uses threats.

Causes trouble for the main character.

Lobotomy:

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Surgical procedure severing the nerve fibers connecting the frontal lobes to the thalamus as a relief of some mental disorders.

Electroconvulsive Therapy:

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A medical treatment for severe mental illness in which a small amount of electricity is introduced to the brain.

http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCUmINGae44