Illustration of Nurse Ratched

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

by Ken Kesey

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Why does the friendship between McMurphy and Chief in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest work?

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The friendship between McMurphy and Chief Bromden works because it is mutually empowering and transformative. McMurphy's rebellious spirit and defiance against authority inspire Chief to find his own voice and courage, breaking free from his timid facade. Their bond is strengthened by McMurphy’s recognition of Chief’s secret, fostering trust and camaraderie. Each character provides what the other lacks, leading to a profound connection that ultimately empowers Chief to escape the oppressive environment of the hospital.

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From the very first scene where McMurphy and Chief Bromden meet, the reader can see their friendship begin and develop. McMurphy insists that the Chief shake his hand, all the while keeping a grin on his face and pushing the boundaries with Nurse Ratched. The Chief is intrigued and ultimately empowered by McMurhphy’s defiance, which is one reason why the relationship works. The Chief has been so beaten down by the way the world has treated him that he is a timid giant. However, when McMurphy comes onto the ward, he gives the Chief a growing sense that assertion and even subtle rebellion can be empowering, particularly as the patients are generally treated more like prisoners than patients.

In that first scene between the two characters, Nurse Ratched tells McMurphy, “I’m sorry to interrupt you and Mr. Bromden, but you do understand: everyone … must follow the rules.” To the...

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Chief’s surprise, McMurphy only grins and winks. He is not afraid of her.

McMurphy is irreverent, does not obey the rules and is not afraid of authority. McMurphy’s attitude towards those in charge eventually gives the Chief the confidence to rebel and break free. Immediately after their first meeting, the Chief narrates the scene in which McMurphy gives him a choice of whether to take his pill or not. This is an example of why their growing friendship develops and works:

In the dorm McMurphy tosses the pill on my bed. “You want your sourball, Chief?” I shake my head at the pill, and he flips it off the bed like it was a bug pestering him.

The Chief says,

“First time for a long, long time I’m in bed without taking that little red capsule ...When you take one of those red pills you don’t just go to sleep; you’re paralyzed with sleep, and all night long you can’t wake, no matter what goes on around you. That’s why the staff gives me the pills...”

The Chief is also impressed with McMurphy’s insight. For instance, McMurphy catches on quickly that the Chief is only pretending to be deaf and mute. It’s an act, just the way McMurphy’s original insanity was an act to get out of prison and into the ward. This ultimately proves to be his downfall, much to the Chief’s horror. McMurphy understands the Chief, which is one reason why the Chief comes to love him.

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Randal Patrick McMurphy and Chief Bromden’s friendship in Ken Kesey’s poignant novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, is an unlikely one, as they are polar opposite figures. McMurphy is in the mental hospital as a ruse (to escape prison punishment) and Chief is (by all evidence) a tortured, deaf-mute figure. At first glance, the strong, silent, and ignorant Chief is a foil for the clever and galvanizing character of McMurphy. Nevertheless, the two slowly develop a camaraderie as hospital inpatients, as each offers something that the other needs.

McMurphy learns Chief’s secret (that he is not really deaf) when they are given beds next to one another and Murphy talks to Chief (explaining that the nurse is coming). Quite consequentially, however, he does not reveal the Chief’s secret. This secret becomes the source of a meaningful bond between the two characters. Chief profits from McMurphy’s charisma and cunning while McMurphy profits from Chief’s quiet reserve. McMurphy realizes that Chief’s secret faculties will be useful to manipulate the other residents and staff.
The initial bond of friendship between the two was forged when McMurphy organized a vote in order to be able to watch the World Series in the hospital. Chief’s vote is the deciding vote in favor of watching the game, which pleases McMurphy (and ingratiates Chief with him), and also spites Ms. Ratched.
McMurphy and Chief’s attraction to each other will prove entirely justified; Chief ultimately spares McMurphy the humility of living as a lobotomized vegetable at the mercy of the hospital staff by smothering him. Thereafter, Chief lifts a control panel (inspired by McMurphy’s attempt to do the same earlier in the novel) and escapes to find freedom outside of the hospital.
Each character derives strength—and ultimately salvation—from the other. The two find their counterpart in one another, as each sees what he himself lacks.
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