Freedom vs. ControlNurse Ratched controls everything on the Ward which means that nobody else has control over anything besides her. This does not just include the patients, it also includes the black boys and her staff. Once McMurphy comes onto the Ward he tries to teach the men how to be confident and control their own lives and for a good portion of the book he actually is winning the battle against the Nurse. But he soon realized that he was committed and could not leave whenever he wanted to, which gives the Nurse the upper hand. Even though she already had the power to control the schedule, medicine and activities the patience could do, we now find out that she controls when McMurphy can and cannot leave. The "Big Nurse" does not allow anyone to have an freedom or independence on the the Ward because her and the Doctor believe that "every minute spent in the company of others...is therapeutic" (page 165). Without the battle between McMurphy and the Nurse the debate of "freedom vs control" would not even be questioned.
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Sexual Freedom vs Lack of Sexual ConfidenceVera Harding is the cause of Dale Harding's lack of confidence both sexually and emotionally. She makes him think that he is below her and he cannot satisfy her, unlike all of the men who stop by to "see Dale." Dale Harding is not sexually confident because of his wife, which in turn makes him less sexually confident. Dale Harding also lacks sexual confidence because he knows his is a homosexual and so does his wife but it is never discussed. So he easily gets intimidated by his wife's confidence in her sexuality. Harding has the sexual freedom to do whatever he whats, but he lacks the sexual confidence to act upon those wants.
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