Nurse Ratched had some partners in crime in the form of male psychiatrists who were competing with her and with some of the patients. While she stands out, there was a culture of domination that had little to do with good mental health care in that facility. Great thing about literature is the games you can play with the language. Kesey created a classic type when he dreamed up a twisted nurse by the name of "Ratched."

Chewing gum or salmon, anyone?