Essay On Normalization Of Girls

The fact that the sisters enforce a strict degree of routine makes it so that they are able to encourage normalization amongst the girls. The sisters in the film act as the “technicians of behaviour; engineers of conduct, orthopaedists of individuality” (Foucault, 1977, p. 294). What this means is that they have the influence over what actions are normalized amongst the girls. We see this with the amount of surveillance that takes place on the part of the sisters. By being around the girls at every moment, the sisters are able to ensure that the behavior of the girls is adhering to the standards of the sisters and the institution as a whole. When the girls are eating meals, the sisters are there. When they wake up and work in the laundry room, the sisters are there. There are hardly any moments in the film where the girls are left unattended, and this is further evidence that the sisters are able to influence behavior by physically monitoring every movement of the girls in …show more content…
While for a moment the scene that she encounters seems to be too good to be true, she is confronted with the painful realization of the implications of her sexual identity (Higson & Mullan, 2002). She has the opportunity to escape for good, but the young man who offers her a ride makes a remark about how she must be from “in there”, referring to the Magdalene Asylum, and says that they must be taking in “loonies” now (Higson & Mullan, 2002). This scene is extremely powerful, because Margaret realizes the social implications of her sexuality. Because she has been metaphorically branded with the label of sinner and seen as sexually promiscuous, she seems to realize in that moment how strong the social implications of that are. If she were to go to the nearest town, everyone would know where she came from, and would see her only for her