Post #1

I believe both McMurphy and Big Nurse were developed very well by Ken Kesey. They are polar opposites which make for a great conflict. I think that Big Nurse is more powerful than McMurphy. This is so because Big Nurse has authority on the ward. Although McMurphy may look more powerful and wins some battles, Big Nurse has time on her side and can do almost whatever she pleases with McMurphy or anyone else. "Under her rule the ward Inside is almost completely adjusted to surroundings. But the thing is she can't be on the ward all the time. She's got to spend some time Outside. So she works with an eye to adjusting the Outside world too." (Kesey pg.30). This just show her power and how she rules the ward with an iron fist.
However, McMurphy is much more therapeutic for the men. He make them laugh and plays games with them. But, the most important thing that McMurphy does is he treats everyone like a normal person. "After he checks the day room over a minute, he sees he's meant for the Acute side and goes right for it, grinning and shaking hands with everybody he comes to...They're fidgeting and twitching, responding to the dials in the control panel; I see McMurphy notices he's making them uneasy, but he don't let it slow him down." (Kesey pg.22). This just shows how down to Earth McMurphy is and how he treats them right. He takes them out of their comfort zone and makes them more human, not robots under the control of Big Nurse.