The Mad Fog

The mental hospital where the Chief and the other patients are seems to be in a way peculiar and in others, very similar to what I have seen of mental hospitals. Thankfully, I have no personal connection to such hospitals, but what I know is what I have seen in movies. For example, the movie Shutter Island, even though it´s more like a prison, I feel it has some sort of connection. The Combine, just like Shutter Island, seems creepy and scary for many patients, because they get beaten up. The treaty they sometimes receive, especially from the three black boys is very harsh.

 The peculiar thing that I see in it is the patients. All have their own special madness. For example, Ellis has a weird condition that they “nailed him against the wall.” (Pg. 15) Also, Rucky does nothing but stare at a picture that he holds in front of him. Then there is the Chief. At first I thought that he had no madness, but it was impossible. In a way, the fog is his madness.

He describes the fog when he is getting his hair cut, but it is something that follows him around. At the moment of the description, the fog is literal. It can be the excess of cream, or water vapor, but when that is gone, the fog is still there. It follows him around as if the fog were his madness. All day, he stares at every body else and comments on what he sees, but never does he talk. Al the accumulated silence could be the reason for the fog. He is not deaf, for he listens to every thing, but could de be mute? I don´t think so. Instead he could be speechless. He could be so caught up in his world, that he distorts every thing he sees and can never comment on any thing. He looks to be normal, but maybe the people that seem the most normal, are the most crazy.

The same can happen with McMurphy. When he is admitted, first impression is he is completely normal, but he is there for a reason. Not only is he crazy but I believe he is going to break hell loose in the institution. For know he seems okay, but the author uses foreshadow to give us hints of what he could be in the future. “…you can never tell when just that certain one might come in who´s free enough to foul things right and left, really make a hell of a mess and constitute a threat to the whole smoothness of the outfit.” (Pg 37)

Maybe being top gun and creating disorder is McMurphy´s fog.