Chief Bromden

Chief Bromden is the narrator of the novel. Chief is the son of an Indian chief who was pressured into making the decision to sell their ancestry homes in favor of a dam the government wanted to build on their property. In the aftermath of this sale, Chief’s father became an alcoholic. This had a profound impact on Chief’s life.

Chief has lived in the mental hospital for longer than all of the other patients. The reader never learns why Chief is in the hospital, but it is clear from his narration that Chief has delusions. This delusions, however, appear to get better the more time he spends with McMurphy. At the same time, everyone believes that Chief is deaf and mute because he never speaks and he appears to not hear when people talk to him. This is actually a manifestation of Chief’s...