The only black nurse at the abortion clinic Nadia visits. While leading Nadia into the sonogram office, the dreadlocked nurse criticizes her for not wearing comfortable clothes, and Nadia senses her implicit judgment and resentment. Nadia thinks the dreadlocked nurse must think that Nadia is yet another “black girl” finding her way out of “trouble.” Ultimately, the dreadlocked nurse acts as a caretaker for Nadia. When Nadia first opens her eyes after the procedure, she looks into the dreadlocked nurse’s face and says, “Mommy?” Later, as Nadia waits for Luke in the lobby, the nurse brings her a snack and tells her that she’s waiting in vain, insisting that Luke has clearly decided not to come.
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The Dreadlocked Nurse Character Timeline in The Mothers
The timeline below shows where the character The Dreadlocked Nurse appears in The Mothers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter One
...as if she’s “standing in the vice-principal’s office” and arguing about the dress code. But the dreadlocked nurse just shakes her head, seeming “weary, unlike the chipper white nurses.” As they move down...
(full context)
After the sonogram, Nadia goes to the operating room, where the dreadlocked nurse tells her that the procedure will only take ten minutes. Afterward, she waits in the...
(full context)
Chapter Two
...grabs a bottle of tequila from a countertop and pours herself a stiff drink despite the dreadlocked nurse ’s instructions to avoid alcohol for 48 hours. She finds a boy she used to...
(full context)
