Existentialism?
Who Cares?
Existentialism-the
philosophical movement or tendency of the 19th and 20th centuries. Because of
the diversity of positions associated with existentialism, a precise definition
is impossible; however, it suggests one major theme: a stress on individual
existence and, consequently, on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice. Freedom
of choice, through which each human being creates his or her own nature, is a
primary theme. Because individuals are free to choose their own path,
existentialists have argued, they must accept the risk and responsibility of
their actions.
1st theme:
the basic existentialist standpoint, that
existence precedes essence, has primacy over essence. Man is a conscious
subject, rather than a thing to be predicted or manipulated; he exists as a
conscious being, and not in accordance with any definition, essence,
generalization, or system.
2nd
theme:
the sense of anguish, a generalized uneasiness, a fear or dread, which is
not directed to any specific object.
3rd
theme: absurdity
- Granted, says the existentialist, I aam my own existence, but this existence is
absurd. To exist as a human being is inexplicable, and wholly absurd.
4th
theme: pervades
existentialism is that of nothingness or the void. If no essences define me, and
if, then, as an existentialist, I reject all of the philosophies, sciences,
political theories, and religions which fail to reflect my existence as
conscious being and attempt to impose a specific essentialist structure upon me
and my world, then there is nothing that structures my world.
5th
theme:
nothingness is the existentialist theme of death. Nothingness, in the
form of death, which is my final nothingness, hangs over me like a sword of
Damocles at each moment of my life.
6th
theme: alienation
or estrangement
Albert Camus (1913-1960):
Born: Algeria; Died: France
Education:
University of Algiers, diplome d'etudes superieures, 1936
Military/Wartime
Service: Member of the French resistance movement
Awards:
Medal of the Liberation; Prix de la critique, 1947, for La Peste; Nobel
Prize for literature, 1957; Prix algerian du roman.
Career:
Novelist, essayist, and playwright
Plot Summary:
In mid-April dead rats inundate the town
of Oran. At first, Dr. Rieux pays little attention to the rats, but soon the
dying rats are being replaced by dying human beings, who have contracted the
bubonic plague. Dr. Rieux is alarmed because the death rate increases on a daily
basis. He urges the authorities to take strict precautionary measures to prevent
the spread of the plague, but the authorities procrastinate about taking any
significant actions. They do not want to face the fact that there is an outbreak
of the plague in their town. After
thirty-two days they close the gates of Oran, isolating it from the rest of the
world. There is immediately a
shortage of food and other necessities and many people have been indefinitely
separated from their loved ones Dr. Rieux fights tirelessly against the spread
of the disease without thought of his own well being. Tarrou and Grand also join
in the fight and organize a team of volunteers to help the medical community.
Some citizens, however, use the plague to their own advantage such as Cottard.
By mid-August, there is no sign of abatement in the fury of the plague, and the
citizens of Oran have learned to live in fear with it. They have also created
quarantine centers and stricter rules of segregation.
Franz Kafka (1883-1924):
Born:
Prague, Bohemia (now Czechoslovakia); Died: Kierling, Klosterneuburg,
Austria
Education:
Ferdinand-Karls University (Prague), earned doctorate in law, 1906; also
attended technical institute in Prague
Career:
Writer
Plot Summary:
The story begins with the unexpected
arrest of Joseph K., the bank clerk on his thirtieth birthday. It is a strange
kind of arrest. He is allowed to go on with his daily routines at the bank, etc.
K. pays a visit to the courts on Sunday. He makes his way through a maze of
streets into the poorer sections of the town. Finally he reaches the court of
inquiry conducted by an examining Magistrate. An unusual incident takes place in
the courtroom and the court officials had stages an entire proceeding. K. is
never summoned to the courts in the next few weeks. One Sunday he goes to the
courtroom and finds dusty, unused law books K. explores the law court offices
and finds that they are sparsely furnished.
One evening as K. left the office late he stops at the lumber-room in the
office. The warders, Franz and Willem are being shipped because K. complains of
his treatment to the examining Magistrate. K.'s uncle suddenly finds out about
his case through K.'s cousin Erna. K. comes from a good family. The uncle takes
him to a very senior lawyer - Dr. Huld, a good friend of his but K. dismisses
the lawyer and writes his own defense. The story ends with K.'s slaying by two
men at a stone quarry on his thirty-first birthday. Life has come full circle.
Jean-Paul Sartre(1905-1980):
Born:
Paris, France; died: Paris, France
Education:
Attended Lycee Louis-le-Grand; Ecole Normale Superieure, agrege de philosophie
Career:
Philosopher and author of novels, plays, screenplays, biographies, literary
and political criticism
Award(s):
Roman populiste prize, 1940; French Legion, 1945 (refused); New York
Drama Critics Award, 1947; French Grand Novel Prize, 1950; Omegna
Prize (Italy), 1960; Nobel Prize for Literature, 1964 (refused);
Plot Summary:
Garcin, Estelle, and Inez are brought to
Hell by a room-valet. Garcin pretends to be a brave, principled, and noble man,
but he really lived an evil, shallow and cowardly existence. As a husband, he
treated his wife cruelly and enjoyed torturing her. As a journalist, Garcin ran
away from duty the moment he sensed danger. Like Garcin, Estelle is also a
hypocrite; her true character is the opposite of the noble person that she
pretends to be. She claims to have sacrificed her youth, marrying a man three
times older than she was, for the sake of her delicate younger brother; in
truth, she simply married the man for his money and soon took a younger lover.
Inez also lived an unethical life, treating her friends and acquaintances in
unnatural, inhumane ways. Inez, attracted to Estelle, thinks she will be able to
treat her in the same manner as she treated her friends on earth; but Estelle
resists Inez. When she realizes that Estelle is attracted to Garcin, Inez grows
jealous and watches their every move, trying to make sure that they have no
chance to make love. Garcin finally admits that he has faced death like a
coward. In frustration, Garcin goes to the door and tries to open it. To his
amazement, the door opens, but he does not exit through it. He claims that he
must stay and convince the others that he is not a coward. Inez and Estelle also
stay inside the room, never trying to escape through the open door. The three of
them realize that they have chosen to be together in Hell forever . . . with No
Exit.