Characters in Sartre's No Exit Essay

The English morality play “Everyman” uses allegorical characters to represent what Everyman holds onto and values during his life. Everyman has neglected his spiritual life, but as the play develops Everyman repents of his sins on time. Summoned by Death, Everyman realizes that he is not ready and does not want to die alone. Thereafter, Everyman seeks to find a companion to go with him on the journey to give account of his life to God but to no avail, Everyman soon realizes that all of those who accompanied him on earth soon abandon him.

“In “No Exit”, a great play by Sartre, there existed a mixture of both authentic and inauthentic characters. The play begins by Garcin entering an exceptionally secretive room joined by the room-valet. Minutes after the fact, the room-valet goes with Inez and after that Estelle into the same room. They have all been conveyed to the hereafter room for their damnation. They begin examining what” happened to “bring every one here or at the end of the day how did each of them kick the bucket. Every takes swing to talk their contemplations; however the returns are not completely clear at first. Estelle declines to feel that she is broken and believes that she could have been conveyed here by slip-up and tries to persuade everybody in the room

These individuals are so lonely that they become one with each other. “We are alone here under the earth. It is a fearful word, alone. The laws say that none among men may be alone, ever and at any time, for this is the great transgression and the root of all evil. But we have broken many laws. And now there is nothing here save our one body”. The line above reveal that in their society sin results in an ultimate

Beneath the gore and smoke and loam, this book is about the evanescence of life, and why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible, others in the manufacture of sorrow. In the end it is a story of the ineluctable conflict between good and evil, daylight and darkness, the White City and the Black. (Larson

Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451 and various other short stories once said, "Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations," and his observation is a perfect analysis of the importance of characters in fiction. The actions of characters in stories are what guide the most beloved ones. When a story is beloved it is most often driven by love of the characters, but the real question is why do readers love and relate to fictional beings. The types of characters that are most loved in fiction have roots in reality, and traits that make them more relatable to the reader.

The night drew closer around the individuals who, some in dreams, some in panic, seemed to react to impending danger and turned, some to nightmares, some to an eerie calm, as those on death row that accepted their demise for what it was, an abrupt shattering of their existence. Be that as it may, however, some did not wish to go so simply. While some wished for a calm ending, but embraced nevertheless a less subtle end, that of fire and mutilation, others feared it for what it was, or what it could be. Some feared being lost, trapped in a dungeon of previously sound architecture, to watch the edges of their vision turn to the blackness of

In “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin, the informally-speaking narrator depicts a cookie-cutter utopia with perpetually happy citizens that sing and dance in the music-filled streets during the Festival of Summer. However, under one of the beautiful public buildings lays a child, no older than ten years-old, who lays in its own excrement. Although the citizens know the emancipated child is there, they refuse to act upon the child’s suffering, for their happiness depends entirely on the child’s abominable misery. Through ethos, the narrator illustrates this utopian society with a casual tone and frequently asks the audience for their input. Le Guin’s fairy-tale introduction of the story establishes her credibility through her extensive knowledge and understanding of the people of Omelas. Le Guin utilizes logos through the narrator’s second person point of view which incites the audience to draw their own conclusions about the city of Omelas and question their own justifications of the child’s existence. The concept of the happiness of many relying on the necessary suffering of one forces the reader to question their own morals and their justifications for the child’s physical and mental condition. Through ethos, logos, and pathos, Le Guin presents the contrast and divide between the citizens of Omelas and the child in the cellar in order to challenge the reader’s capacity for moral self-conception.

Again, social status leads Monsieur Jourdain to think in terms of how to better himself in the eyes of society. He recognizes that Lucile is a crucial element in his quest to become a gentleman, for he lacks the privileged rite of birth that the aristocracy benefit from. His emphasis on social status has driven Monsieur Jourdain to sacrifice his daughter’s preferences for his own personal and selfish gain. Monsieur Jourdain, however, does not view this act as selfish, but rather as necessary. After drawing criticism from his wife for denying Cléonte Lucile’s hand in marriage, Monsieur Jourdain counters, “Those are sentiments that show what a small mind you have – not wanting to better yourself” (226). Monsieur Jourdain realizes that Lucile is his ace in the hole for becoming a member of the elite, and he scolds his wife for not recognizing the great opportunity that Lucile’s marriage can bring them. Again, the thought of social status causes Monsieur Jourdain to degrade his own daughter from a human being, to a mere bargaining chip for his (family’s) benefit.

