One flew over the cuckoo's nest chapter 25 summary

Chapters 24-25
Taking a cue from McMurphy, the other patients in the ward also begin to exert a degree of independence and even flirt with the female members of staff. The shattered glass is replaced by cardboard, and the nurse continues to sit in the station as if she could still see through it. The staff try to replace the glass twice. The first time McMurphy shatters it yet again on the pretence of not knowing it's there, and the second time Scanlon hits a basketball at it, that shatters it. It is the basketball that McMurphy had brought into the corridors with the doctor's permission against the will of the nurse. McMurphy also secures approval for an unaccompanied visit outside to go deep-sea fishing with ten other patients. The other patients are reluctant to join the trip on account of Nurse Ratched's dire warnings about the fate of ships marooned in difficult weather.

On the last night before the fishing trip, Bromden lies in his bed, regretting not being able to sign up for the fishing trip due to not being able to reveal that he can hear and talk. He thinks back to the first time when he felt like he was ignored; the incident had forced him to feel like he did not exist. That was when two men in suits came sweating and clambering to his home in the Columbia gorge. They acted like Bromden did not exist and conspired to gain the land of the tribe by contacting the White wife of the chief, his father. Bromden is shocked by the clarity of the memory, but he is distracted by a noise, and he finds one of the orderlies below his bed cutting Bromden's treasured chewing gums off the underside of the bed. The noise awakens McMurphy, who laughs with the orderly, then distracts and redirects him. McMurphy gives Bromden a pack of gum, and Bromden is overcome with emotion. He thanks McMurphy and begins to talk to him. He talks about The Combine and how it destroyed his father. He becomes agitated in the retelling, and McMurphy shares a story from his childhood about his time on a pea farm and how he felt like he had forgotten how to speak.

Finally, McMurphy and Bromden make a deal that McMurphy will help Bromden become as big as he had once been so that Bromden could carry the control panel that McMurphy had once tried to lift to break out of the hospital for the World Series. In return, McMurphy would allow Bromden to accompany them on the fishing trip free of cost. Bromden believes that if he were to be as big as he once was, then he would be able to lift that panel. McMurphy reveals that the aunts accompanying them are actually prostitutes and even celebrates the erection Bromden has in response to that information.

The prostitutes that are supposed to take them to the boat don't quite arrive as McMurphy expected; in fact, only one of them ever makes it. Candy Starr is a young girl with blonde hair and an easy air. Nurse Ratched swoops down on McMurphy upon finding out that he only has access to one car. McMurphy tries to negotiate with the nurse, but she is determined to ensure that McMurphy has to leave behind at least half the party. He then uses the evident appreciation of Dr. Spivey for Candy to convince him to join them in their sea voyage. It is achieved simply, and the doctor locks up his office and pulls out his car before Nurse Ratched has an opportunity to express any opinion.

The patients file out of the hospital and are momentarily taken aback at the prospect of being in the open world. When the patients stop at a gas station, the doctor is bullied by the gas station workers, who look suspiciously at all the similarly dressed patients. The patients, including Bromden, begin to feel ashamed when the doctor lies to the gas station workers, but McMurphy soon comes out and puts the worker in his place. He even admits to them all being patients from the asylum but paints a picture of violent and criminally insane patients. This new narrative seems to give the patients a lot more confidence, and they use it to interact with passersby in addition to the workers at the station.

The cars make their way to the coast, but the patients still feel uncertain and scared. They arrive at the docks to meet a hostile captain and a group of loafers, while McMurphy goes off to assuage the worries of the captain. The other patients are left standing out in the open with Candy and the loafers. The loafers on the docks cat-call Candy and say several terrible things about the patients. None of them stands up to them, and Bromden feels the shame at their inaction quite deeply. McMurphy rushes out just then and asks them all to quickly board the vessel. George takes charge and immediately begins issuing instructions.

Just as they are about to set off, McMurphy reveals that the captain of the boat is being held up by a distraction and isn't quite aware that they are taking the boat away. The guys set to drinking and lying in different parts of the boat as George takes them deeper into the ocean to the truly good fishing grounds. There they pull out the poles and begin fishing. Taking turns to hold onto the poles, they have a merry time and many failed attempts. The chaos of the patients fishing makes McMurphy burst out laughing, and soon all the patients are laughing their heads off. Eventually, the doctor manages to catch a gigantic Halibut that requires the help of all the patients to bring onboard. They feed the birds with their fish and begin to make their way back to the port. The sea turns violent, but George navigates the boat over waves expertly and neatly parks it at the docks where the owner stands with two police officers.

The doctor handles the police and runs them off by clearly stating that they had no jurisdiction since the expedition was sponsored and planned by a government authority. The loafers that had once bugged the patients are respectful of George's sailing skills and the size of the fish they've caught. They drink some more with the captain and the dockside workers and then begin to drive to the hospital. They stop at a place where McMurphy claims to have stayed the longest. He stares forlornly at the house and then at a tattered yellow dress hung on a tree branch and explains how it belonged to the first girl he ever had sex with.

Before they drive off, Bromden sees a terrible look on the face of McMurphy. He sees how he looks so tired and as if he only has a little time left. Before they get to the hospital, McMurphy makes a date for Candy to return, and he informs Billy, who had been getting along with Candy well, that he would bribe the night staff to bring Candy in. When they arrive back at the hospital, the others are much more lively and happy, but McMurphy excuses himself and goes to bed due to how tired he feels.

Analysis
McMurphy's actions now seem to indicate that he is no longer concerned with how long he'll be in the ward. The breaking of the nurse station's glass is a way for him to demonstrate his masculinity, but it also exposes how rigid Nurse Ratched is in following her routine even at the cost of appearing ridiculous. Bromden's clarity in being able to recall one of his earliest memories demonstrates how McMurphy has helped Bromden overcome the fog. Nurse Ratched doesn't oppose McMurphy's fishing trip outright but rather manipulates them using her knowledge of their characters. When the doctor is confronted by the gas station workers, he tries to hide their mental illness, and this makes the patients feel ashamed, but McMurphy uses the same illness to empower them. During the trip, McMurphy avoids helping the men to encourage them to be both free and independent.