Patriarchy In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

686 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Feminism in the old testament

Patriarchy is defined as a “social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the family.” Many have heard of Biblical patriarchy as seen throughout the Bible. Two verses in particular demonstrate this concept. Ephesians 5:23 states, “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior”(ESV). In addition, 1 Timothy 3:4 also states, “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,”(ESV). God designed patriarchy to unify the family and direct them towards Him. Too often people perceive patriarchy as dictatorial, legalistic or even harsh; however, patriarchy in its biblical sense portrays a father leading the family with love and in humility before God. Without love, a patriarch would indeed come across as a mean dictator. In the novel, The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, two fathers, David Malter and Reb Saunders, play very important roles in their son's lives. As the patriarchs, both fathers provide vision for their families; in doing so they require respect as the leaders of the households, they …show more content…

“When my son does not come home in the afternoons week after week, I want to know where he is.’ … ‘I want you to tell me what he reads’”(165). This exchange between Reuven and Reb Saunders took place immediately after Reuven, Reb, and Danny “battled” over the Talmud. As the leader of the family, Reb Saunders cares deeply about the family’s, in this case Danny’s, spiritual life. Reading certain books may adversely influence one’s spiritual understanding. Reb Saunders wants to see what his son reads, in order to help him grow more spiritual. Despite the daily disputes and studies over the Talmud, Danny continues to read books his father does not approve of, but as the patriarch of the family, Reb tries his best to protect and guide his son’s spiritual

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The Novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author Ken Kesey was born in La Junta, Colorado and went to Stanford University. He volunteered to be used for an experiment in the hospital because he would get paid. In the book “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, Kesey brings up the past memories to show how Bromden is trying to be more confident by using those thoughts to make him be himself. He uses Bromden’s hallucinations, Nurse Ratched’s authority, and symbolism to reveal how he’s weak, but he builds up more courage after each memory.

    Read More

  • Relationships in Potok's The Chosen

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    The relationship between the two fathers and the two sons is a very important theme in this book. Because of their different backgrounds, Reb Saunders and David Malters approached raising a child from two totally different perspectives. Despite the obvious differences in the two men’s beliefs, both did what they thought was right for their sons. Reb Saunders was a Hasidic tzaddik and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. He raised Danny in silence, hoping to teach him to listen to silence, to learn compassion, and to develop a soul to go with his mind. Unless it had to do with religious studies, Reb never had an actual conversation with Danny after the age of 3. Reb wanted Danny to find things out for himself. On the other hand, Reuven’s father, Mr. Malters, felt it very important that he had good and frequent communication between himself and his son. The two would sometimes talk for hours about life, different religions, friends and anything else Reuven would want to ...

    Read More

  • Indentured Servants in the 17th and 18th Century South

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    Patriarchy describes the structuring of society on the basis of family units, in which fathers have primary responsibility for the welfare of these units. In some cultures slaves were included as part of such households. The concept of patriarchy is often used, by extension, to refer to the expectation that men take primary responsibility for the welfare of the community as a whole, acting as representatives via public office (in anthropology and feminism, for example).

    Read More

  • Danny Saunders In Chaim Potok's The Chosen

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    Danny Saunders has an aptitude for learning. When he looks at a page of literature, he instantaneously memorizes it. Blatt after blatt of Talmud and even Ivanhoe forever remain in his fifteen year old head, and that truly leaves the men around him awestruck. Mr. Malter was one of these men. “But he is a phenomenon. Once in a generation is a mind like that born” (110). God gifted Danny with a photographic mind for a reason. Reb Saunders, Danny’s father, believes that God gave Danny a brilliant mind to do great things for the Hasidic church.

    Read More

  • Summary and Analysis of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

    4131 Words  | 9 Pages

    I chose the subject about “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” written by Ken Kesey in 1962 for my research paper because my mother told me years ago of the accompanying film and how interesting it is. Two years ago a friend of mine came back from his exchange programme in the United States of America. He told me that he and his theatre group there had performed this novel. He was and still is very enthusiastic about the theme and about the way it is written. Although I started reading the novel, I didn’t manage to finish it till the day we had to choose our subjects at school. When I saw this subject on the list, which we were given by our English teacher Mr Schäfer, I was interested immediately. So I chose it.

    Read More

  • Women as Authority Figures in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    “We are victims of a matriarchy here my friends…” (Harding). A matriarchy is a social order where women have power. In the novel One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest the women are portrayed as the power figures and have the power manipulate, or control the men in the ward, as shown by the characters of Nurse Ratched, Mrs. Bibbit, and Vera Harding.

