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Chief Bromden
In the very beginning of the novel we are introduced to Chief Bromden, who is the narrator allowing the reader to see what he sees and experience what he experienced in current and past events. -
McMurphy's Admission
Randle Patrick McMurphy is admitted to the ward, and is shown as a loud and lively man as opposed to the rest of the patients in the ward. McMurphy's admission creates some uprising in some of the patients as time goes on, and his conflict with the Nurse grows. -
McMurphy's First Meeting
This is the first of many more Group Meetings held by the Nurse where she discusses things that the men have written down on a clipboard about what the other men have done or talked about. McMurphy shows his opposition to authority during this meeting by trying to get the other guys to laugh, and intentionally attempting to cause a stir. Nurse Ratched reads his admission details in front of the doctor and everyone in order to try and get McMurphy to stop but this doesn't stop McMurphy. -
Baseball World Series
McMurphy attempts to change the TV schedule with a vote so they can watch the World Series. However he does not receive a majority vote, but Bromden shows his first sign that he is not deaf and mute by raising his hand to give McMurphy the majority vote. Nurse Ratched calls the vote anyway saying that there was not a majority. As a sign of rebellion McMurphy and some of the other patients sit in front of the blank TV. This gets angers the nurse causing her to lose her temper and yell at them. -
The Lifeguard
When the patients go to the swimming pool McMurphy talks to the lifeguard that is there and Bromden sticks close by since he is scared of the water. The Lifeguard explains to McMurphy that prison is better than the ward because in prison you know when you will leave, but in here the Nurse decides when you leave. This is the one thing that McMurphy did not realize, causing him to take a step back and stop resisting the Nurse and pushing back against her rules for a while. -
Cigarette Punishment
It is decided that the cigarettes should be limited as a form of punishment for the World Series incident, by the Nurse and the Doctor. McMurphy tries to keep his cool by not resisting and smiling at the Nurse. Eventually he approaches the nurses station and punches the glass, shattering it, and then grabs the pack of cigarettes with his name on them, claiming he didn't know the glass was there and that he wanted his cigarettes. -
Fishing
The Doctor allows McMurphy and some of the patients to go on a fishing trip. The Nurse does not like this and tries to scare some of the patients by telling them stories about the ocean and rough it is. -
Bromden is Discovered
McMurphy knows that Chief Bromden is not deaf, and is able to convince him to go on the trip by telling him that his aunts, who will be setting up the trip, are actually prostitutes. Bromden agrees to go but is worried that his compliance might alert the Nurse that he is not deaf. -
The Day Of
When only one of McMurphy's so called aunts arrives, it is revealed by Nurse Ratched that without 2 drivers they cannot go. However McMurphy is able to persuade the Doctor into driving the second car and they are allowed to go. -
The Gas Station
On the way to the dock, the patients stop at a gas station where they begin to discover some things for themselves. One of the patients, Harding, comes to his own conclusion that perhaps the more insane a man is, the more powerful he could become, giving Hitler as an example. -
The Captainless Boat
When they arrive at the dock and get on the boat the captain who is supposed to be driving, went to the bait shop to make a call to make sure the waiver was at least filled out. During this time McMurphy gets the Doctor on board and then steals the boat, later appointing George as Captain and Harding second in command. -
Shower Room Brawl
When they got back from fishing they all had to be cleaned. George, who is very particular about his cleanliness doesn't want the "Black Boys" to do anything. When they start to force George to comply McMurphy tries to stand up for George, and ends up getting into a fight with them. Bromden joins the fight to help McMurphy leading some of the other guys to cheer them on. McMurphy and Chief Bromden then get sent to the Disturbed Ward. -
EST
While in the Disturbed Ward, McMurphy and Bromden receive Electroshock Therapy. Bromden is scared of what he calls the "Shock Shop" and takes a while to recover, especially since he is rumored to have received over 200 of the Shock Treatments. McMurphy receives more treatments than Bromden since he is able to recover from them so quickly. -
Billy's Date
Chief Bromden and McMurphy return to their ward in time for Billy's date with Candy, McMurphy's "aunt". The date ended up being a party for most of the patients and one worker name Turkle. They partied right up until about 5 in the morning. -
The Morning After
In the morning Nurse Ratched was furious with everyone, and especially furious with Billy Bibbit who went to the seclusion and had sex with Candy. She was yelling at Billy who could only laugh and make jokes while the patients who followed the Nurse to see where Billy was could only laugh at the sight and laugh at the jokes Billy was telling. -
The Threat
Nurse Ratched tells Billy during the ruckus of him waking up and making jokes that she is going to have to tell his mother. This puts him into a panic and he breaks down trying to say that everyone else made him do and tries to convince her to not tell his mother. He is taken to Doctor Spivey's office, where he kills himself when he is left alone, since he was frightened of how his mother would react to Nurse Ratched telling her about Billy. -
McMurphy's Last Stand
In an attempt to place blame of Billy killing himself on McMurphy she yells at him saying he was playing with lives and that it was his fault that 2 men had killed themselves. She walks away and closes the nurses station door. McMurphy stands up and walks to the door, he breaks the glass door and when the Nurse turns to look at him, he rips open her clothes, and then chokes her in retaliation. -
The Aftermath
After the incident of Billy killing himself and McMurphy choking Nurse Ratched, many of the patients who can, leave the hospital or transfer. Bromden, Martini, and Scanlon were the only ones left in the ward from the original fishing crew. When Nurse Ratched returned they asked in McMurphy would be returning and she said yes. She tried to get the ward back the way it was in the beginning but could not due to the freedom that McMurphy had created by empowering the patients. -
The Nurse's Last Play
Bromden stayed a little while longer after the Nurse returned to see McMurphy return. One day a gurney was wheeled into the day room, with a chart that read McMurphy's name, stating he had received a lobotomy. No one wanted to believe it was McMurphy, but they all came to terms that it was him. He was unmoving, and as they referred, a vegetable. -
The End
Bromden waits until everyone is asleep, and does what he thinks McMurphy would do. He places a pillow over McMurphy's face and suffocates him to death, so the Nurse doesn't have a warning to other people. After this Bromden sneaks out of the hospital and hitches a ride with guy driving a truck full of sheep. He tells a story to him and is able to get a leather jacket and 10 bucks for food as he makes his way up to Canada.