The Snake Pit

Quotes: « Robert Cunningham: Tell me, what have you been doing all these months? » « Virginia Stuart Cunningham: Working 18 hours a day and being lonely 24. » « Virginia Stuart Cunningham: It was strange, here I was among all those people, and at the same time I felt as if I were looking at them from some place far away, the whole place seemed to me like a deep hole and the people down in it like strange animals, like… like snakes, and I've been thrown into it… yes… as though… as though I were in a snake pit… » « Doctor Mark Kik: A snake pit? » « Virginia Stuart Cunningham: Later, weeks later, I understood. I remembered once reading in a book that long ago they used to put insane people into pits full of snakes. I think they figured that something which might drive a normal person insane, might shock an insane person back into sanity. Did you ever hear of that? » « Doctor Mark Kik: Yes. » « Virginia Stuart Cunningham: Well, it was just as though they'd thrown me into a snake pit. And I was shocked into thinking that maybe I wasn't as sick as the others… and I really might get well. » « Virginia Stuart Cunningham: [sighs] It's funny. » « Doctor Mark Kik: What is it? » « Virginia Stuart Cunningham: Everything you've said seems to make sense. I feel as though I know it, » [places hand on her heart] « Virginia Stuart Cunningham: here… » « Doctor Mark Kik: But you don't quite understand it all, here? » [points, with his pipe, to his head] « Doctor Mark Kik: Don't worry, it doesn't matter. You may never know *why* everything happened, but now you do know *how* and *where* it started, and that *does* matter. Look, it's as though you were in a dark room, like this one… » [turns off light switch] « Doctor Mark Kik: … now. And you wanted to turn on the light. But, you couldn't, because you didn't know where the switch was. Now you *do*. You may never know *why* turning that switch makes the light go on, but you don't *have* to. As long as you know *where* it is, you don't ever have to be afraid being in the dark again. And that, I'm sure, you'll be able to do very soon. »