Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Define "matriarchy" in the book "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

The main female presence in the book is Nurse Ratched, she is in charge of the ward where all the patients are male.  She is described as severe looking.

"A sexless, rigid caricature of a nurse, Nurse Ratched imposes discipline on her ward with all the fervor of an Army nurse, which she had been."

Nurse Ratched is controlling and demanding as head of the ward.  She delights in intimidating the men, playing loud music to drown out any possible conversation.

She is in total control of the ward.  When the men get out of line, she sends them for shock treatment.  She particularly does battle with Randle McMurphy, whose spirit she eventually breaks with a lobotomy.  

"McMurphy immediately engages in a long, hopeless, and endless battle with Big Nurse, a classic control freak. What McMurphy has brought to the ward is a touch of normalcy. What Nurse Ratched wants is a group of docile and quiet men who do not upset or question how she has ordered things."

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