Portayal of Women in OFOCN

            The portrayal of women through literature does not really exemplify the power of control women can exert. However in the novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest we are introduced to nurse Ratchet. Through the use of powerful imagery Ken Kessey succeeds in making nurse Ratchet an imposing character throughout the novel.

            Nurse Ratchet is basically the only significant female character in the book, making her quite unique. Even though she is described as having large breasts there is no sexual quality to her, she exudes only a cold calculating persona. Through the eyes most people the nurse is an amicable person. The chief however might describe her as one of the key pieces of the “combine”. We know the Chief is not the most trustworthy of narrators especially after reading a passage like this:  “She’s going to tear the black bastard’s limb from limb, she’s so furious. She’s swelling up, swells till her backs splitting out of the white uniform.” Still an image like that can’t be ignored. The nurse immediately induces fear wherever she goes; all the patients know what lies underneath that calm exterior. There is a sharp contrast in the way the nurse is portrayed. We see her as the “big nurse” or the way she behaves in the group meetings; calm and collected, but still seething with anger.

            Nurse Ratchet was a pleasant surprise from the standard fare of passive female characters. Her impact is so large that pop culture often refers to her when describing emasculating women. What made this possible was the vivid imagery that made her more believable than most characters.  She has become a staple in American literature and female figures.