One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Randle Patrick McMurphy is the main protagonist of the novel, an anti-hero who sparks a rebellion against Ratched. A redheaded, working-class veteran fond of fighting, gambling, and women, McMurphy is notable for his seeming imperviousness to the manipulation and control of the Combine, including Ratched, and his disruptive presence throws the otherwise stable ward environment off balance. McMurphy’s most powerful asset is his charisma, which earns him the respect of the other patients. Temporarily threatened, his leadership is reinforced as he progressively gives more of himself to the patients’ cause, up to and including his life. His elevation to near-mythical status is confirmed both by the trouble Bromden takes to tell his story and the Christian imagery that permeates the account.

Also known as the “Big Nurse,” Nurse Ratched is the novel’s antagonist. The only character who has been on the ward longer than Bromden, Ratched fine-tunes her methods of manipulation and control over the years. Despite possessing a large bosom, Ratched carries herself as if she’s removed from “everything […] that’s weak and of the flesh” (138). Above all else, Ratched prizes cleanliness, order, and social adjustment. Ratched’s goals align so closely with those of the Combine that Bromden sees her as a kind of robotic doll.

When McMurphy threatens her control over the ward, the ensuing struggle between the two of them forms the novel’s central conflict. Whereas McMurphy presses his advantage quickly and often, Ratched is content to let time pass, knowing that she can break him down over an extended time, as she controls his timeline for release. At the novel’s climax, McMurphy’s attempts to break down the power of Ratched’s persona by exposing her breasts; his attack also takes away her voice, a form of poetic justice after she effectively silenced so many of her patients.

As a 30-something-year-old virgin with a mother who still treats him like a child, Billy falls prey to the Combine’s infantilizing influence. Billy struggles to assert himself, particularly in relation to the women in his life, including his mother and Ratched, who are good friends. Similarly, his attempt to propose marriage to a woman he loves falls short when he struggles to pronounce the word “marry.” Ratched’s therapeutic interventions, including a meeting to delve into his insecurities, just worsen his condition. Only when, with McMurphy’s help, Billy has a romantic encounter with Candy does his stutter temporarily abate. His death by suicide shortly thereafter demonstrates the difficulty of fully escaping the Combine’s influence.