Nurse Ratched
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Nurse Mildred Ratched is a fictional character from Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. She was portrayed by Louise Fletcher in the 1975 film version in an Academy Award-winning role.
A cold, sadistic tyrant obsessed with her own power, Nurse Ratched has become synonymous with the stereotype of the nurse as a "battleaxe." She has also become a popular metaphor for the corrupting influence of power and authority in bureaucracies such as the mental institution in which the novel is set.
Nurse Mildred Ratched is the head administrative nurse at the fictional Salem, Oregon State Mental Hospital, where she exercises near-absolute power over the patients' access to medications, privileges, and basic necessities such as food and toiletries. She capriciously revokes these privileges whenever a patient displeases her. Her superiors turn a blind eye because she maintains order, keeping the patients from acting out (either through antipsychotic and anticonvulsant drugs or her own brand of "therapy", which consists mostly of humiliating patients into doing her bidding). Her greatest success is with the stuttering, suicidal Billy Bibbit, who is so terrified of her that he does whatever she says.
When Randle McMurphy arrives at the hospital, however, her dictatorial rule is nearly toppled; he not only flouts her precious rules with impunity, but encourages the other patients to follow his example. Her attempts to cow him into submission — at first with threats and mild punishments, then with shock therapy — are unsuccessful. If anything, they only make him more defiant.
The last straw is when McMurphy sneaks two prostitutes into the asylum to relieve Billy of his virginity. Ratched threatens to tell Billy's mother about the transgression. Since Billy fears his mother as much or more than he fears Ratched, the threat frightens him into committing suicide. Enraged, McMurphy attacks and nearly chokes Ratched to death.
In retribution, Ratched has McMurphy lobotomized. Another patient, Chief Bromden, later smothers McMurphy as a kind of mercy killing. However, while Ratched's main antagonist has been removed, her control over the other patients is gone. She can no longer speak, at least not very well — McMurphy damaged her vocal cords when he choked her — and the other patients can now think for themselves; Ratched can no longer intimidate them.
[edit] Trivia
- Nurse Ratched was named the fifth greatest villain in film history by the American Film Institute in their series 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains, trailing only Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates, Darth Vader and the Wicked Witch of the West. Interestingly, her costar in the film, Jack Nicholson, also appears on the villain list as number 25 (Jack Torrance) and as number 45 (The Joker).
- Nurse Ratched was parodied in the Futurama episode "Insane In The Mainframe" with the robotic Nurse Ratchet.
- Series 2 Episode 3 of Spaced featured one of the main characters acting out an elaborate scenario (including group counseling sessions and punishments) at work with her boss, a copy of Nurse Ratched.
