One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest : Nurse Ratched
Nurse Ratched: Villain of the Ward
In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, the patients of
the ward deal with the biggest obstacle in the novel: Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched is
known for being the boss of the ward. What she says is what is followed and everyone
is afraid of her. She has a tendency to manipulate the patients and she uses that to her
advantage to control everyone. Nurse Ratched is the villain of the story because she
made everyone afraid of her, turned everyone against each other, and manipulated all of the patients.
Nurse Ratched makes everyone afraid of her because she treats them like
children and always talks to them in a monotone. She shows no expression or emotions
when she speaks. An example would be on page 31, when Taber asks about the pills
and Nurse Ratched says “That’s all right Miss Flinn. If Mr.Taber chooses to act like a
child, he may have to be treated as such. We’ve tried to be kind and considerate with
him. Obviously, that’s not the answer. Hostility, hostility, that’s the thanks we get.” and
made the situation they were in a lot more complicated than it needed to be.
Not to forget, Nurse Ratched turns the men against each other for her own
benefit, she believes that if the men tattletale on each other then it’ll make the men not
trust or like each other. Her main concern is someone overpowering her; which is why
she does not like McMurphy. When McMurphy enters the ward she feels like he is
planning to take over. On page 24 Nurse Ratched spoke to another nurse at the ward
and said “He is what we call a “manipulator” and that he will use everyone and
everything around him to his own ends”. What most readers believe is that Nurse
Ratched is afraid that McMurphy will try and change the rules at the ward; the rules
she’s made and enforced.
The last reason why Nurse Ratched is the villain of the
In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, the patients of
the ward deal with the biggest obstacle in the novel: Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched is
known for being the boss of the ward. What she says is what is followed and everyone
is afraid of her. She has a tendency to manipulate the patients and she uses that to her
advantage to control everyone. Nurse Ratched is the villain of the story because she
made everyone afraid of her, turned everyone against each other, and manipulated all of the patients.
Nurse Ratched makes everyone afraid of her because she treats them like
children and always talks to them in a monotone. She shows no expression or emotions
when she speaks. An example would be on page 31, when Taber asks about the pills
and Nurse Ratched says “That’s all right Miss Flinn. If Mr.Taber chooses to act like a
child, he may have to be treated as such. We’ve tried to be kind and considerate with
him. Obviously, that’s not the answer. Hostility, hostility, that’s the thanks we get.” and
made the situation they were in a lot more complicated than it needed to be.
Not to forget, Nurse Ratched turns the men against each other for her own
benefit, she believes that if the men tattletale on each other then it’ll make the men not
trust or like each other. Her main concern is someone overpowering her; which is why
she does not like McMurphy. When McMurphy enters the ward she feels like he is
planning to take over. On page 24 Nurse Ratched spoke to another nurse at the ward
and said “He is what we call a “manipulator” and that he will use everyone and
everything around him to his own ends”. What most readers believe is that Nurse
Ratched is afraid that McMurphy will try and change the rules at the ward; the rules
she’s made and enforced.
The last reason why Nurse Ratched is the villain of the