The Wall Sartre Analysis

Preview

The Wall by Jean-Paul Sartre is themed around the thought of death. There are three main characters throughout the short story that was taken up against their will and forced to accept death. The three characters were thrown to a cell known as hospital cellars by a group of guards. They were sentenced inside of the cell unknowingly of what they had done. The men suffered in this cell over a course of days, the cell was described as terrifically cold due to the drafts. While being imprisoned the three prisoners were surrounded with thoughts and faced with imagining what death would feel like. Paul allows us to examine each of the main characters Pablo, Tom, and Juan and observe how each character approaches death. Sartre wants us

Juan is a great character, to begin with when we observe his initial approach to his thoughts on death. Juan is younger than Pablo and Tom and seems to be greatly afraid of the thought of suffering before death! Tom initially worried the kid by talking about the awful things the guards would do to them leading up to them ultimately getting killed. Pablo was detailed about Juan’s physical features transforming over the course of three days’ time “Three days before he was a smart sort of kid, not too bad; but now he looked like an old fairy and I thought how he’d never be young again, even if they were to let him go. It would not have been too hard to have a little pity for him but pity disgusts me, or rather it horrifies me. (Sartre)” Tom attempts at this moment to be nice to the kid and comforts him as this could be of benefit to the kid and to Tom; Juan would be able to be consoled and time would pass quickly for Tom. Juan refused Toms gesture of niceness; Pablo reacts in a low tone "leave him alone.” Juan was a very quiet person for a while in the cellar. The Belgian doctor was sent inside of the cellar to comfort the men. However, he was also inside of the cell to monitor the men with scrutiny. Once Juan seen the doctor he immediately asked “does it hurt. . . Very long” and the doctor replied nonchalantly “Not at all. It’s over

This philosophical view also recognizes the thought of freedom. In a way, Juan is failing the philosophical view of Sartre because he is not beginning to see the bigger picture. Juan is thinking more of the pain and less about the thought of death. Juan is also feeling pitiful about himself and has essentially shut down. Throughout the story Tom is attempting to find ways to occupy his time. Tom eventually realizes that he cannot stop thinking about the guards putting him to his death “You want to think something, you always have the impression that it’s alright, that you’re going to understand and then it slips, it escapes you and fades away. I tell myself there will be nothing afterwards. But I don’t understand what it means. Sometimes I almost can… and then it fades away and I start thinking about the pains again, bullets, and explosions. I’m a materialist, I swear it to you; I’m not going crazy. But something’s the matter. I see my corpse; that’s not hard but I’m the one who sees it, with my eyes. I’ve got to think… think that I won’t see anything anymore and the world will go on for the others. We aren’t made to think that, Pablo. Believe me: I’ve already stayed up a whole night waiting for something. But this isn’t the same: this will creep up behind us, Pablo, and we won’t be able to prepare for it. (Sartre)” It is clear that Toms