NO EXIT

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NO EXIT

• Jean-Paul Sartre

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Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980)
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Biography

• Jean-Paul Sartre was born in Paris on June 20,
  1905, and died there April 15, 1980. He studied
  philosophy in Paris at the École Normale
  Supérieure 19241928. After that he taught
  philosophy for a while in a number of lycées, in
  Paris and Le Havre.

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Historical Background of No Exit

• Above all else Jean-Paul Sartre is remembered for
  his existential philosophies presented in his
  writing. Even Sartre himself referred to his
  works as existential. Existentialism is based on
  the free will of man.

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• The development of Sartre's existential
  philosophies came during and after World War II
  and largely in reaction to the totalitarianism of
  Hitler, who forced people to support his beliefs
  or perish. Because the people of Europe were
  totally disillusioned after the war, they claimed
  that life seemed absurd and questioned if there
  really was a God. As a result, many of them could
  easily accept Sartre's existential beliefs, and
  he became a popular writer.

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A Brief History of France in Sartres Time

• The Second World War began on 3 September 1939
  when France declared war on Germany.
• The German terms were draconian. North and
  eastern France were occupied. Then in the summer
  of 1944 the allies liberated France.

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• Faced with the humiliation of defeat and the
  suffering of war and occupation, Sartre examined
  many of his questions about existence with
  respect to World War II. For example, No Exit,
  which takes place in a room in hell occupied by
  three people who can't stand each other, has
  often been compared to living in Paris during the
  German occupation.

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• In this context, Sartre examined such issues as
  freedom, self-deception, and the nature of time
  in the play to help fellow French men and women
  cope with the ordeal of defeat both during the
  war and after.

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Existentialism--What is it?

• The fundamental premise, , that existence
  precedes essence, is a rejection of the Platonic
  idea that somewhere, in a perfect existence,
  there is the ideal human that we should all
  aspire to become. Existentialism claims that we
  as human beings have no model, blueprint, no
  ideal essence, or perfect nature for humans.
  Rather, we must forge our own values and meaning
  from existing in an inherently meaningless or
  absurd world.

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Existentialism--What is it?

• Another characteristic of Existentialism, is the
  belief that humans do have free will. In our
  existence, we are constantly faced with choices,
  choices from which we can not escape, since even
  choosing not to choose or act is a choice.

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Characteristics of Existentialism-1

• Existence Before Essence-- As Sartre said, man
  is nothing else but what he makes of himself.
  Such is the first principle of existentialism.
  We discover what it means to be human only by
  existing.

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Humanistic-Existential Theories

• Humanism The view that people are capable of
  free choice, self-fulfillment, and ethical
  behaviorand the world is a good place in which
  we can flourish.
• Existentialism The view that people have free
  will and are responsible for their own
  behaviorbut our existence is lonely in a
  universe that seems to care little for what is
  best in us.

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summary

• Three characters are trapped in hell, but there
  are no instruments of torture or pits of fire.
  Rather, the setting is a living room containing
  only Second Empire furniture there are no
  windows, no mirrors, and no signs of the outside
  world except for a single, locked door.

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Whats Up With the Title?

• The first thing we have to consider is whether
  "No Exit" is an appropriate translation or not.
  The title in French is Huis Clos, which literally
  means "in camera" or "in private" or "behind
  closed doors."

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No Exit Genre

• Drama, Philosophical Literature, Psychological
  Thriller

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Characters

• Joseph Garcin
• Estelle Rigault
• Inez Serrano
• The Valet - Garçon
• Olga
• Peter
• Gomez
• Florence

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Act I

• Garcin, Estelle, and Inez arrive in hell.
• They are all alone they re not especially aware
  of the presence of other people. (If theyre
  watching other people in the room, they are in
  any event not really regarding them as subjects
  BUT AS OBJECTS

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Act II

• No one is willing to admit that theyve done
  anything wrong. Bad faith rules the day as the
  three individuals try to figure out whats going
  on and what they should do without owning up to
  their actions or making any decisions.

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• Garcin trys to be hero. But he never make himself
  hero, just like that. He can never define himself
  in that way.But Inez can do it to him. She
  decides whether Garcin is hero or not. She passes
  judgment, projects her values on things
  including Garcin. She sees Garcin as he really is.

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• Estelle recognize herself in the Others
  judgments of her even though she may not know
  what they are.
• The fact of the matter is that Inez cannot be
  defined by the Others look in this way. She is a
  story that is still being told, and the attempt
  to judge the story before it is finished is just
  premature. There is nothing yet to define.

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• Inez thinks objectivity.Objectivity is
  being-in-itself. It is uncreated, it is
  self-identical, it is everything that is
  non-conscious and non-free. It is simply what it
  is.

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Act III

• Everyone breaks down and admits their crimes.
  They all figure out that theyre in a
  cafeteria-style hell, as Inez puts it, and are
  fated to be each others torturers. Garcin then
  chooses hell, essentially for all three of them,
  and resigns them all to an eternity of mental
  torment.

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The Paper-Knife

• Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
• Actually, the paper-knife is a reference to
  Sartres philosophical treatise, Being and
  Nothingness. In the philosophical work, Sartre
  explains the fundamental existential tenet,
  "Existence precedes essence."??

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No Exit Themes

• Isolation
• Lies and Deceit
• Philosophical Viewpoints Existentialism
• Freedom and Confinement
• Suffering
• Power
• Life, Consciousness, Existence
• Courage

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Conclusion

• "Hell is other people!
• All of the arguments, reasoning, debates, and
  questions in No Exit have led the three main
  characters and the audience toward this
  indisputable conclusion hell is other people.
  Thats why theres no need for hot pokers or
  other torture devices. Thats why hell is simply
  three people in a room together.

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• If hell is other people, then it is because we
  have made it so -- it is because we have allowed
  other people to shape our reality. Our
  self-actualization, in this hell, is completely
  dependent upon the approval of others.

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• Hell, therefore, is not other people -- hell is
  being other people. Heaven is being yourself...