Cuckoo's Nest 2

So far in the McMurphy vs Big Nurse rivalry, I have to give the edge to McMurphy. Even after the employees have tried to take control of him with their "questionable" ward policy, he still finds a way to rise above it. "Against ward policy?" (Keesy 135 iBooks). This simple acceptance allows the other patients to see the obvious strictness of the ward rule. In a way, he's winning by delayed submission: making enough hassle so that patients such as Bromden see, but then giving in to what the ward employees want. He also is able to keep his emotions in check, which doesn't give the ward anything to work with when planning their next move. "He's making sure none of the staff sees him bothered by anything; he knows that there's no better way in the world to aggrevate somebody who's trying to make it hard for you than by acting like you're not bothered" (Keeesy 154 iBooks). In essence, McMurphy's hanging tough trying to outlast the opposition, and so far, he's winning.

Chief Bromden has started to become extremely nosy at this point in the story. He's become even more observant, trying to come up with answers to certain mysteries like how the fog works. This is directly resultant of how McMurphy isn't backing down to Big Nurse and the ward employees. In a way, they feed off of each other. If one makes a move, the other reacts and changes their game plan.

I'm really rooting for McMurphy alone right now. I want to see if he can ride it out and rise victorious over the emotional shackles of the ward. He's off to a good start. Can he keep it up through the last half of the story though. He still has a ways to go, but so far, so good. As for Bromden, I'm still not sure if his head is in the right place. We have to see where his focus goes in the last half of the story.