Ken Kesey has been the said to use stereotypes in his books. Two of the stereotypes would have to be Disability and Gender which he uses in one flew over the Cuckoo's nest. The author states he does a good job of not making mental disability impressive in its "avoidance" of stereotypes. But then the author goes on to state that Disability and emasculation are linked. Nurse Ratched is also a stereotype as a "direst result of her continual emasculation and her de-feminized domination of all the male patients." They also have a stereo typical anti-hero who is McMurphy. Ken Kesey has also been said to be stereo typical in Last go round with three different characters of different race. One white, one black and one Indian. Masculinity was the biggest stereotype that ken kesey had through out all his novels.

In Clifford J. Kurkowski crisism of One who flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Kurkowski discusses that women who want to obtain power and stature in society have always struggled to keep their position, such as Nurse Ratched. Kirkowski talks about the fact that Kesey is not trying to degrade females by representing them negatively but also in a positive light. He analyzed the language used to describe Nurse Ratched and came to a conclusion that she is always trying to stay in control in power when put in chaotic positions. He said that it should be seen as a positive character trait that her "dominating attitude is a calculated move to maintain order". He says that she needs to be seen in a positive light. At the time that the book was written Kurkowski brings up the fact that America was a young nation looking for it's identify. Along with that was the uprising of the Women's Liberation movement, which was looking for equal opportunities and rewards for women. It's vital to understand a stories background, back then women were seen as less, so they were more likely to be written as less, and since they were advocating to be more equal it is understandable that women would think that they were being seen in a negative light, but there is always to sides to a story.