Sartre-No Exit
Jean Paul Sartre's "No Exit" is an apt description of existential hell. (Sartre, 1958) Existentialism attempts to describe our desire to make rational decisions despite existing in an irrational universe. Existentialism requires the active acceptance of our nature. Or, existentialism assumes we are best when we struggle against our nature. In either case, we should want this. Given this brief description of existentialism, what transpires in "No Exit" is that the players are trapped in their own natures. There is a loss of freedom at several levels. The stage setting reveals that even in writing No Exit, Sartre cannot completely rid himself of his existentialist leanings. He asks for a chandelier in the center of the room. And in the ceiling there is a hole -- through which he allows as an escape route.
The first loss of freedom is in the room in which Joseph Cradeau, Inez Verrano and Estelle Rigault are trapped. Here, nothing ever changes. They are destined to exist forever on three sofas in a room that is sparsely furnished, or furnished as no livable room would be. The seasons do not change; the lights in the room remain on. The existences (cannot be called life, since they are dead) of the players are a continuum from which there is no respite. There is a loss of the freedom of life.
At the second level, Cradeau, Verrano and Rigault are trapped with personalities that confound each other. There are aspects of each other that they find appealing. But the dislikes easily trump the likes. And at the third level, the three are trapped within themselves. They are the victims of their own personalities and idiosyncrasies. Their actions in life are what brought them to this place. But even in death, they do not have (nor do they seek) the freedom from themselves. Towards the end of the play, Inez makes a statement that captures the essence that is them: "HELL IS -- OTHER PEOPLE." It is natural to blame others when mere introspection would help. What the characters need is freedom from themselves. But they never realize it. Thus, no matter in what realm they find themselves, they are bound to suffer this lack of freedom.
At the beginning of the narrative, the reader is led to believe that the room is a hotel or a prison of some kind. As the narrative proceeds, the reader begins to realize that the players are dead. There is no doubt then that this is hell. But why? The reader wonders. What have these people done to merit hell? And as the story unfolds, one realizes why.
Joseph Cradeau is a pacifist writer. When the War breaks out, he is branded as a traitor because he refuses to support the war. He is sentenced to die. He is executed -- shot with twelve bullets. He is by nature an emotional abuser. In his wife, who possesses a martyr complex, he sees a perfect victim. He met his wife when he rescued her, as puts it, "from the gutters." While he is off being a hero for the cause of freedom of speech and expression, he revels in muzzling his wife, whom he tortures by serial his philandering. His married life consisted of his long-suffering wife acceding to his every wish. He loves women as sexual objects. He cannot stand them as companions. Nor does he attempt to understand women if they do not meet his immediate desires.
Estelle Rigault is an attractive woman. She is vain. While she was alive, her bedroom consisted of six mirrors so she could constantly be aware of herself. Her very reason for being was the knowledge that she was in the limelight at all times. She married an older man because he could provide for her sickly brother's treatment. But later she fell in love with a younger. She had an affair with him. She became pregnant. Delivered a baby girl. She kills her baby because of the inconvenience her prior acts would cause her, against her boyfriend's pleading. Later she contracts pneumonia and dies.
Inez Verrano is a postal clerk. She is a lesbian. She has an affair with a woman, Florence. She breaks up Florence's marriage. The heart broken man either commits suicide or is run over by a tram. She lives with Florence for a while. Florence is also guilt ridden. Inez is not the best person to live with. By her own admission, Inez makes the lives of those near her miserable. Florence kills both herself...
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