Fog v Fog- A Literary Blueprint

Literature repeats itself.  It varies and changes, yet, paradoxically, the symbols and connotations are used time and time again for different purposes.  Joseph Conrad wrote about imperialism, and Ken Kesey discusses the ideals behind madness and social reform, yet the authors chose the same symbol to represent a distinct image. The use of fog in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and in Heart of Darkness is very different, yet bizarrely alike. 

The fog in Heart of Darkness is both literal and representative of the plot through symbolism.   That is to say, the fog actually exists— this may sound obvious to readers who have not experienced Chief Bromden’s legendary hallucination periods, but it is worth mentioning.  Furthermore, in Conrad’s novel, the fog allows the reader to analyze a metaliterary aspect of the storyline, that is the fact that Marlow has been a blind narrator.  In his recount of his experiences in the African heartland, he has based his opinion on a second hand approach, for he has never met Kurtz, he hasn’t thoroughly analyzed the native people and he knows little about the relationship between the manager and his uncle, to the extent that he has identified himself as an outsider.  The fog symbolizes the epitome of his perdition in a foreign land; he is forced to carry on based on his instinct, for he has absolutely no idea what is occurring around him.  On the other hand, in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, the fog is a figment of the narrator’s imagination.  It represents the author’s desire to subtly include a remark about the control of the masses and challenging an authoritarian regime.  The fog symbolizes the shaded lens that doesn’t allow the general public to see what is going on around them: the “combine” or the possibility of a lobotomy in the case of a misdemeanor. 

The use of imagery in both novels points the reader back to the text.  It isn’t a reference to an external cliché, such as the one that may derive from the inclusion of a sunny day or a crow flying overhead.  Both authors attempt to envelope the reader in the details of the narrator’s profile, and they want the reader to become an advocate in the realizations of a certain occurrence, be it real (Conrad) or solely metaphorical (Kesey).  As a reader one should derive a lot from a reoccurring symbol such as the fog.  One must acknowledge that each piece of literature is unique, but that in order to construct a blueprint of possible interpretations for recurring themes one is obliged to analyze each one based solely on that plot and then feed in previous knowledge.