Summary:

Chief Bromden, half Indian- American, is considered a mute.
Assuming he hasn’t got any say in this world, the authorities ignore his presence.
The fact is that Chief fooled them all with his act so he is able to analyze and dissect the situations around him without the acquaintance of a second party (while sweeping the floor of the ward).
He is in a mental institution ruled by the almighty nurse Ratched, a very static and harsh woman who is known to be quite manipulating in her language.
“One flew over…..” tells the story of the Indian among a dozen of other mental outcasts inside nurse Ratched’s ward. Their problems and disabilities are taken care off during the group meeting every day, led by the Big Nurse (Ratched). This group meeting takes an hour of their time, once a day.
One day a new patient enters the halls of this grey world, a rather liberated mind in the form of a gambler called Mr. McMurphy.
He is assumed a liar, people do not believe he is a lunatic at all but that he faked his mental illness in order to escape the daily duty of working on a so called work-farm.
He notices all the patients and tries to get acquainted with them (except for the “vegetables“ because they are not able to speak or communicate at all).
He meets the highly intelligent Mr. Harding, a stuttering insecure Billy Bibbit, a childish Cheswick, the tall Chief and some other patients.
Soon Mac (McMurphy) notices the boredom and grayness they have all become the victims of. He tries to win their interest with his gambling skills.
He spreads a deck of cards onto the table and they all start to raise their bets. They play for cigarettes. This is a process that lasts the entire story.
Slowly Mac integrates in this society and is soon admired by all of the others, except for the Big Nurse who is driven by the beliefs that Mac is a person who needs to be silenced so his presence will not be invading her territory, disturbingly.
She has the feeling he is undermining her authority and that is exactly his goal; to bring her down and lose this battle they have gotten themselves into.

Mac stirs the place up and tries to gain some support of all the others but they are already caught in the Big Nurses’ web, victimized and chained to a life of dependence.
Mac tries to encourage them to step up and put a hold on her seemingly dictating power but they all are too frightened of what could happen to them if they actually would face up to her and refuse her demands.

There is this so-called ”Shock Shop” where people are fed with electric energy in order to regain their calmness in times of disobedience and aggressive behavior or when having an attack. Tha2t is what frightens them the most: this Shock Shop.
Very often patients are taken there to regain their calmness, like Cheswick when he had a fit once.
Time passes and when Mac places his bet with the others saying that he will drive Ratched insane by the end of the week, they all react defensively. They do not believe Mac is capable of getting to her.
As “tough” as he is he tries and he sure gets on her nerves but not enough to bring her down.

One day McMurphy proposes to doctor Spivey if he is allowed to go on a fishing trip with some of the other patients, ofcourse, under strict supervision.
At first he is ignored but when he keeps on asking the same question his wishes are met.
He knows this girl, who he claims to be his aunt but actually is a girlfriend, who can take them to the harbor.
This fishing trip is quite an experience for all of the patients and they enjoy it very much.
This is ofcourse a great triumph for McMurphy because it rages against all Ratched’s priciples.
When back in the hospital McMurphy one night organizes a party, to bring some joy on the ward. The girl, Candy, and a friend of hers accompany this party.
Mac2 lets them onto the ward through a window. The nightwatch, Mr. Turkle , is bribed by Mac and joins the group. The Big Nurse left the hospital hours ago.
They have their party with bottles of wine and large variety of liquors and some smokes.
Billy Bibbit has been in love with Candy since they met during the fishing trip and he applies to Mac if he could be so sincere to ask Candy if Billy could spent the night with her.
She accepts and they sleep together.

The next morning; the three black boys (helpers on the ward) come onto the ward and see the place completely thrashed and dirty with liquor and wine all over the floor. The Big Nurse enters the ward few minutes later and she has the place cleaned up and have Billy taken to the doctor’s office...








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