Marie, Meursault’s girlfriend, is extremely emotionally attached to Meursault, and this is a weakness. Marie is dependent on Meursault as her source of happiness, even though Meursault does not show that he really cares about Marie. When asked if he loved her, he replied “it didn’t mean anything and that [he] probably didn’t love her” (41). Most people would despise being in a relationship in which they’re unloved by their partner. However, Marie stays with Meursault, even if he does not actually love her. Marie staying in a relationship where she is not even loved, is the result of her being emotionally attached to someone who does not feel the same way about her.

“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything—anger, guilt, or possessions—we cannot be free” by Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh. As humans, we do not always find the will to let go of the things that doesn’t serves us. Finding the will to trust and let go of what no longer serves a purpose in life such as anxieties, fears, old emotion, and baggage can drag one down thus preventing happiness to occur. When you let go, you make room for better things – things that are more suited for your life now. When you learn to let go, you live with greater ease. Freewill is important to human existence and thought. Laws and guidelines are set out as a suggestion on how to lead life.

No Exit, a play written by Jean-Paul Sartre that debuted in 1944, has many similar themes to the movie The Breakfast Club, written and directed by John Hughes. The play No Exit is perceived as taking place in literal Hell and describes the interactions between those who have died and have been placed in a room together. In The Breakfast Club, students have been put in a metaphorical “hell,” detention, and spend a full day together in the school’s library. For characters in No Exit, trying to deal with other creates a living hell and ends with each of the characters hating one another because they do not help each other; while in The Breakfast Club the characters end up accepting each other after going through the same “hell” because they learn and accept each other.

While Estelle's hands were tarnished with the murder of her own baby, both Garcin and Inez are indirectly responsible for the death of those close to them. For Sartre, all three characters are pathetic examples of humankind. Believing that human beings can never hope to understand why they are here, Sartre, like many existentialists, believes that each individual must choose a goal and follow it with passionate conviction, aware of the certainty of death and the ultimate meaninglessness of one's life. Nonetheless, Estelle, Garcin and Inez all exist with no real purpose and therefore are damned to suffer not only in their life, but their afterlife.

Widely recognized for philosophical writings as a French essayist and playwright, Albert Camus is a major contributor to exploring the absurd in modern Western literature. Characterized by highlighting the human condition, Camus’ writing style focuses on the everyday lives and inner psyche of individuals in both ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. Such a character-driven writing style is most notably displayed in his 1946 work, The Stranger, a tale of an emotionally-detached man known as Meursault, who lives in French-colonized Algiers during the intermission of the two World Wars. Consisting of two parts—The Stranger first explores his daily life as a free man, and in the second, delves more into the character’s own philosophy as Meursault contemplates during his remaining time in jail. At its core, the story explores the relationships and interactions of the odd Meursault through the character’s inner monologue and dialogue with those around him. The story itself is very ambiguous in its’ nature, and the idea of contemplating the meaning of life and purpose is prevalent throughout The Stranger. Evidently, Camus writes Meursault as a man who believes that life has no meaning, and therefore people are free to do as they please. To supplement the protagonist’s view, the author also presents Meursault alongside various personalities of key supporting characters, each with their own unique personality, and differing outlooks on life. Doing so thus enables Camus to get readers to contemplate about meaning through multiple perspectives. Stylistically, through many devices that emphasize diction, imagery, and story themes. Ultimately, The Stranger is a way for Camus to convey that there are multiple ways to perceive the meaning of life, using Meursault to directly project a different view than what readers are used to. Surely, with the intent of crafting a protagonist so strange, that Meursault becomes comparable to other characters; less so as a reflection of what the author personally believes the meaning of life is, but more of what such exploration of the idea could be.

Jean Sartre uses elements of existentialism in No exit to function as a metaphor for the hellish impact of war. Sartre employs imagery, allusion, and imprisonment in order to express the tragedies and complexities of living under Nazi occupation.

Throughout Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, the character Jean Valjean, the Patron-Minette, and Gavroche have a lot in common. What defines them as people, though, are their actions in life and the actions of others. Hugo emphasizes how the lack of those things (education and kindness) leads to criminal ways and an ungratified way of life. No one has shown them affection or kindness which leads them to believe society is mean and they develop hatred towards it. Not one of them were educated, which leads to ignorance and a lack of opportunities in life, which leads to crime in the long run.