chief bromden quotes + analysis

Question 1

“The ringing that was in my head had stopped”

Answer 1

• This establishes that McMurphy has “cured” Bromden.
• By showcasing to Bromden the rebellion and commitment required to overthrow the nurse and by always supporting Bromden.
• He has grown out his old habits and become himself again.
• The is the turning point for Bromden as now he also begins to participate in the rebellion.

Question 2

“We laughed till we were rolling about the couches and chairs, choking and teary eyed.”

Answer 2

• At the start of the novel, laughter is absent because the men have no control over their lives.
• As they begin to find humour, it shows they are reclaiming their identities beyond being just patients
• The patients’ ability to roll around in the same chairs that once held group sessions highlights their growth, as they are no longer as affected by the oppression they face.
• The setting reflects their journey toward freedom and self-empowerment.

Question 3

“When we passed the last point of the jetty and the last black rock, I could feel a great calmness creep over me, a calmness that increased the further we left land behind us.”

Answer 3

• The sea symbolizes the patients temporarily reclaiming their freedom. The boat leaving the shore represents them escaping the control of Nurse Ratched, allowing them to embrace their masculinity and feel liberated
• The vast sea highlights how unbearable life on the ward is, making the sea feel like a complete escape from their restraints.

Question 4

“You stand a head taller than any man on the ward. You’re a lot bigger and tougher than I am”

Answer 4

• This is the first realisation of Bromden’s sheer strength and size. Through broadens unreliable narration he depicts McMurphy as a giant, strong character and himself as a weak, frail character
• Yet through McMurphy’s insights into broaden we learn he is in fact a hulking physical character
• Emphasising the sheer effects that the Nurse’s oppression has had on the patients

Question 5

‘they don’t bother not talking out loud about their hate secrets when i’m nearby because they think i’m death and dumb. everybody thinks so. if my being half indian ever helped me in any way in this dirty life, it helped me being cagey.’

Answer 5

• because everybody assumes Chief is already crazy, he’s able to keep on fooling them about being deaf and unable to speak, too
• he has been ignored all his lie even as a child who he has leaned to be quiet and pretend like he doesn’t understand
• he is clever and canny enough, he is isolated and only has his own back
• his isolation and separation make him different from everyone else, everyone speaks about secrets in front of him but they know no secrets about him, longest patient in the ward, mostly catatonic

Question 6

“there is no more fog anymore”

Answer 6

• the Chief’s deaf and dumb gig is at risk
• this is especially important to the book because all this time the inmates of chief all thought he was deaf and mute, and for whatever reason, whether it was for special treatment or to not attract attention from many of the inmates, Chief never told them the truth