- 1
Why do the voluntary patients stay on the ward?
They fear the perils of the outside world even more than they fear Miss Ratched's control. Most of the men on the ward have never felt in control of their lives. Someone like McMurphy, they all sense, is powerful, or "big," as Bromden would say; he can navigate the world by being a brawler and a gambler. Most of the patients don't feel they have any such option, and they think that the security of the ward is worth its more demeaning elements.
- 2
Why does Miss Ratched think that McMurphy should stay on the ward?
Students should examine both the reasons she gives and the subtext of her words. As she says,...
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