In Bromden's memory, who would shoot the bird if it moved?

In Bromden's memory, who would shoot the bird if it moved?

• A. His father
• B. Nurse Ratched
• C. McMurphy
• D. Chief Bromden

Answer: (A)

Power and fear shaping Bromden’s sense of authority from childhood. In that memory, it’s his father who would shoot the bird if it moved, showing how absolute, violent control is used to enforce obedience even over something small and innocent. This moment establishes the father as the origin of Bromden’s fear of power and his later habit of yielding to oppressive systems, like the hospital’s regime under Nurse Ratched, rather than challenging them. McMurphy represents rebellion later in the story, and Chief Bromden is the one recalling the memory, not the actor of the act. So the actor in that memory is the father.

Power and fear shaping Bromden’s sense of authority from childhood. In that memory, it’s his father who would shoot the bird if it moved, showing how absolute, violent control is used to enforce obedience even over something small and innocent. This moment establishes the father as the origin of Bromden’s fear of power and his later habit of yielding to oppressive systems, like the hospital’s regime under Nurse Ratched, rather than challenging them. McMurphy represents rebellion later in the story, and Chief Bromden is the one recalling the memory, not the actor of the act. So the actor in that memory is the father.