The character of Mildred Ratched was inspired by real situations in mental asylums. In those days, there was a lack of understanding of mental illness. Nurses or attendants like Ratched were in charge of the patients. They had strict rules. Ratched's character represents the cold, bureaucratic side of mental health care. She enforces the system rigidly, not really considering the individual needs of the patients. This reflects the real - life problems in the old - fashioned mental health system.
Well, Mildred Ratched is indeed based on real - life elements of psychiatric care. In the past, psychiatric institutions had a hierarchical structure. People in positions like Ratched were common. They would use their power to keep the patients in line. For example, they might use isolation or medication as a form of control. Ratched in the story is a symbol of that kind of overbearing authority in the real - world psychiatric facilities. Her character shows how the system could be cruel and inhumane to those with mental health issues.