Did McMurphy win?
Parts one and two describe Ratched's control over the ward. You could say she had everyone wrapped around her finger: the patients, the black boys, the other nurses, and even the doctor. Part three, as I've said, is the build up to McMurphy's victory over Ratched. After the fishing trip, everyone felt a close bond to McMurphy. This gave the patients a stronger relationship with each other and against Ratched. McMurphy "stripped" her of her power, her pride, and the idol she made herself out to be to the patients. So does McMurphy lose when Ratched send him up to be lobotomized? I believe the fact that she sent him up there showed that she was weak and she unable to defeat him. I do not believe this causes the patients to lose faith in McMurphy but rather have more faith in what he tried to show them: Nurse Ratched is not God. And after McMurphy returned in the state he was in, Ratched's intention was to restore everyone's fear in her. She wanted to send a message to rebellion. Bromden smothering McMurphy did not just kill McMurphy, but it destroyed his doubts and fears of Nurse Ratched. Bromden and McMurphy are the true winners.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
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