One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Analysis

Nurse Ratched Won the War

In the work One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nurse Ratched and McMurphy constantly battled over power and dominance. Both Nurse Ratched and McMurphy tried to assert on paitents in the hosipital. The patients were continuously persuaded to be on either McMurphy’s or Nurse Ratched’s side. The patients swayed back and forth between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched depending on who was more persuasive. However, Nurse Ratched ultimately won the war because she won the card game/ Cheswick’s Cigarettes battle, world series battle , and the battle over Billy.
The card game/ Cheswick’s cigrettes battle was when McMurphy won everyone cigarette’s in card games ,so Nurse Ratched confiscated the cigarettes and the Rationed them out.
Nurse Ratched uses her position of authority as head nurse and to gain power over the patients and McMurphy. Then, When Cheswick wanted a cigarette and McMurphy broke into the nurses office to get him a cigarette, Nurse Ratched gave them Shock therapy for punishment. Nurse Ratched successful suppressed the patients and made them fear her.
The World Series battle was when McMurphy wanted to watch the World Series and change the work schedule and nurse ratchet said that it was unfair to switch of the work schedule on everyone for a game only he wanted to watch.
So they had a vote during the therapy circle. During the first vote McMurphy and Taper ,who didn't really know what he was voting for, voted to watch the game. So, Nurse Ratched won the first vote because the other patients feared her. However, in the second vote the therapy circle all voted for watching the game but they had to get the majority of the whole ward and chief raised hand too late for the vote count. In the second photo nurse ratchet is once again using her authority to not count chief’s vote because she had already closed the
vote.
In the battle over Billy Nurse ratchet finds that Billy and candy were intimate.
She then threatens to tell Billy's mother which installs fear in Billy once again. Nurse Ratched uses Billy's mother to persuade him to once again be under her control. However Billy then commit suicide and McMurphy is so enraged to strangles nurse ratchet but then leads to him being pulled off the nurse and punished giving McMurphy a lobotomy to silence him. Ratched win this battle because she final got want she wanted, which was McMurphy to be quiet and she used her status in the hospital to give McMurphy his punishment.
Nurse Racthed won the card game battle/ Chewswick’s cigarette’s battle because she was able to contiously gain control of the situation. Some might claim that McMurphy won the battle because he was able to still wager bets ,with small amounts of money, and was able to get Cheswick’s cigarettes for him. However, This claim is Insufficient because it ignores the information that McMurphy was punished with shock treatment and the patients were then afraid of nurse Ratched once
again.
Nurse Ratched won the world series vote because she kept the patients from watching the game after two votes. However, Some could claim that McMurphy won the battle because the patients pretended to watch the world series disrupting the ward and angering Nurse Ratched. This claim is Irrelevant because Nurse Ratched still got what she wanted for the work schedule to stay the same and for the patients not to watch the world series ,and McMurphy was unable to get what he wanted , which was to actually watch the game.
Nurse Ratched won the battle over Billy because of her use of fear and authority forcing bill to do what she asked and him silencing him by committing suicide. Some might claim that McMurphy won the battle because he was able to strangle Nurse Ratched and showing the men that she’s not untouchable. However, This claim is Insufficient because it ignores information. The information being ignored is that fact that McMurphy got punished and was officially silenced , which is what Nurse Ratched always wanted.

McMurphy ran an inmate revolt starting many battles. However, Nurse Ratched was able to win the battle’s and defeat McMurphy. They were constantly battled over power and dominance ,but Nurse Ratched ended winning. Nurse Ratched won the war because she won the card game/ Cheswick’s Cigarettes battle, world series battle , and the battle over Billy. Nurse Ratched was able to install fear in patients and suppress the patients using her status as head nurse.