"One morning I woke up and was plunged into psychological shock. I had forgotten I was free"

In this quote, Jack Henry Abbott is describing a moment of awareness and disbelief. He explains that a person early morning, he awakened and all of a sudden felt a sense of mental shock. This shock was triggered by the realization that he was totally free. It appears that Abbott had been put behind bars or restricted in some method, and had actually forgotten what it felt like to be complimentary. This abrupt realization might have been overwhelming for him, as he had actually become accustomed to a life without flexibility. This quote highlights the power and impact of flexibility, and how it can be taken for approved until it is lost and after that restored.