In Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , a psychiatric ward in Oregon serves as a microcosm for societal control and the struggle for individual dignity. The story is famously told through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a long-term patient who feigns being deaf and mute. Core Characters One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: Part 1 Study Guide - Tes