And he walks round blocks and blocks looking for the door of the humming tinsel windowed skyscraper, round blocks and blocks and still no door. Every time he closes his eyes the dream has hold of him, every time he stops arguing audibly with himself in pompous reasonable phrases the dream has hold of him. Young man to save your sanity you've got to do one of two things... Please mister where's the door to the building? Round the block? Just round the block... one of two unalienable alternatives: go away in a dirty soft shirt or stay in a clean Arrow collar. But what's the use of spending your whole life fleeing the City of Destruction? What about your unalienable right, Thirteen Provinces? His mind unreeling phrases, he walks on doggedly. There's nowhere in particular he wants to go. If only I still had faith in words. (pp. 365-366)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A young man searches endlessly for an entrance to a skyscraper, caught between practical demands and existential despair, doubting the power of language.
- In plain terms
- A man walks in circles looking for a building entrance while feeling lost and doubting words.
- What can you take from it?
- Physical searches can reflect deeper existential confusion.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does it mean to lose faith in words?
- When does a search become endless?
Another view
The quote assumes the building entrance is metaphorical rather than a literal navigational issue.
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