One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Analysis
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Questions and Answers

When Nurse Flinn asks Nurse Ratched what she thinks of McMurphy, what is Ratched's response?

She believes he is a manipulator and will take over; disrupts for the sake of disrupting.

What does Nurse Flinn want to know the most?

Why McMurphy would want to take over.

What is Nurse Ratched's response to Nurse Flinn's question?

That she seemed to forget that the institution was for the insane.

Big Nurse likes everything to run perfectly, and she likes to keep absolute control. But since she spends time on the Outside, she likes to control that, too.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who does Chief believe is part of the Combine?

<p>Nurse Ratched.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the 'Combine'?

<p>A sort of group of controlling people who not only try to manipulate the ward (inside) and the world (outside).</p> Signup and view all the answers

Since Nurse Ratched loves control so much, what does she want patients to become?

<p>Wheelchair 'Chronics'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Ratched has created a completely subservient staff.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens if a staff member does not conform to her rules?

<p>If a doctor won't conform to her wishes, she makes him so miserable that he begs for a transfer out of her ward.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Nurse Ratched want as an orderly?

<p>They need to hate enough, hate her enough, and be of black color; the darker their skin, the more likely they are to keep the ward spotlessly clean.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was the first orderly Nurse Ratched hired?

<p>The first orderly she decided to keep had seen his mother raped while his father stood by, tied to the hot iron stove.</p> Signup and view all the answers

The orderlies are in such sync with Big Nurse that she doesn't even have to communicate what she wants.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens at 6:45am?

<p>Boys get shaved; first are the Acutes, then the Chronics, and then the Wheelers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens at 7:00am?

<p>The mess hall opens and they enter in reverse order.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens at 7:30am?

<p>They're back to the day room; designated locations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Nurse Ratched do to get everything started for the day?

<p>Pushes a button.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do the orderlies do at 7:45am?

<p>The orderlies move down the line of Chronics to tape catheters on those who need them; catheter replacement.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens at 8:00am?

<p>The Big Nurse announces 'Medications.' The Acutes first, then the Chronics, then the Wheelers get their medicines. The Vegetables get theirs last.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens if a patient asks what they are taking as a pill?

<p>They are dealt a punishment; Mr. Taber asks and he spends the rest of his morning mopping latrines.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Chief once do with a pill? What did he find?

<p>Chief once managed to keep one under his tongue, then crushed it to see what was inside. He saw it contained microscopic wires and grids, like the ones he helped the Radar Corps work with in the Army.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens at 8:20am?

<p>Cards and puzzles come out.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where does Mr. Taber go after cleaning the latrines? What does Nurse Ratched and the orderlies do to him?

<p>Two of the orderlies catch Taber in the latrine and take him to the mattress room. They push him face down onto the mattress. The nurse comes in with a long needle and they close the door.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens at 9:00am?

<p>Residents (young doctors) come in to talk to the Acutes about what they did when they were little boys; residents leave at 9:50am and Nurse Ratched breathes easily.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Mr. Taber wheeled out onto? Where does he go?

<p>A gurney; the shock shop.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens at 10:00?

<p>Mail comes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Public Relations do?

<p>At 10:30, Public Relations, the hospital employee responsible for public relations, comes in with a ladies' club following. He brings women on tours through the ward and then they have coffee with the nurses.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Chief Bromden describe the ward as?

<p>As humming the way a cotton mill hums.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Bromden used to be part of the football team.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the cotton fluff make Bromden feel?

<p>Chief comments on how all of the cotton fluff floating around makes it seem like he's seeing her through a fog on a duck-hunting trip.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the perverted girl ask Bromden when he was younger?

<p>Asks what he'd want with her, out alone in the woods in a duck blind. He answers that she could take care of his gun.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is the ward like a factory?

<p>A factory for the 'Combine' that deals with mistakes made out in society.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What makes an Admission different?

<p>An Admission will always need to be worked on to make him fit into the routine. A new Admit might foul everything up.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Nurse Ratched despise the most?

<p>Chief reminds us that Big Nurse gets really peeved if anything keeps her operation from running smoothly.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Bromden used to work as before the war?

<p>Chief Bromden worked as an electrician's assistant in a training camp before the Army sent him to Germany.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is time important to Nurse Ratched?

<p>Time always plays on Ratched's side and she could use time to punish the patients.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Bromden intermix the schedule with?

<p>Flashbacks of clowns, black boys, medication, and football.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main idea of the therapeutic community?

<p>There should be no need for secrets among friends.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Nurse Ratched's Control

  • Nurse Ratched views McMurphy as a manipulative threat to her authority, fearing he will disrupt the ward.
  • Nurse Flinn is curious about McMurphy's intentions regarding taking over the ward.
  • Ratched emphasizes that the institution is meant for the insane, implying McMurphy's behavior is out of line.
  • Ratched's desire for order extends to controlling the Outside world, demonstrating her need for dominance.

The Combine and Patient Treatment

  • Chief Bromden perceives Nurse Ratched as part of the "Combine," a collective of controlling figures influencing both the ward and society.
  • Ratched aims to transform patients into "wheelchair Chronics," stripping them of agency.
  • The staff is heavily subservient to Ratched, creating a culture of compliance where dissent is punished severely.
  • If a staff member disobeys, Ratched inflicts psychological pressure leading them to request transfers.

Daily Routine in the Ward

  • The daily schedule begins with patients being shaved, followed by their entry into the mess hall in reverse order.
  • Medications are distributed systematically, and those who inquire about their pills face severe consequences, illustrating the oppressive atmosphere.
  • Chief Bromden observes the ward's routine as mechanically orchestrated, likening it to a factory's operations that focus on conformity and control.

Chief Bromden's Perspective

  • Bromden describes the ward's ambiance as humming, likening it to a cotton mill, creating a visual of oppressive machinery.
  • He reflects on his past experiences and feelings, using cotton fluff as a metaphor that evokes memories from his life before the institution.
  • The ward functions as a factory addressing societal mistakes, where new admissions disrupt the established order.

Themes of Power and Control

  • Ratched's obsession with time enables her to manipulate the environment and punish patients effectively.
  • The therapeutic community is founded on transparency, yet Ratched's methods breed secrets and fear among patients.
  • Bromden's flashbacks interweave moments of his past life with the current harsh realities of the ward, enhancing the sense of confinement and control over individual identities.

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Description

Explore the complex dynamics between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. Delve into how Ratched's need for control reflects broader societal themes, and the effects of her authoritative presence on the ward's patients. This quiz examines significant character motivations and the implications of institutional power dynamics.

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