1. The "fog" appears throughout the novel.
1A. What is the fog, according to Bromden?
1B. What really is the fog?
2. At one point in the novel, a patient is cut open by the staff, but no blood or guts come out of him. Instead, wires, bolts, and machine parts come out. What is Kesey trying to say by this surreal sequence?
3. Define "surrealism." Use internet resources to look up the concept and read more about it. What parts of this novel could you see as being surreal?
4. Describe how the attitudes and outlooks of the patients change when they go on the fishing boat. What is meaningful about this experience for all involved?
5. For the last third of the novel, who is really in control of the ward? Nurse Ratched, or is it McMurphy? Many have argued for one or the other. . . what do you think?
6. Is it really McMurphy's fault that Cheswick and Billy Bibbit are dead? Why or why not?
7. McMurphy's death at the end of the novel can by seen as symbolic. Why do you think Chief Bromden kills him? Do you agree with his actions?
8. One very common element, or literary 'trope,' is the Christ figure. McMurphy is often called a Christ figure by literary critics. What connections, relationships, or parellels can you make between McMurphy and Christ?
