The Dominant Matriarch

Cold Comfort Farm makes fun of the "Dominant Grandmother Theme" which Flora recognizes is "found in all typical novels of agricultural life". Like the other characters, Aunt Ada Doom is presented in the extreme, claiming madness for something she saw in the woodshed when she was only two years old. She uses madness as an excuse to control her family and her "fits" intensify if they step out of line. With an iron fist over money and movements, Aunt Ada reigns from her tower, a second story bedroom from which she can watch the goings on. She recognizes her own power and finds her madness quite convenient for having her meals delivered to her room. Her stature is threatened when Flora Poste arrives and starts tidying up people's lives. Once Amos leaves the farm, the other family members gain strength and start perceiving Ada as human...