Existentialism in No Exit

A detailed Summary of Existentialism in No Exit

What would your Hell be like? Devils, flames, deep red and hot? No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre shows exactly what his metaphorical hell would be like. It combines the philosophies of existentialism with dramatic irony to create a Hell in the eyes of Sartre. In this work he places three characters in Hell where they are doomed to spend eternity together, each as the others torturer. Through the twisted story of these three people, Sartre's views of existentialism are shown.

In order to find existentialism in No Exit, one must first understand the philosophy of existentialism. Jean-Paul Sartre is well-known for his writings that include his existential views. Existentialism includes the belief that we all create our own meaning of life and things in general, we are responsible for what we make of ourselves, and that existence precedes essence. Existentialism sees the possibility for the two states of being: being in self or for self (Lein). Sartre incorporatred existentialism into many of his writings but the existential views are most clear in No Exit.

Now that the philosophies of existentialism are explained, the characters must be introduced. In No Exit, there are three characters who are very different. First, we are int

Sartre's most important argument is that "hell is other people." Although this is one of the most difficult parts of existentialism to understand, this suggests that man can only be how people perceive him. But Sartre states that "...relations with other people, encrustation, and freedom, freedom as the other face in the coin which is barely suggested, are three themes in the play. I should like you to remember this when you hear that hell is other people." In other words, Sartre believed that relationships do not always fail. What he shows in No Exit is what happens when people refuse to accept the consequences of their actions (Lien). By the end of the play, we come to realize that each character is the others torturer. Therefore, "hell is other people".

No Exit is a play that best portrays Jean-Paul Sartre's existential philosophies. Situated in Sartre's metaphorical hell, his existential points make up the plotline for No Exit. The three characters in No Exit each provide an existential look into the life of someone who has not lived authentically, or chosen to accept consequences of his decisions. The characters provide a twisted relationship of torture and irony in which the existential views of Jean-Paul Sartre are shown.

This element of existentialism produces most of the dramatic irony throughout the play.

The next bit of existe

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Approximate Word count = 913
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English