Asylum Quote by Cornell Woolrich
““One of them hasn't got a uniform on or plainclothes either like the rest. He has on the white coat that is my nightmare and my horror. And in the crotch of one arm he is upending two long poles intertwined with canvas. The long-drawn-out death within life. The burial-alive of the mind, covering it over with fresh graveyard earth each time it tries to struggle through to the light. In this kind of death you never finish dying. ("New York Blues")””
About This Quote
Source Short story: New York Blues, 1935
A terrifying figure in a white coat symbolizes endless, incomplete death, trapping the mind in perpetual struggle.
In simple terms: A haunting image of endless mental death.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and confront recurring mental traps.
Themes
psychology
death
existentialism
Mood
dark
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- therapy sessions
- creative writing
- personal crises
Key Concepts
nihilism
identity
suffering
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the white coat represent?
- How can one break the cycle?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may glorify suffering.
