Ken Kesey is very subtle in slowly building the tension between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy. The tension gains a peak clarity when McMurphy starts challenging Nurse Ratched's authority by waking up early, singing in the halls, and asking for toothpaste when it is apparent that toothpaste isn't being provided to the patients at the time. "'Hey there, old buddy, what's my chance of gettin' some toothpaste for brushin' my grinders?'"..."He frowns at it, then takes a quick check where's the other two black boys just in case, and tells McMurphy they don't open the cabinet till six-forty-five. 'It's a policy' he says."(84) McMurphy then proceeds by dunking his toothbrush directly into the black boy's soap powder for a substitute of toothpaste: "'Well, I generally use paste, but' "-McMurphy runs his hands down in the powder and swishes it around and pulls it out and taps it on the side of the can-' but this will do fine for me.'" (85).
Also after that situation passes Nurse Ratched makes her way into the hall to find McMurphy roaming around with just a towel on: " 'Good morning, Miss Rat-shed! How's things on the outside?' 'You can't run around here-in a
towel!'"(87). Then chief bromden notices after all that McMurphy was wearing shorts underneath his towel the whole time: "He finally winks at the nurse and shrugs and unwraps the towel, drapes it over her shoulder like she was a wooden rack. I see he had his shorts on under the towel all along." (90).
Therefore it's clear that McMurphy contains an irresistable edge to him because he's the only one who has gained privileges for the patients and challenged nurse Ratched's tyrannical superiority. It seems as though McMurphy will eat away at Nurse Ratched's conscience and win.
