Metaphors in Ofotcn

In the novel, the “fog” is seen by Bromden throughout the novel. It is however most prominent at the times that Bromden is most disconnected from reality. Bromden describes the fog as thick easy to hide and get lost in. He believes that the other residents also hide in the fog to protect and hide themselves from the Nurse Ratchet. When Bromden or the other residents hide in the fogs they lose their individuality. The fog is the symbol for the effect the oppressive society has on people’s mentality, draining their uniqueness. This is seen when a group of business people arrive at Bromdens village and negotiates the price for the village land. When they buy the land to make a hydraulic dam, the members of the tribe are submerged into a mechanized society where they become half-dead creatures, just going through the motions. Bromdens own father turns to drinking, and Bromden himself becomes semi-cationic, going through the motions but appearing to have no thought. This is also seen in the mental hospital, where routine is a necessity. Bromden describes the workers in the mental hospital as just pieces of clockwork. Even Nurse Ratchet, though she may seem to be in charge, is just a part of an even bigger machine. Humanity and thought seems to be taken away with this continuous, unchanging motion, which can be seen when Bromden finds himself submerged in “fog”. Just as the village and tribe members represent nature and humanity, so does the patients in the mental hospital, all battling the oppression from society, whether it is a large business or the workers in a mental hospital.
            When McMurphy arrives, his presence causes immediate tension within the mental hospital as he does not fall in line with the rest of the patients. Instead he begins to resist authority with a flurry of rebellious and cocky actions from the start. When he first arrives he is normally taken to the bathroom, showered, shaved, and stripped of all individuality. However, McMurphy...