Formal coat draped over a miniature chair beside folded rough cloak

Original artwork, not a still

Leland

Bernstein, am I a stuffed shirt? Am I a long- faced hypocrite? Am I a New England school marm?

— Citizen Kane ‧ 1941

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker asks Bernstein whether they themselves are a stuffed shirt, a long-faced hypocrite, or a prim schoolmistress. Stacked as questions, the list sounds like genuine self-doubt, though it might also fish for reassurance. Each label pictures someone stiff, judgmental, and disapproving.

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