Why has the number of instances of 'the fog' decreased, according to Bromden?

Why has the number of instances of 'the fog' decreased, according to Bromden?

• A. The fog machine is broken.
• B. The fog is less important to Bromden now.
• C. The fog machine has not been turned on as much since McMurphy's arrival.
• D. Bromden stopped thinking about it.

Answer: (C)

The fog image stands for the hospital’s control over the patients and Bromden’s own sense of powerlessness. When McMurphy arrives, he challenges Nurse Ratched and shakes up the ward, helping Bromden start thinking more for himself again. Because that control is loosening, the hospital’s fog—or the way it’s used to keep him subdued—hasn’t been turned on as much, so there are fewer instances of it. It isn’t about the fog machine breaking, nor about the fog becoming less important to Bromden, nor about him simply stopping his thoughts; it reflects the shift in power in the ward as McMurphy disrupts the routine.

The fog image stands for the hospital’s control over the patients and Bromden’s own sense of powerlessness. When McMurphy arrives, he challenges Nurse Ratched and shakes up the ward, helping Bromden start thinking more for himself again. Because that control is loosening, the hospital’s fog—or the way it’s used to keep him subdued—hasn’t been turned on as much, so there are fewer instances of it. It isn’t about the fog machine breaking, nor about the fog becoming less important to Bromden, nor about him simply stopping his thoughts; it reflects the shift in power in the ward as McMurphy disrupts the routine.