Women In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

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Nurse Ratched used her power to control her patients under her care. During this period, white men had supremacist power over others. This was a challenge for women to gain authority. Nurse Ratched used her acts of manipulation and hatred for the patients at the mental hospital. This was worse than the Holocaust in the eyes of the patients. She was a threat to not only the patients but everyone around her. Nurse Ratched was the Adolph Hitler of this mental hospital. In Ken Kesey’s memoir, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nurse Ratched is trying to gain supremacy. She has the power to use each of the patient’s weaknesses against themselves. Similarly, Nurse Ratched also has a key weapon against the patients, the black boys. Chief Bromden, the …show more content…
This was an idea started by McMurphy. He held a signup sheet to let anyone go on this trip. Nurse Ratched was almost going to stop them from going. The other male doctor then told her that he would take them on this fishing trip. Nurse Ratched was upset yet she still had the ultimate tool against them. During this trip, they had a joyous time. Billy came out of his shell and a girl named Candy came along. They instantly clicked and flirted with each other. Towards the end of the trip Bromden noticed something odd. Bromden states, “While his relaxed, good-natured voice doled out of his life for us to live, a rollicking past full of kid fun and drinking buddies and loving women and barroom battles over meager honors-for all of us to dream ourselves into.” (258) McMurphy knew his time was near. He was worn out from the normal life he lived, while the other patients were finally gaining some freedom they barley had. Nurse Ratched was waiting for them when they got back. She had the patients from the fishing trip strip and had the black boys try to rape each one of them. This was another tool of power Nurse Ratched inflicted. She was upset they went through with this fishing trip and this was her way to bring control back into their lives. McMurphy and Bromden stood up against the black boys. This gave them a position of ultimate pain. Nurse Ratched then gave them each shock therapy. This was supposed to be punishment for how they acted. Little did Nurse Ratched know that this will only make them
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