Nurse Ratched vs Randle Patrick Mcmurphy

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
by poop
In the novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, the battle between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy takes so many twists and turns that most people can debate who wins with many true, key points. But who won the whole battle? I believe that McMurphey made enough of a difference in the hospital to say that he won the whole battle. From the patients manhood to the fear in Nurse Ratched to the patients recovery, McMurphy made a difference that most likely wouldn't have happened without his arrival.
Throughout the novel, McMurphy takes the patients on a multitude of adventures, some small, some large, that progressively returns the patients “manhood” to them, after Ratched had taken it away, for lack of better words. A great example is when they go on their fishing trip. While on the fishing trip, the boys let loose and have fun. When they would normally be telling Ratched what she wants to hear or cleaning the ward, they were now drinking beer, fishing, laughing, living.
One of McMurphy's greatest accomplishments was striking fear into Ratched. When she blamed Billy's death on McMurphey's actions, McMurphey could take no more. He lunged at Ratched and started to choke her. After this little incident, slight movements were making her jump. Now instead of Ratched putting the fear into the patients, she was the one who was scared for once.
The most important action McMurphy took was returning the patients to their prime, more or less. After McMurphy was... “silenced”, the men were able to overcome what brought them to the ward in the first place. They were able to check themselves out of the hospital and live their lives as free men. Even Billy was feeling better, before Ratched set him off. When McMurphy set up Billy with Candy, he was happy. Billy had lost his stutter, until Ratched put the fear back in his heart.
Everything that McMurphy has done has made an incredibly positive impact on the patients and a negative...