OFOCN: Blog Response #1

As readers, one of the first things we tend to do is notice the object most mentioned throughout the story. That being said, there is no doubt that the motif fog machine in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey caught the readers' attention. The fog machine usually appear when the narrator is in a difficult situation. What does this fog represent? Why is it so important for the narrator? The fog machine does not actually exist; however, in a more symbolic sense, the fog represents the mental condition of the narrator as well as the escape from reality.

When I was first encountered with the fog machine, I was confused. At first, I believed that the fog machine was a type of machine that produced chemicals and gas to calm one down as "it snow[s] down cold and white all over [the patients] like skim milk." Then, in several other instances the fog machine randomly appeared again out of nowhere. The fog does not physically exist, yet it is real to the narrator. He is imagining it as part of his hallucinations – whether it is due to the numerous drugs he’s taking or due to his actual mental condition. This fog is a way to remind the readers that this novel takes place in a mental institution and the narrator himself is a patient there. This fog is a way to remind us that the narrator hallucinates frequently and thus, is not a reliable one. This fog is a way to remind us that every time it ‘appears,’ it means the narrator is in a lost, confused state. It is almost like a warning that the narrator, although observant in many ways, should not be trusted by everything he says because after all, he does have a mental condition.

“One of these days, I’ll quit straining and let myself go completely lose myself in the fog the way some of the other Chronics have.” This quote shows how if the narrator allows himself to be completely taken away by the fog, he will turn completely insane like the others. What on earth is the fog then? The fog is a symbol of Bromden’s escape from reality. He seems to believe that the fog machines are turned on every time he is in a state of confusion so he doesn’t have to deal with what is going on around him. Feeling invisible to others when he is afraid, the fog is a safe place for him to "hide in." However, as the fog hides the narrator from the reality, the fog also limits the reader’s understanding of the atmosphere and situation of the world inside the mental institution. It blurs the line between reality and imagination, and the readers have to guess what is actually happening.

The concept of the fog appears numerous times throughout the novel and is somewhat ironic. Through the motif fog, the readers can understand the narrator and his thoughts more. Yet, the readers are more distanced and muddled by what is really going on in the novel.