Nurse Ratched
Quick Summary
Nurse Mildred Ratched, often called "Big Nurse," is a central antagonist in Ken Kesey's 1962 novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. She is the head nurse in a mental hospital, wielding near-absolute authority over the patients. Nurse Ratched embodies a rigid, oppressive system that seeks to control and conform individuals, viewing any deviation as a threat. Her character represents the dehumanizing aspects of institutional power and the struggle between conformity and rebellion. The novel, inspired by Kesey's experiences in a mental hospital, explores themes of sanity, madness, and social control, with Nurse Ratched serving as the primary force of oppression against the protagonist, Randall P. McMurphy.12
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