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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest TEACHER’S COPY
3. The Chief is close to succumbing to the power of the fog. What happens to pull him back
to reality?
McMurphy is able to pull him out of the fog by trying once again to get permission to watch
the World Series on TV. McMurphy needs one more vote to win the decision. He asks one
Chronic after another until he finally asks the Chief to raise his hand. The Chief does not want
to leave the fog, but his hand goes up anyway giving McMurphy the majority he needs to win.
“McMurphy did something to it that first day [the Chief’s hand]…McMurphy’s got hidden
wires hooked to it…No. That’s not the truth. I lifted it myself.”
4. In the battle between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy, who do you think is the winner at the
end of Part One? For what reason can this scene be called a turning point in the story.
Answers will vary. Example: This scene is a turning point because the Chief makes the decision
to leave the fog. Despite the fact that Nurse Ratched has the power to manipulate the rules in
her favor, McMurphy is the clear winner of the confrontation because he wins the support of
the other inmates.
5. Find the irony in the last paragraph of part one.
It is ironic that the Chief says a visitor to the mental institution would have felt the men yelling
at a blank TV screen were crazy not only because, obviously, they are in the institution, but
also because this rebellion is the first sign of sanity they have shown.
Questions covering all of Part 1
1. Critics refer to some scenes in this section as “black humor.” They deal with disturbing
subjects like death with bitter humor. Cite three examples of black comedy in Part 1.
Answers will vary. Example: One example is when McMurphy greets the chronics just like they
are normal men. They are clearly very damaged, but the scene is funny. The monopoly game
is humorous, but it is also clear that the men are very ill. Martini keeps having hallucinations.
The way McMurphy eludes the orderly with the thermometer is funny, but the orderly’s habit
of abusing new patients with the thermometer is a very serious subject. The entire concept of
mental institutions is, on the surface, not humorous, but a character like McMurphy, in Kesey’s
hands, points out the absurdity of the system.
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