Electric light Quote by Cornell Woolrich
““The glove comes off, flops loosely over, and there's suddenly horror beating into his brain, smashing, pounding, battering. He reels a little in his chair, has to hold onto the edge of the table with both hands, at the impact of it. A clawlike thing - two of the finger extremities already bare of flesh as far as the second joint; two more with only shriveled, bloodless, rotting remnants of it adhering, only the thumb intact, and that already unhealthy-looking, flabby. A dead hand - the hand of a skeleton - on a still-living body. A body he was dancing with only a few minutes ago. A rank odor, a smell of decay, of the grave and of the tomb, hovers about the two of them now. A woman points from the next table, screams. She's seen it, too. She hides her face, cowers against her companion's shoulder, shudders. Then he sees it too. His collar's suddenly too tight for him. Others see it, one by one. A wave of impalpable horror spreads centrifugally from that thing lying there in the blazing electric light on O'Shaughnessy's table. The skeleton at the feast! ("Jane Brown's Body")””
About This Quote
Source Short Story: “Jane Brown’s Body” by Cornell Woolrich, 1935
A sudden, graphic revelation of death and decay causes collective terror among witnesses.
In simple terms: Seeing a dead hand triggers horror and panic.
Recognize how shock can spread in groups.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- dinner party
- unexpected tragedy
- public panic
- media reporting
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does witnessing death affect group behavior?
- What mechanisms help people cope with sudden horror?
The vivid description may overwhelm readers, limiting emotional processing.