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This actual castration symbolizes the psychological emasculation to which the patients are routinely subjected. Next section Chief Bromden. A list of all the characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest characters include: Chief Bromden , Randle McMurphy , Nurse Ratched , Dale Harding, Billy Bibbit.
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- Randle P. McMurphy. Played by Jack Nicholson. The cocky convict and rebel-hero of the film. With his wild hair, boundless energy, loud mouth, foul language, pornographic playing cards, ready laugh, and physical courage, McMurphy challenges authority in the mental institution.
- Nurse Ratched. Played by Louise Fletcher. The stiff, starched head nurse and antagonist of the film. Nurse Ratched’s every physical movement and facial expression is measured and contained: her cap is perfectly white, her voice is polite and controlled, her face is stony, and her expression is unsmiling and cold.
- Chief Bromden. Played by Will Sampson. The huge Native American mental patient who pushes a broom silently while observing everything that happens in the ward.
- Billy Bibbit. Played by Brad Dourif. A stammering, suicidal young man with a fixation on his mother. Billy is tentative, inhibited, virginal, gentle, and sweet.
- Chief Bromden. Narrator; half Indian, 6’3 patient who has been on the ward the longest. Pretends to be deaf and dumb for the majority of his commitment. Hallucinates a thick fog that begins to wane with McMurphy’s… read analysis of Chief Bromden.
- Randle P. McMurphy. The protagonist of the novel. A gambling, thirty-five year old womanizer, McMurphy was transferred to the ward after potentially faking psychosis, because he believed the ward would be more comfortable than the work farm… read analysis of Randle P. McMurphy.
- Nurse Ratched. Often referred to as “Big Nurse.” She runs the psychiatric ward with an iron fist, and functions as the novel’s antagonist. She’s a middle-aged, former Army nurse whose principal tactic of control is emasculating her… read analysis of Nurse Ratched.
- Dale Harding. College-educated patient. Helps McMurphy learn the ropes of the ward. Harding is a homosexual, but the social pressure to be straight cripples him.
- Randle Patrick McMurphy
- Chief Bromden
- Nurse Ratched
- Dale Harding
- Billy Bibbit
- Cheswick
- The Japanese Nurse
- Nurse with A Birthmark
- Sefelt and Frederickson
- Big George
A Korean-War hero, Randle Patrick McMurphy is the protagonist of the novel, and he got himself admitted to the hospital to avoid forced labor. He came from Pendelton Prison Farm, where he somehow managed to get diagnosed as psychotic, despite the fact that he was actually sane. A rebellious, anti-academic manual laborer who engaged in gambling, off...
Chief Bromden is the narrator of the novel, a man of mixed Native American and white heritage. Diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, he pretends to be deaf and mute in order to dodge the forces of the “Combine,” a matrix that hums behind the walls and the floors that is set to deprive individuals of their freedom. He has been in the hospital for m...
Nurse Ratched is the antagonist of the novel. She is a former Army nurse, also known as “Big Nurse,” and has a machine-like demeanor, even though, sometimes, her façade crumbles and she shows her ugly side. She is the de facto ruler of the ward, and maintains order by exercising absolute authority over staff and patients. She can act both like an “...
An “acute” patient, he is a college-educated man who committed himself voluntarily to the ward. He is quite effeminate, and has been psychologically castrated both by Nurse Ratched and his wife.
Billy Bibbit is a 31-year-old man with a domineering mother, to the extent that, despite his adult age, he is still a virgin. A voluntarily committed acute, Bibbit manages to lose his virginity to the prostitute Candy Starr (thanks to McMurphy's arrangement). Once caught by nurse Ratched, though, he is shamed by her, and, while waiting in the docto...
Cheswick is the first patient who follows McMurphy’s rebellious stance. However, once McMurphy becomes subdued, Cheswick drowns himself when he is denied his cigarettes.
One of the nurses in the psychiatric ward, she disagrees with Nurse Ratched’s methods, and is the only female character who is neither a "whore" nor a “ball cutter.”
She is a frightful, yet attractive young nurse. When McMurphy makes lewd comments directed at her, she retorts by saying she is a Catholic.
Sefelt and Frederickson are two epileptic men in the ward. The former refuses to take the medicine because it causes his gums to rot and his teeth to fall out, while the latter takes double dosage.
He is a Scandinavian former seaman whom McMurphy defended when the African American hospital aides were trying to force an enema on him. He is the captain of the boat during the fishing trip the inmates take, which is a pivotal moment in the book.
Dale Harding A college-educated and effeminate man, who is psychologically "castrated" by his sexy wife and Nurse Ratched. Harding is an Acute patient, one who has voluntarily committed himself to the hospital. Billy Bibbit A 31-year-old man dominated by his mother to the extent that he is still unmarried and a virgin.
Study Guide for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest study guide contains a biography of Ken Kesey, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. About One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Summary; Character List; Glossary; Themes
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The main characters in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest are Randle McMurphy, Nurse Ratched, Chief Bromden, and Billy Babbit. Randle McMurphy is a conman who comes into conflict with Nurse Ratched ...