    Read More

  • Narration, Metaphors, Images and Symbols in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

    3031 Words  | 7 Pages

    In 1962, when One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (the Nest), was published, America was at the start of decade that would be characterized by turmoil. Involvement in Vietnam was increasing, civil rights marches were taking place in the south and a new era of sexual promiscuity and drug use was about to come into full swing. Young Americans formed a subgroup in American society that historians termed the “counterculture”. The Nest is a product of time when it was written. It is anti-authoritarian and tells the tale of a man's rebelling against the establishment. Kesey used metaphor to make a social commentary on the America of the sixties. In this paper I will deal with three issues that seem to strike out from the novel. First; is the choice that Kesey made in his decision to write the novel using first person narration. The second part of this paper will be an analysis of some of the metaphors and Kesey uses to describe America in the sixties. Finally I will speak about the some of the religious images that Kesey has put in the novel.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the reader has the experience to understand what it was like to live in an insane asylum during the 1960’s. Kesey shows the reader the world within the asylum of Portland Oregon and all the relationships and social standings that happen within it. The three major characters’ groups, Nurse Ratched, the Black Boys, and McMurphy show how their level of power effects how they are treated in the asylum. Nurse Ratched is the head of the ward and controls everything that goes on in it, as she has the highest authority in the ward and sabotages the patients with her daily rules and rituals. These rituals include her servants, the Black Boys, doing anything she tells them to do with the patients.

    Read More

  • Matriarchy In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    Quest. A long or arduous search for something. The word quest has many positive connotations. Heroes go on quests to save the pretty girl, find the holy grail, or find themselves in some way. More often than not, people do not consider the villains as being on a quest, but they often are. The “bad guys” are searching too, just not necessarily for the right things. In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, the antagonist, Nurse Ratched, is on a quest, because she needs to maintain power in the matriarchy at the mental hospital, by structuring herself high-up in the ward, staying calm in the face of uprise, and using fear as a crutch for the patients.

    Read More

  • One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest Essay

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everybody wants to be accepted, yet society is not so forgiving. It bends you and changes you until you are like everyone else. Society depends on conformity and it forces it upon people. In Emerson's Self Reliance, he says "Society is a joint stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater." People are willing to sacrifice their own hopes and freedoms just to get the bread to survive. Although the society that we are living in is different than the one the Emerson's essay, the idea of fitting in still exists today. Although society and our minds make us think a certain way, we should always trust our better judgment instead of just conforming to society.

    Read More

  • Modern Versus Traditional Views in Chaim Potok’s The Chosen

    578 Words  | 2 Pages

    The way in which Reb Saunders and David Malter raise their children reflect the conflict between tradition and modernity in this story. David Malter raises Reuven with a modern approach. He encourages Reuven to learn about the modern world as well as hold on to his religion. Reb Saunders to shelter Danny from modern ideas. With the exception of teaching Danny about the Talmud, he raises Danny in silence. He has his own reasons for raising Danny this way. “I did not want to drive him away from God, but I did not want him to grow up a mind without a soul” (Page 266). Reb Saunders raises his son through a tradition that has been in his family for a long time. However, he accomplishes his goal. His method of raising his son is dramatically different from David Malter’s modern practice. The results are also different. Danny has gone through much more pain and suffering than Reuven, and he chooses to carry on this practice if he must. Modernity and tradition present in the different ideas of these men influences the lives and ideas of their children as well.

    Read More

  • Essay On One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    2040 Words  | 5 Pages

    Fred Wright, Lauren's instructor for EN 132 (Life, Language, Literature), comments, "English 132 is an introduction to English studies, in which students learn about various areas in the discipline from linguistics to the study of popular culture. For the literature and literary criticism section of the course, students read a canonical work of literature and what scholars have said about the work over the years. This year, students read One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey, a classic of American literature which dates from the 1960s counterculture. Popularized in a film version starring Jack Nicholson, which the class also watched in order to discuss film studies and adaptation, the novel became notable for its sympathetic portrayal of the mentally ill. For an essay about the novel, students were asked to choose a critical approach (such as feminist, formalist, psychological, and so forth) and interpret the novel using that approach, while also considering how their interpretation fit into the ongoing scholarly dialogue about the work. Lauren chose the challenge of applying a Marxist approach to One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. Not only did she learn about critical approaches and how to apply one to a text, she wrote an excellent essay, which will help other readers understand the text better. In fact, if John Clark Pratt or another editor ever want to update the 1996 Viking Critical Library edition of the novel, then he or she might want to include Lauren's essay in the next edition!"

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies - Role Of Gender

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    What was it that caused the aggression and dominance exhibited by the boys of Lord of the Flies? Was it some metaphysical, spiritual force, or perhaps their genetic makeup? Could it have been the influence of their peers or families, or was it the media that inspired this dangerous pattern? Conceivably, their gender had something to do with this appalling trait. It all begs the question, would the same experiences have occurred had females been stranded on the island instead of males? Had females been in a similar situation as the boys in Lord of the Flies, they would have fared abundantly better. Initially, this paper will address society’s role in encouraging males’ violent behavior, as well as females’ politeness and passivity. Secondly, it will be discussed how family socialization influences females’ gentle natures and males’ aggressive temperaments. Finally, this research will explore both gender’s leadership styles, and scientific perception behind these differences.

    Read More

  • Reuven And Danny's Relationship

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is an old Hasidic tradition, this kind of Talmudic discussion. ’”(Potok 140). Reuven’s father helps him to understand Danny when Danny cannot explain it for himself. Danny’s father’s refusal to speak to his son other than to quiz him on Talmud teaches Reuven a lot about parenting styles. He appreciates his bond with his father a lot more.

    Read More

  • Discourses of Conformity in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Advice to Young Ladies

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    Discourses of Conformity in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Advice to Young Ladies

    Read More

More about Patriarchy In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Open Document