was published in 1962, the United States was in the middle of a civil uprising that marked the beginning of a movement towards a national identity. At that time, America was a struggling young nation, trying to define itself as its people fought with their diversities. One of many prevalent efforts at the time was the movement for Women's Liberation, which was "petitioning for equal opportunities and rewards for women" (Porter 5). In the early 1960s, females were fighting to advance in a male-dominated workforce. Employment for women was restricted to jobs in retail or food services, nursing, teaching, or cleaning attendants. Oftentimes, if a woman rose to any level of power in her job, men would watch her very closely, as it was commonplace for men to make all the decisions and for the women to carry out those orders or follow them. When Kesey wrote this story, he applied a very unconventional approach by placing a female in control of an entirely male ward of a mental asylum. Of course, this would ignite a very simple plot conflict: a woman in a place of authority over men. To fully comprehend Nurse Ratched, one needs to examine who she is as a person.
             The patients describe Nurse Ratched as a "veritable angel of mercy" toiling "thanklessly for the good of all, day after day, five long days a week". Harding te
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